Ministers face call to ensure toys are free from ‘forever chemicals’

The Government has been urged to act to protect children from playing with toys containing “forever chemicals”.

Fifty scientists, academics and patient organisations have written to Kate Dearden, minister for consumer protection, warning that safety regulations in the UK could fall behind those protecting children in Europe.

This means British children could soon be playing with toys considered unsafe in the EU, they said.

Examples can include hormone disrupting bisphenols found in teething toys and PFAS – known as “forever chemicals” because they take centuries to break down – found in polyurethane foam which is present in squishy toys such as balls and building blocks.

Experts warned that children are particularly vulnerable to harmful chemicals while they are still developing.

Professor Paul Fowler, chairman in Translational Medical Sciences at the University of Aberdeen, told the PA news agency: “PFAS are increasingly associated with a wide range of adverse health effects, children are particularly vulnerable to adverse effects.

“When you look at exposure to endocrine disruptors, there’s a whole range of effects from being born small for gestational age, to effects on brain development and immune system development and so on.”

He added: “The EU has concluded that its own regulations are not fit for purpose anymore, with increasing evidence and quite rightly moving to change their regulation.

“Given that England is already diverging from the EU on PFAS regulation, not so quite yet in Scotland, it’s important that we remind government about these data, these findings, and the importance of protecting the most vulnerable in our society – the foetus and the child.”

He said that there are multiple sources of PFAS exposures for children but tighter regulation on toys could “cut one out”.

The letter, which is signed by Prof Fowler along with signatories from the Chem Trust, the British Thyroid Foundation along with various academics and patient groups, calls for the Government to update the UK’s 2011 Toy Safety Directive in line with the new EU regulations.

“Toys are designed to promote child development and learning, and the presence of harmful chemicals in toys undermines the purpose for which they are created,” the authors wrote.

“The EU revised the Toy Safety Directive because it was not adequately protecting children from harmful chemicals and we urge you to match this science-led approach.

“Unless we follow suit, children in the UK will be playing with toys deemed unsafe for children in the EU and continue to be exposed to chemicals which can have long-term, irreversible effects on their health.”

Julia Priestley, chief executive of British Thyroid Foundation, who also signed the letter, said: “It is vital that babies and small children are protected from the potential risks of exposure to any chemicals that may harm their development.

“We welcome this legislation that protects children living in EU countries and strongly urge the UK Government to adopt the regulations that offer the same protection to citizens here.”

A Government spokesperson said: “We have some of the most robust product safety laws in the world and any product being put on the UK market by businesses must meet our strict criteria.

“We have powers to tackle modern-day safety issues including chemical risk and are updating our product safety laws to keep children and the wider public safe, as well as taking action to stop unsafe or non-compliant products from reaching them.”