WARNING: Throw Your Fidget Spinners Out Now. Shocking New Danger Just Discovered
By Timfly
Shocking new research of the popular toy Fidget Spinners has shown an alarming amount of the toxic chemical lead in most of the toys. Even small amounts of lead can cause serious health problems. Children younger than 6 years are especially vulnerable to lead poisoning, which can severely affect mental and physical development. At very high levels, lead poisoning can be fatal.
Rubin, an independent lead poisoning prevention advocate, first tested three fidget spinners sent to her by a friend with an XRF instrument. Two were lead-free, but one had very high levels of lead and some mercury. She then disassembled a fidget spinner with LED lights and found both lead and mercury. She found 19,000 parts per million (ppm) of lead and 1,000 ppm of mercury.
These numbers are sobering because scientists consider under 90 ppm of lead to be the safe threshold in children’s toys, according to Rubin. But the paint on the LED light spinner contained 334 ppm of lead and 155 ppm of mercury in one test. The unpainted metal base contained 1,562 ppm of mercury and 2,452 ppm of lead.
Rubin later tested six more fidget spinners and found a $31 from Yomaxer that contained 42,800 ppm of lead. She noted ordinary consumers won’t have access to an XRF instrument, which can cost around $50,000. She recommends avoiding fidget spinners available for purchase and instead making your own, such as a fidget spinner out of LEGOs.
In an email about her results, Rubin said she’s very concerned about the high levels of lead discovered in random testing as the toys are so popular. So far she’s tested 11 fidget spinners in total and found two with exceedingly dangerous levels of lead. You can read more about Rubin’s testing methods here.
Recently the Daily Mail Also reported that hundreds of fidget spinners have been removed from the shelves over fears their batteries could cause choking and internal bleeding.
Trading standards officers removed nearly 300 of the toys from shops throughout Bath and North East Somerset amid claims they contain 'dangerous' parts.
The council said some of the spinners included LED lights with lithium-ion batteries, which could cause internal bleeding if ingested.
Another alarming fact is that 200,000 fidget spinners have been seized by customs amid concerns over their safety.
Customs seized nine consignments of the must-have toys, which are in high demand among school children.
The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) is examining the toys to see if they meet EU safety standards.
Aine Carroll is from the CCPC explained the risks.
“These do potentially pose a risk to consumers and particularly to children. There was a recent report of a 10-year-old child requiring surgery after a fidget spinner part they swallowed became lodged in their oesophagus.
“Some of them, we believe, have small detachable parts that could cause injury to a child.”
Share this article to let others know of the hidden dangers of this wildly popular toy. It could save a child's life.
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