Toxic Chemicals in Our Ponies?

[mayanbutterfly]

So apparently My Little Ponies have PVC additives in them which can include lead, cadmium, organotins, and plasticizers like phthalates.  They also contain vinyl chloride, a carcinogen according to the EPA.

PVC also releases dioxins which are really bad for us.

Here's one article that I looked at:

http://guide.thesoftlanding.com/newsletter/issue-12-pvc-in-christmas-toys-and-toxic-toys-r-us/

and here's another talking about toxic toys at Toys R Us

http://chej.org/wp-content/uploads/Documents/2010/ToxicToysRUs.pdf

This is all very upsetting to me because I love ponies and I have been collecting them since I was 4 years old.  However, I feel uncomfortable buying them for my 3 year old daughter right now because of the health risks associated with PVC being in toys.

I actually don't know what to do with all of my ponies right now.  I don't know how much of a health hazard it is to have them in the same room as I am in.  Also, is there much point in keeping them if I think they are unsafe for my daughter to play with?

I have also contacted Hasbro about this issue and I am waiting to hear back from them.

I asked if PVC additives were put into vintage ponies as well because I haven't read anything about that.

[sparkleset80]

I bought the Walmart Black Friday double pack ponies and the smell of chemicals was overwhelming. Smelled like paint thinner to me!

[HavACrumpet452]

Its not just ponies with PVC in them, you're going to have to take away all their toys to keep them from toxins, and even then they're living in a house full of toxins and a world full of toxins. Even the new plastics in current baby toys are going to be found to cause cancer in another decade. Are you going to stop them from eating any foods wrapped in plastic? And I hate to tell you but I work in a school that still has asbestos since removing it would be so costly they just cover it up, but the covering is getting old and worn on a lot of their pipes. You really can't protect your children or yourself short of living in a bubble, which may contain toxins if its plastic and lead if its glass. As long as they're no longer chewing on everything they aren't in any more danger than everybody else living in this country and we do have a high lifespan so I guess we should be happy.

You said so yourself that you've been collecting since you were 4. Are you dead yet?

[mayanbutterfly]

You said so yourself that you've been collecting since you were 4. Are you dead yet?

No, I'm not, but I'm concerned that carcinogens in our toys could cause cancer in the long run.

If everyone stopped buying Hasbro's toys until they made them more safe and took out the PVC additives then I think that would be an improvement.

[Wardah]

The problem is all soft plastics need the additives to be soft. Without the additives the ponies would be hard and brittle.

[kamakazee82]

... i understand your concern ... yeah, the chemicals aren't good ... BUT ... you will never EVER get rid of all carcinogens in your home/life/outside world ... and yes, reducing your exposure to them is a good thing ... the reaction is a touch strong ... these chemicals are in EVERYTHING plastic to one degree or another ... so let's assume you get rid of ALL plastic toys (and i mean EVERY LAST SINGLE ONE), every bottle/sippy cup/plastic plate, plastic baggies, plastic wrap, the inside liner of your refridgerator, man made materials in your clothes, no plastic shampoo bottles/juice bottles, no juice boxes, no crackers (they come inside plastic bags), every single piece of plastic must be removed from your home, even the carpets and rugs because they are mostly plastics and man made materials ... and even then ... you face a much larger risk of getting cancer from radon gas that can NATURALLY seep into your home and most people don't even know it exists or is a threat ...

... the amounts in the items around is minor ... i'd rather chew on an MLP than breathe a lung full of polluted air or drink polluted water ...

... it's better to check your house for radon and possible lead and asbestos which pose a much larger and much more tangible threat that people can be proactive with than stressing about the minor things ...

... seriously ... i am not making light of this or telling you that you can't or shouldn't get rid of all your kids' toys ... but the risk is so infintesimal to ONLY get rid of their ponies and stuff ... i'd rather worry about the BIG things ... if you take away the ponies, don't let them outside because the air is filled with carcinogens too, don't let them eat or drink anything either cause it's most assuredly got minute traces of carcinogens in it too, from fish, to chickens, to cows, to fruits and veggies grown (organic) so it's better to starve to death then possibly get cancer ...

... people just need to be sensible ... yes, okay there have been dangerous toys ( a lot of lax laws in some manufacturing countires) from lead paint to small pieces to sharp bits ... THOSE are what you should be concerned with ... not the toys that when used properly (read that as in NOT GROUND UP AND HIGHLY PROCESSED for these tests) pose no threat to you or your family ...

i'm reminded of the whole Zhu-Zhu pet fiasco when in the middle of the craze they were suddenly lablled DANGEROUS ... because the people would did the testing literally ground up the zhu-zhu pet (batteries and all mind you) and THEN did the testing ... when if they had tested the toy in working condition there was no danger ...

please do not stress over this. don't freak out or aver react. it's a scary world ... you are more likely to be murdered than get cancer. you are more likely to get struk by lightning than win the lottery.

and even then ... take the bag of blocks recalled several years ago ... it was made in 17 different factories ... one batch out of thousands, from one factory out of 17, had one block that was painted with a red butterfly ... that one batch out of thousands with a very small red butterfly was red paint with lead in it ... it posed no threat to any child that didn't eat the block ... but still all the blocks were recalled ...

... follow a safety toy checklist ... toys should be cleaned regularly ... germs, cleaning chemical oversprays, dust, dit, etc etc ... check for broken pieces and sharp bits, check for normal wear and tear, check for stress lines, etc ... but please don't over react to things like this ... some of them are worth worrying about yes ... but most of the time (like the Zhu-Zhu scare) it's people doing extreme tests and taking things to where they really don't need to be taken ...

take it with a grain of salt and make your OWN decision ... please, please, plese, please don't let stories that are made to be sensationalized make you jump to conclusions ...

ETA: and if these minute amounts scare you ... certainly don't hang onto ANY older pre 2000ish toys because a lot of these standards didn't even exist until then ... including ponies ... :\

[Starly]

Meh, you only live once, and I sometimes lick and suck on my ponies (don't ask) and I'm perfectly okay!

Minus various mental problems but those existed before ponies.

...

I'm not helping, am I?

[zannid]

Okay, deep breathe. First off, I know what it is to be scared of things you once thought safe. As an individual with OCD and anxiety disorder, I am no stranger to finding yourself struggling with the idea of throwing out all plastics and daydreaming of living like you're from the 1800's.

The thing is, there are hazardous and potentially hazardous chemicals in every day life. All around you. Now, in general, they are in safe doses! As long as you don't go ingesting them, it's okay! Take for instance, lead. Lead can be a hazardous material, but in general it's effects are only heightened/worry causing when ingested. It can lay on the skin and much less product would be absorbed than if someone were to chew on or lick it.

If you don't feel safe having your child have toys that they don't quite yet know not to put in their mouths, that is your call! There are plenty of safe alternatives and even handmade goods out there. However, keep in mind that most items for sale have to be tested to be within safe standards before it is allowed on shelves. I remember a whole debacle where the new law was that everything had to be tested for lead and the way it was worded meant handmade sellers such as on etsy wouldn't be able to sell without testing each and every item. :/

To be honest, there is "harmful" stuff all around you. It's generally the amount that causes issue. Take radiation for example. There's radiation in bananas, in rocks, in the air you breathe, you get radiation from an x-ray. Nearly all things that exist produce some amount of what is called background radiation! Still, it's perfectly normal and safe. It's when you get a significantly larger dose of radiation then is normal that there may or may not be issues (like Chernobyl). It's the amount of the substance, not necessarily the substance itself.

Of course, different chemicals and compounds have different toxicity levels and in the end each individual is unique. It's why children's toys and things are tested to a higher requirement, because their bodies are smaller and they are developing and so something might effect them worse than an adult sized human.

All in all, I wouldn't worry too much. Do what makes you feel comfortable for you and your child, but don't let the worry of what might happen encompass your life. While there is certainly no harm in lessening the impact of chemical substances in your life and I am all for buying products with less ingredients or eating fresher food, it's important to find the balance between being active and informed and making yourself paranoid.

There will ALWAYS be things out there that people think may or may not be unsafe and there will always be amounts of chemicals or compounds in things in this world. It's fine to minimize what you can, but don't let it overtake you. You can worry yourself sick or you can take a deep breath, decide what things you are or aren't going to focus on and let the rest be.

I can't promise nothing will ever happen to you or yours down the road. Just as I can't promise what the weather will be like tomorrow. The one thing I do know though, is that letting fears rule your life, that can take living from you. In centimeters, inches, and miles. In the end, fear can be a great tool, it can keep you safe, but it can also be ones worse enemy. Take heart and be wise, but don't let the monsters under your bed dictate your decisions. They're sickening shadows that will take the light from you if you let your worrying go too far.

[Raindrop]

Honestly I would not worry too much.  Due to increased legislation, lead levels in toys are much more strictly tested than they used to be.  Just because something is PVC doesn't mean it necessarily is a cocktail of lead, cadmium, organotins AND phthalates; although it may have some of one of these added as a plasticizer.  Most of these things are only going to be present in high enough amounts to hurt someone if the toys are overheated, continually chewed, ground up into dust and inhaled in large quantities, etc. 

And it's not a secret that this kind of plastic contains polyvinyl chloride, as some whistleblowers would argue; that's what PVC stands for.  A lot of your household plumbing is probably made of PVC pipes.  And don't panic because the name contains "chlorine".  The chlorine is bonded to the long carbon chains that make up the plastic, so it's not floating around free like chlorine gas in its elemental form.  You probably get more exposure to chlorine at the swimming pool that from your vintage MLP collection.

While I agree with the writers of the articles that the production of PVC is not environmentally friendly at all, I think it would be prudent to examine the expertise and the motives of the writers of anything like this online.  Many are not scientists, and where they quote science it is out of context (just because PVC can contain organotins or cadmium does not mean that all toys made of PVC will contain dangerous levels of these or other chemicals).  And if an organization is gunning to take down a particular retailer (using language to imply that the retailer is is the problem, when the company is one of many to sell these products and not the manufacturer of any of them), there are political considerations that may be coloring the facts and language presented.

I think finding ways to make more environmentally-friendly and safe toys (not to mention other household items!) is a worthy goal.  I don't think the whole world is going to turn quickly away from cheap, overseas-manufactured toys quickly, though.  In the current situation I personally feel that MLP are relatively safe provided you and your daughter are old enough not to be chewing on them or trying to heat them in the microwave!

[BerryPunch]

Everything is dangerous.
Eating food could kill you.
Walking around your house could kill you.
Unless you live in one spot, not moving, barely eating... heck, that could even kill you!

Everything is dangerous in one way or another.

[StoryDreamer]

Chlorine is in our tap water.

There are so many things that could kill you or make you sick. A life spent scared is not worth living. 

If you are concerned with your daughter's toys, seek out local manufacturers, buy wooden toys, etc.

[RAMChYLD]

Meh, you only live once, and I sometimes lick and suck on my ponies (don't ask) and I'm perfectly okay!

Minus various mental problems but those existed before ponies.

...

I'm not helping, am I?

+1. I enjoy kissing my ponies on the cheek every now and then

[kmlv23]

Just...don't...eat them....? O_o Everything is harmful in large doses. I don't think playing with toys is going to give you or your daughter cancer.

[Jypsy]

You said so yourself that you've been collecting since you were 4. Are you dead yet?

No, I'm not, but I'm concerned that carcinogens in our toys could cause cancer in the long run.

If everyone stopped buying Hasbro's toys until they made them more safe and took out the PVC additives then I think that would be an improvement.

Unfortunately, as well intentioned as that idea is, it is unrealistic. Many tests have been done on most children's toys, and the big USA  toy companies are under much higher scrutiny than companies that import toys or fly-by-night operations, so I would like to think that it is reasonably safe to enjoy MLP products and other similar toys.

However no one else can tell you how to parent, and if you truly are uncomfortable with the PVC levels in most toys and various household items, it is completely understandable that you would like to keep them out of your child's hands.

Personally, I understand that there is some risk in many toys that my 4-year old son plays with, heck he could suddenly decide to chow down on one of the brushes or accessories that come with his pony toys. I keep an eye on him while he plays and only give him things that I feel is appropriate for him.

I am glad to see you being a proactive parent. Too many parents are either reactionary or completely uninterested in their child's welfare.

[BerryPunch]

Chlorine is in our tap water.

There are so many things that could kill you or make you sick. A life spent scared is not worth living. 

Indeed.