Almost 45 per cent of toys being sold in the Indian market contain toxic chemicals that can seriously jeopardise the health of children playing with them. A study done by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) found high levels of phthalates (a chemical used to soften plastic) in all samples of toys it tested.
“Shockingly, there are no regulations to control or monitor the use of these toxins in India. What India has is a set of voluntary standards covering safety aspects of toys. The government has banned the import of toys not meeting these standards, but what will happen when this ban ends on January 23 this year?” said associate director, CSE Chandra Bhushan here today.'