Children’s ‘squishies’ toys popular in the UK BANNED in Denmark over fears they contains hazardous chemicals
The popular toys have been banned in Denmark after every squishy tested was found to contain harmful substances
POPULAR children's toys called "squishies" have been banned in Denmark after tests found they contained harmful chemicals.
If children inhale these hazardous substances it could cause them breathing problems, and in the long-term can cause fertility and liver damage.
The chemical substances also act as cancer causing carcinogens and can irritate your eyes.
The foam toys are similar to stress balls and are mostly imported from Japan.
A number of different Japanese brands make the toys which tend to be shaped like food or animals.
Now, Danish authorities have banned the sale of squishies over fears they could be harmful to children.
The Danish Environmental Protection Agency tested 12 products and found that all of them could cause dangerous long and short-term health effects.
While the doesn't name any specific chemicals, it warns that children who sleep with the toys next to them or have several in their bedroom are most at risk.
Authorities began investigating the toys back in March after becoming suspicious of their chemical smells.
"When all twelve toys [tested] contain high amounts of harmful substances, alarm bells begin to go off," said Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, the Danish minister for environment and food.
"This indicates that there may be an overall problem with all squishies on the market.
"I therefore think that all distributors and importers should take their responsibility seriously and remove all squishes from their shelves.
"They should not be returned to shelves until it can be documented that they do not emit chemicals that may be harmful to children."
The results of the test have been shared with other EU countries.
But Toy Industries of Europe branded the research "flimsy" and claimed that assessing only 12 toys wasn't enough to call for a ban.
A spokesperson from the UK's Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), which regulates product safety, did not say if it would take the decision to ban the toys.
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Instead it told The Sun: "The government's top priority is to keep people safe and Britain's product safety requirements are among the highest in the world.
"Our tough rules allow manufacturers to only put safe products on the market. Trading Standards considers all evidence and findings and have powers to take action where a product is found to be unsafe."
The Sun has contacted Trading Standards for a comment, which told us it is aware of previously reported problems with squishies.
In other problems, M&C has pulled boys’ dungaree and T-shirt sets because the buttons could come off and a child could choke on them.
It's the third children's dungaree set the retailer has recalled in a month for the same reason.
Claire's Accessories also recalled girls' make-up due to fears they contain potentially deadly asbestos.
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