photo credit: longhorndave
Summer is in full bloom and many people spend hours outside with their families. However have you considered that some of the ever-popular toys for our kids may be toxic?
Strangely, most of the summer toys are made of chloride (PVC, or vinyl), such as pools, water wings, slides etc. Soft vinyl poses risks not only to human health (vinyl materials are made with phthalates, known hormone disruptors, and may contain lead) but the environment as well (the production process releases toxic chemicals that remain in the fatty tissue of fish and other animals). Thus, what is it that we can do to avoid these unsafe products?
Here are some tips about things you can do to minimize or limit the use of PVC products:
- Try to reduce buying toys made of unrecyclable foam; instead look for items made form recyclable materials or simply borrow from friends or family.
- Limit toxins and water waste by going to the local swimming pool instead of buying a wading or kiddy pool.
- If you have to use vinyl toys, air out any brand new items to get rid of that ‘new plastic’ smell, which indicates the presence of phthalates, and when finished keep them out of the sun since the heat dissolves the chemicals, which in turn seep into the soil.
- Common garden hoses contain lead so don’t let your kids drink water from a hose or even use it in the kiddy pools. Lead-free rubber hoses are available on the market so look for those however, remember about flushing them first before you or you kids drink from it.
- Finally, when out on vacation, be cautious about the toys your kids use, but don’t get paranoid. Summer is about fun, after all, so make sure that younger kids don’t put the plastic toys in their month, which will limit their exposure to chemicals, and enjoy the rest of the summer.
