Study about hazardous chemicals in 70's and 80's toys

[Seachanger]

I'm sure some have read about this study. They used ponies in it as well as other seventies and eighties toys and concluded that a large percentage has heavy metals that can leach out when the materials break down due to age and can be harmful to children. I know there's been discussion here about passing on G1 ponies to kids. This study has made me reconsider. What do you think?
http://www.neha.org/news/release/january2015-vintage-toys.html

[Aadra310]

I think the conclusion that this community has reached in the past is to use your best judgement based on the condition of the toy and the age of the child. 

As long as you aren't snacking on your ponies or letting little ones put them in their mouths, you're probably not at great risk. You should wash your hands after handling old toys and before you eat (duh) so I wouldn't be overly concerned about lead levels.

[lovesbabysquirmy]

Considering all the other harmful chemicals we expose ourselves to in everyday life, the least of your worries is My Little Ponies.

Seriously... think about the chemicals in vehicle emissions, chemicals in groundwater, chemicals in hygiene products (most contain horrid toxins!), the chemicals in plastic packaging for food and all manner of products.  The plastics in your car emit terribly hazardous fumes and chemicals over a period of time because of the heat generated inside a vehicle.  Think about the genetically-modified foods that you eat every day from restaurants and grocery stores- those are seriously dangerous!  Think about the air quality in industrial areas, think about oil sands and the tailing ponds and all that carbon release into the atmosphere, think about all the factories pouring wastewater into estuaries and swamps.  Think about all the people smoking cigarettes, fouling the air and land with their leftover toxic cigarette butts...  think about the chemicals that lawn and garden companies come and spray the grass with.  Think about the weed and insect killers being poured all over our agricultural products and think of all the honeybees that are dying.  Think of all the dying birds because of lack of food in their migration path... 

Like I said, MLP is the least of your concerns if you want to strive for a healthier planet.    *licks a pony*

[banditpony]

I don't think it's that surprising. Toys in the 70s/80s were held to a different standard then today.

And toys made before the 70s are more likely to have even more metals or whatever bad material. I mean some vintage toys were just straight up made out of lead...

We all survived *shrug*

edit: I think lovesbabysquirmy is spot on. There are so many other chemicals we come into contact with everyday.

[Seachanger]

I know there are lots of other toxins around but I think I just want to limit exposure and I can with ponies. If I don't let my kids play with them it's one less thing they are exposed to hopefully. And I think the study points out that the leaching is happening with age so when we had these toys in the eighties when they were new they would not have been releasing heavy metals quite like they do now. It's a personal desicion of course! I think everyone can do what they want.

[CloudyGlow]

Well, now I have another excuse if anyone gives me grief about not letting my first cousin once removed play with my ponies.

The study seems to focus on the negative effects on children, but doesn't really talk about the effects on adults.  Are we mostly in the clear than?

[Princess Lala]

I think most the crap that is put in food nowadays is more dangerous TBH... *looking at you, McDonalds* but yeah as others said...as long as one isnt sucking on a G1 pony's face or melting them in the microwave then breathing in their fumes they should be safe. Either way, that still wouldnt stop me from collecting awesome pastel vintage toy equines.

hmm... if thats the case then that explains why there are so many nutters on this arena (including myself LOL)!!! I also played with G1 ponies, but it was in the early 90's.

[banditpony]

I'm sure they had the same amount of hazardous materials in the 80s. And I think they gave the same amount of dangers then and now... Wthe exception is where they are breaking down-- those are obviously worse.  I recall pony "cancer" and regrind on some of the ponies I played with, so they were breaking down then too.

 I mean you look at the study, there wasn't a large about of toys studied and you don't know how ponies really did.

However, lead and other hazards in toys are definitely concerns of parents. That's why there is a wooden toy trend.

Really, there are a lot of crummy things in all the plastics we use, even if they are deemed safe for today.

[mlp4me]

Eh, if they're not chewing on them and as long as they're not leaking plasticizer I'd give them to my niece and half sister for play time!

[LadyMoondancer]

Couldn't the argument that "we're exposed to much worse chemicals" be used for practically anything, though?  I don't think it's unreasonable to want to limit your kid's exposure to heavy metals as much as possible.

As for me, I see this as further justification to buy every G1 I see at Value Village.

Edit:  But yeah, I don't get why they didn't provide tables breaking down what chemicals they found in each toy.  Like, c'mon guys.  But the authors of the study did list their names, so it would probably be possible to find their emails and ask them.

[banditpony]

Couldn't the argument that "we're exposed to much worse chemicals" be used for practically anything, though?  I don't think it's unreasonable to want to limit your kid's exposure to heavy metals as much as possible.

As far as I'm concerned, it's a valid point. We can't live in a bubble. If I felt like 80s ponies were that bad, then I probably wouldn't let my kid play with any plastic or painted toy due to safety concerns.

I mean just the other day I read how bad canned tomatoes were due to the chemicals used in sealing the can... BPA in fact. :/ ya know that chemical in plastic we are supposed to avoid.

Edit to add: I just wanna say I DO believe if someone thinks that old toys might be dangerous to their child's health, I wouldn't judge them on that decision! That's every parent's right to make sure that their kid is safe. And I applaud them on that. I thought about it for a very long time (ie, years) myself and had decided as long as the toy didn't seem to to be leaking plasticizer, and the child was beyond shoving toys in their mouth-- then I think it would be ok.

[BlushingBlue]

Although there wasn't a lot of actual data in the article, after reading the pdf, I don't think you have much to worry about with ponies in particular. For example, out of the 26 vintage vinyl toys they tested, only 8 had levels of lead that were near or exceeding modern safety standards. They don't specify if any of these are MLP or not, but of those eight, only three had highly elevated lead levels, none were ponies, and the researchers hypothesized that those were due to lead chromate being used as a brown pigment which isn't very common in MLP anyway.

All things considered, this study doesn't give me the impression that ponies are hazardous to anyone's health. Malibu Barbie on the other hand... 

[ponycake]

I think a lot of collectors believe what they want to believe whenever they hear this issue, and probably would even if it did have more specific facts and concrete findings, although I do think that would change more minds of course.

We know the plastic breaks down (we can see it sometimes even) and changes and a lot of people are still saying totally fine, totally safe, worse dangers out there! (Well I've seen them say that in the past, not so much here today).

But it's up to them. I have no children, but I would let my sisters know prior to letting their kids play with my toys that some of them are said to have unsafe levels of lead and other toxic materials. I think I would pass on letting my own kids play with them particularly when they are younger and are more likely to chew on them or put them in their mouth.

Also, I think it's good they put it out there regardless so people can be informed and decide from there how it affects them.

[Princess Lala]

Malibu Barbie on the other hand... 

!???  My half sister had the playhouse! LOL maybe thats why she is so **** crazy? The plastic chemicals leeching hazardous material into her brain? 

[ponyqueen]

I agree 100% with the results and overwhelmingly urge that ponies NEVER be given to children. They should instead all be given to meeeeeeeeee!

<---------Give ponies to childfree ponyqueen. It's the responsible thing to do.