Decorative ceramics wares in your homes may raise cancer risk

Love to decorate your homes with ceramics wares and glass painting? Beware, they may contain high levels of cadmium that can raise the risk of cancer, warns researchers.

Cadmium is commonly used to give products a bright red, orange or yellow pigment, but over time the decoration on glass can start to flake and the glaze on ceramics fail, ingestion of which can potentially raise risks to human health as well as the environment. 

The findings showed that cadmium was also found in everyday household products like second-hand plastic toys, drinking glasses, alcoholic beverage bottles. 

The surfaces of these common items were covered by cadmium more than the recommended levels which is said to be ranging from 50 to 800 parts per million (ppm).

The highest readings of up to 70,000 ppm were recorded on the enamels of old and new drinking glasses and bottles, with cadmium detected in about 70 per cent of the 197 logos, patterns, text, pictures and cartoons tested on 72 products, the researchers revealed in the paper published recently.

"If you asked most people about cadmium, they would probably know very little about it. But it is listed among the World Health Organisation's 10 chemicals of major public health concern, alongside substances such as lead and asbestos," said a Prof.

"The health risk depends on how easily the cadmium can flake off or leach out. Additional tests performed indicate that this is greatest for enamelled glassware," said the Prof.

In addition, cadmium was found in new ceramic items such as mugs, plates and bowls, with the highest recorded level of 40,000 ppm, and in old plastic products including toys, with a maximum 35,000 ppm in a decorative brooch.

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Second-Hand Plastic Toys Contain Toxic Elements That May Harm Your Child

Findings of a new study have revealed that plastic used in some second-hand toys may pose health hazards to children and does not meet safety guidelines.

Toxic Elements In Second-Hand Toys

In a new study published,  researchers tested 200 used plastic toys in thrift shops, nurseries, and homes for hazardous elements.

Using X-ray fluorescence technology to analyze these toys, which include trains, cars, figures, and puzzles, the researcher found that 20 of about 200 second-hand plastic toys tested had traces of nine elements, which include barium, bromine, cadmium, chromium, antimony, lead, and selenium. Some had concentrations that are too high to meet safety standards.

Potential Health Effects On Children

The elements can be chronically toxic if children are exposed to them at low levels over an extended period of time.

Arsenic is a toxin linked to developmental defects, neurotoxicity, skin lesions, cardiovascular conditions, and even cancer. Cadmium is a hormone disruptor associated with breast cancer. 

Exposure to lead can jeopardize the brain and the nervous system.

Children who put these toys in their mouth could be exposed to greater amount of toxins. All the toys tested for the study were small enough to be chewed by children.

"Previously used toys has the potential to create a legacy of chemical contamination for younger children," the researcher said.

The worst offenders were found to be yellow, red, and black plastics. The researcher noted the Lego bricks from the '70s and '80 are among those found to have high levels of toxic chemicals. The researcher said that toys were not tested in those days, but they are handed down.

Consumers Need To Be Aware Of Risks

Second-hand toys make an attractive option for families because they can be handed down by friends or relatives. They are also priced cheaply at charity stores, flea markets, and the internet.

The researcher said that with lack of regulation to cover the resale and recycling of older toys, consumers should at least be aware of the potential harms these toys pose to children.

"While there is no retroactive regulation on second-hand toys, consumers should be aware that old, mouthable, plastic items may present a source of hazardous element exposure to infants," the researcher wrote in his report.

Another potential danger of buying second-hand toy is the possibility of buying items that have been recalled in the past.

"Avoid buying used toys that have no packaging or that are missing some type of label or brand identification, without which it might be difficult or impossible to tell if the toy has been recalled," researcher advised.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.    

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