Pinching, dripping glue, slime...are popular handmade toys also poisonous?

Review expert: Zhou Hongzhi, senior laboratory technician, master's supervisor, School of Physics and Optoelectronic Engineering, Beijing University of Technology

Not only are they beautiful, they can be made by hand, and playing with them is also comfortable and stress-relieving? These handmade toys are becoming more and more popular. How many of them do you know?

"Pinch" has a soft feel and comes in a variety of cute shapes; epoxy can be made into a variety of works such as mobile phone cases, which are crystal clear and very beautiful; "Slime" has a variety of colors and a variety of different feels, is very plastic, and has a variety of ways to play.

But we can also see on the Internet that many people said that they feel very uncomfortable after making "Nian Ni" for more than 3 hours, and they suffer from sore throat, crazy acne, conjunctivitis... Maybe it's all caused by these handmade toys?

"Three-no products" pose safety risks

The materials used to make "Nenen" are usually silicone and color paste, as well as chemical materials such as polyurethane (PU), thermoplastic rubber (TPR, TPV), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and thermoplastic vulcanized rubber (TPV).

After proper processing and mixing, these chemical materials are generally made into food shapes, such as bread, cheese, fruit, etc. They look realistic and cute and are stress-relieving toys.

So far, there are no relevant production specifications and industry standards for chemically synthesized "Nie Nie" glue. Since many "Nie Nie" are made by individual sellers, most of them lack production information and quality certificates.

A "Nezha" player said: "Usually, handmade bloggers buy glue and other materials and make them at home. They are not mass-produced in factories, so the output is limited and the quality control is uneven." It can be said that so far, most Nezha products are "three-no".

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From the perspective of raw materials

The raw materials for handmade "kneading" products currently on the market are mostly AB glue (two-liquid mixed hardening glue) and color paste.

From a chemical perspective, many substances will inevitably produce volatiles and heat during the mixing process. If you use commercially available AB glue, many of them will produce ammonia or formaldehyde volatile gases.

If the "kneaded" raw materials purchased on the market do not have a formal material source and manufacturer, and do not have a formal product description, it will be impossible to avoid the harm of harmful gases. Even if the "kneaded" materials meet market requirements, they only reduce the chemical products to an acceptable level.

The production of toys such as "Pinching" has high requirements on color. If the amount of flavor and color paste is not well controlled, problems are likely to occur in the process of making "Pinching".

Products made with inferior materials (glue, molds, dyes) will inevitably have problems such as discoloration, odor, or excessive fragrance, which will inevitably have some impact on the human body.

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From the packaging

After the "pinching" is completed, it will be put into a small transparent bag, and you need to play with it through the bag. At present, many "pinching" bags are made of PVC material. If you use a heat sealer or plywood to heat seal such PVC bags, toxic gases will be released.

When PVC is heated, the plasticizer inside will overflow, which will have a certain impact on human health, especially if it is exposed to it for a long time in a closed room, which may cause people to have reactions such as coma, nausea, or even poisoning.

Be careful with slime toys

Crystal mud such as "Slime" is usually made of borax and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). Borax plays a cross-linking role, which can reduce the fluidity of the glue and form a gel with better ductility and toughness.

Boron is an essential trace element for the human body. It can help the normal metabolism of calcium, magnesium and phosphorus and maintain bone health, but excessive intake of boron can cause poisoning.

Borax is highly toxic. The poisoning dose for adults is 1 to 3 grams, and the lethal dose is 15 to 20 grams. Children can be killed if they accidentally ingest 5 grams, and infants can be killed if they accidentally ingest 2 to 3 grams.

If ingested by mistake, borax will be converted into boric acid under the action of stomach acid, causing symptoms such as dizziness, headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and even shock and coma.

Even if it is not accidentally ingested, direct contact with excessive borax can cause skin allergies. It can also be absorbed through broken skin and accumulate in the body, causing chronic poisoning.

Therefore, after contact with borax, the skin and mucous membranes should be cleaned promptly. After accidental ingestion, vomiting should be induced promptly and medical treatment should be sought immediately.

A search on the e-commerce platform revealed that some merchants sell toys such as "food-grade 'squeeze' silicone" that do not have information such as manufacturer, production date, and quality certificate on their packaging. These are typical "three-no" products, and their safety is difficult to guarantee.

How to choose toys?

Note: All the above-mentioned side effects are based on the amount. Therefore, in addition to avoiding prolonged and excessive exposure, you should also pay attention to the following points:

1. Choose regular channels (such as large supermarkets, brand toy stores or officially certified online stores, etc.) to avoid purchasing products without any certification.

2. Pay attention to the signs and safety warnings and use the product strictly according to the instructions.

For toys that are subject to compulsory product certification by the state (electric toys, plastic toys, doll toys, metal toys, projectile toys), check whether there is China's "CCC" certification mark.

3. It is recommended that children play under the supervision of their parents. At the same time, they should be educated to develop good hygiene habits and wash their hands in time after playing to avoid "diseases from the mouth".

References:

Beijing News: "Hot debate! Is the popular stress-relieving tool "Nezhe" suspected to be "toxic"? Experts speak out——"

People's Daily Online Popular Science "This magic tool suddenly became popular! Some people have been waiting for 2 months, urgent reminder"

Guokr: "Attention! This popular "toy" contains excessive amounts of borax, 3 grams can be fatal, and contact can also cause poisoning"