Update | Toxic plastic toys may pose health hazard to young children: Consumer Council
Watchdog calls for controls on toxic substance linked to liver and kidney damage after finding high levels of it in over half the toys it tested
Parents have been warned not to let children put toys in their mouths after many were found to contain a toxic agent that could cause liver or kidney damage.
The Consumer Council's warning came after it found phthalates at concentrations up to 300 times the United States and European Union standards in over half the toys it tested.
The substances, used to make hard plastic flexible and more durable, are banned by the US and EU in children's toys at concentrations greater than 0.1 per cent.
Of the 27 toys the council tested, 16 contained phthalates and four had concentrations of 28 to 38 per cent.
The council's chief executive Gilly Wong Fung-han urged parents to check toy labels carefully before buying them and to wash them thoroughly before letting their children play with them.
"Parents shouldn't let young children play with toys alone and they should make sure they do not put the toys in their mouths," she said.