Yahoo News Safety warning over children's slime toys
Parents are being warned over popular slime toys after a study by consumer watchdogs found many are potentially poisonous.
Consumer group Which? tested 11 popular children's slime products and found eight of them contained higher than recommended levels of boron, a chemical which can pose a safety risk.
Exposure to excessive levels of the element can cause irritation, diarrhea, vomiting and cramps in the short term, while exposure to very high levels of boron may also impair fertility and could cause harm to an unborn child in pregnant women.
It comes as slime and slime products have become increasingly popular among youngsters, as Instagram and YouTube videos of people playing with it have gone viral.
A European Union safety directive sets out how liquid or sticky toys should contain no more than 300mg/kg of boron. According to the study Toysmith Jupiter Juice, bought on Amazon had more than four times the permitted level of boron with 1400mg/kg.
This was followed by CCINEE Pink Fluffy Slime, which was found to contain 1000mg/kg, and Cosoro Dodolu Crystal Slime Magic Clay, which was found to 980mg/kg, Which? added.
Which? said that parents should be able to buy toys without being fearful that they could cause their children harm. The consumer body called for "fundamental changes" to the product safety system after it found that some products had higher than recommended levels of boron.
Boron is found in borax, a common ingredient in slime that helps to create its "stickiness". Compounds of boron can be used in eye drops, mild antiseptics, washing powders.
Which? said that all eight products that failed were purchased on Amazon. The products which did not meet the standard have now been removed from the website.
An Amazon spokesman said: "All Marketplace sellers must follow our selling guidelines and those who don't will be subject to action including potential removal of their account.
The products in question are no longer available." Slime from high street retailers, The Works and Smyths, which was tested also met the standard.
Which? said it has passed its findings to the Office for Product Safety and Standards. It also warned that parents making homemade slime should be careful as reports have suggested that youngsters have sustained injuries after trying to replicate slime recipes found online.
Nikki Stopford, director of research and publishing at Which?, said: "If you have school-age kids you're probably very well aware of the latest slime craze sweeping the playgrounds. Kids love it.
"Parents buying slime for their children should have peace of mind that these toys are safe, so they will be shocked to find that the health of their children could be put at risk by these slimes.
"There must be fundamental changes to the product safety system. "Manufacturers must stop making unsafe products and the Government and retailers simply have to do a far better job of getting anything identified as a risk off the shelves and out of people's homes".
