FDA Warns Against Buying These Unauthorized Toys For Kids

We only have 46 days before Christmas and by now, you must already be preparing your shopping list. With lockdown restrictions lowered to Alert Level 2 in Metro Manila, and with kids allowed in malls, we're sure your little ones are also excited to buy a new toy or two. 

Careful with the toys you purchase however. The Food and Drug Administration recently released a public health warning against unauthorized toys that may pose serious health risk to consumers.

What are unauthorized toys?

Toys unauthorized for purchase and use by the FDA mean that the agency cannot assure its quality and safety. According to their advisory, "potential hazards may come from ingredients that are not allowed to be part of a toy and childcare product." This can include chemicals that may cause adverse reactions.

Using these toys may lead to health risks like endocrine disruption and reproductive or development effects. It may also result to injury, choking, or suffocation due to small or broken parts.

Here are 9 unauthorized toys you should leave out of your gift list.

Animal Wild assorted plastic toys

Hot Wheels Super Speed

Plastic motorcycle (green)

Happy Easter! (ages 3+)

Billion Bubbles (ages 3+)

Plastic Gun with Flying Saucer Spinner

Pikopon (squeaky hammer toy)

Blue Dolphin Water Gun

 

 

Pom Pom Catch

 

 

To ensure that the toys you purchase for your child are safe, the FDA has a verification portal (click here to go to the website) where you can check items. Simply input the name of the product once you have selected the product category (e.g. Toys and Childcare Articles Notification) and wait for the result to appear.

Since babies and toddlers like to place objects in their mouths, parents should be wary about small parts and exposure to hazardous chemicals especially lead, which may be found in the paint finish of toys. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, lead-based paint is the “most widespread and dangerous high-dose source of lead exposure for young children.”

High levels of lead exposure in kids can impair their brain and central nervous system, causing a coma, convulsions, and even death, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). There is no known safe level of lead exposure and "the neurological and behavioral effects of lead are irreversible.”

How do you prevent mold from forming in wooden toys and shelves? Click here.