20% Toys in Armenia Contaminated with Toxic Elements (Photos)

EcoLur

Arsenic, mercury, chromium, lead – this is what you can find in toys designed for children and sold in Armenia. The specialists invited from the USA invited toys and other items for the presence of 6 toxic elements in the course of “Toys without Poison” conference held by “Armenian Women for Health and Healthy Environment” NGO on 17-18 December. Kids lipstick which is so popular among girls aged 3-8 contains mercury, which exceed the permissible concentration by 250 times. The fruit bowl of Turkish production contains arsenic, chromium and lead, though the label on the bowl says that it doesn’t contain any harmful substances. One of the conference participants checked her golden earrings, and it turned out they have high concentration of lead. Nevertheless, the deepest impression was left from the results of toys designed for toddlers – rattles, teething rings which are always in the mouths of babies. These toys also contain lead at high concentrations. Cars, guns, baby's baths, dolls, handbags and sets – no guarantees you will obtain a safe toy for your baby. According to the studies carried out by NGO, the most number of toys is exported from China into Armenia – 1,638 tons per year. Expert Qnarik Grigoryan said, “We have commodity turnover of toys with 49 countries, all in all 2319 tons per year. But China holds the first place. Our studies show that 20% of these toys contain toxic elements.” According to Expert Lilik Simonyan, toys were certified only in brand shops, but toys in supermarkets and fair pavilions are not certified. “We demand to review the existing standards on certification of toys,” she said.  Economy Ministry representative Naira Vardanyan noted that on 17 December there was a consultation on amending former technical regulations for toys at the ministry. “The new decree should be brought closer to European standards and regulate this process,” said Naira Grigoryan in her interview with EcoLur.

The conference was held in the frames of “Toxic Metals in Goods Designed for Children” participated by 6 countries with the support of International POPs Elimination Network (IPEN) and co-funding of Grid Arendal.

December 19, 2012 at 12:15