Sick with Dolls: Traces of Heavy Metals in Toys

摘要

A major part of the toys which are available in the American and Europeanmarket are "made in China". Just recently, there have been several occasions where potentially hazardous materials had been used in Chinese toys which lead to expensive product recalls. With the growing media coverage of this problem, the insecurity of the consumers grows as well. Therefore, it is in the very own interest of toy manufacturers to prove by a reliable quality control the innocuousness of their products. Since the EU directive RoHS (Restriction of hazardous substances) has come into force, there are strict limits for the amount of heavy metals, such as lead, cadmium and mercury, allowed in consumer goods. In order to prove traces of heavy metals in toys reliably, it is absolutely necessary to carry out sample preparation with heavy-metal-free tools. In addition, the method must yield reproducible results and the time and manpower needed should be as low as possible.