Over the past year, slime’s popularity has surged with kids. But there are now fears that slime could be poisonous.
Slime has been a popular toy for children for many years, but especially in the last 12 months. Which? has released a new study, however, showing high levels of certain chemicals in numerous slime products. And these high levels can potentially cause health problems.
What are slime toys?
Mattel created slime toys in the 70s. It’s an oozing, sticky substance with texture like glue that comes in numerous colours. 2017 saw a boost in the popularity of the children’s product, with many sharing their slime antics on social media. Youtube has many videos of showing people playing them with millions of views.
What was the test?
Which? tested the contents of 11 different slime toys found online. Eight of them exceeded EU regulations on the amount of boron they contained.
What is boron?
Boron is a chemical element which is found in a compound used in creating the toys called borax. That’s what makes the slime toys sticky. If a product contains too much boron, though, it can cause health problems. The European Union safety limit is set at 300 mg/kg. Too much boron can cause vomiting, diarrhoea and cramps.
How much boron did the toys have?
Some products in the test had four times the amount they should. Toysmith Jupiter Juice had the most boron of all the products, featuring 1,400mg/kg of boron. Which? also warned that the ingredients of homemade slime kits can also contain high amounts of boron.
Refunds on slime toys
The good news is that Which? has said you should be able to return the toys that failed test and get a refund.
The response to the findings
The government’s Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have confirmed they are investigating the findings of Which? Amazon sold the slime toys featured in the test. In response, Amazon have now removed all the products form their UK site. Some are still available to buy on Amazon’s US website, however.
