Is your child toying with toxic stuff?

New Delhi: An NGO on Tuesday claimed to have found "dangerous levels" of toxic Lead and Cadmium in children's toys sold all over the country.

The NGO, Toxic Links, conducted tests for the presence of Lead and Cadmium in toys manufactured in the unorganised sector (non-branded), collecting samples from Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai, the three largest markets for toys.

Claiming that the metals pose severe health hazards ranging from liver damage to disruption in mental growth, the group said about 30 per cent of the samples from Mumbai alone contained more than 200 ppm of lead, the limit set by the US CPSC (Consumer Products Safety Commission).

With the unorganised sector worth $ 1.5 billion out of a total of $ 2.5 billion toy industry in the country, Ravi Agrawal, Director Toxic Links, said the implications are huge.

"Exposure can have lifelong effects on children," he said.

"Also, since these toys are used by the majority of children in the lower middle class from cities to villages, the impact is magnified," he added.

Dr Abhay Kumar, who was part of the team to conduct the tests, said India has no standard for toxic metals, which means there is no regulation of their presence.

The main source of Lead and Cadmium were from toys manufactured from PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride), the material most widely used in making toys, the group said.

"Since PVC on its own is useless, chemicals such as Lead and Cadmium are added as stabilisers, and since the material is cheap, it is readily used by manufacturers," Kumar said.