“Asbestos in toys poses an unacceptable risk to children, today as it did in 2000 and 2007, the last time tests found the deadly substance in these children’s products”, Dr. Philip Landrigan, professor of pediatrics and preventive medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, told EWG Action Fund.
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An advocacy organization called the Environmental Working Group said it found traces of asbestos in some children’s crayons and toy crime lab kits sold at Party City and the Dollar Tree.
‘Therefore, it’s high time the federal government bans asbestos in consumer products.’.
“A child exposed to asbestos is 3.5 more likely than a 25-year-old to develop mesothelioma, a lung disease that is only caused by asbestos because of the long lag time between exposure and diagnosis”.
The asbestos-positive brands were all manufactured in China and only imported by the US. By the next day, retailers including Toys R Us and Amazon had pulled products like the Edu Science Deluxe Forensics Lab Kit from their website.
The report did not include the exact amount of asbestos found in each item.
“”Child safety is of the utmost importance to CPSC, and we have looked into the issue of asbestos in crayons and possibly being in fingerprint kits in the past”, said Scott Wolfson, CPSC communications director, via CNN”. There is the potential for this to occur when asbestos containing material is broken, or when it is being drilled, sanded or cut with a power tool. The three main types are blue, brown and white asbestos.
According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), there are no safe levels of asbestos exposure. Asbestos contamination comes from talc used in the crayons.
Read the full report. However, this regulation was overturned in 1991, leaving bans on only a few products. Most of the world has banned the use of asbestos in buildings and materials.
The EWG’s Lunder said that’s not a tough enough standard for health.
“We know that kids are more sensitive and we don’t want to take any risks exposing our kids to chemicals or fibers that cause cancer”, Lunder explained. “A second analytical laboratory examined all samples that tested positive”.
The amount of asbestos in the crayon was described as “so small it is scientifically insignificant”.
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Some brands for toy crime scene kits use replacements instead of talc, like cornstarch – because in powder form, the asbestos can become particularly unsafe if it goes airborne and is inhaled by children. “That was identified 15 years ago”.
