Canada banned these cancer-causing chemicals. But they’re still found in kids toys
Global News
Cancer-causing chemicals were found in more than 87 per cent of tested household products, according to a study out of the University of Toronto.
Cancer-causing chemicals are lurking in household electronics and children’s toys, despite being banned for more than a decade in Canada, a study out of the University of Toronto found.
The study, published Tuesday in Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts, says chlorinated paraffins were found in more than 87 per cent of tested household products, which ranged from baby rattles, toy cars, hand soap and headphones.
“We found quite high concentrations of these compounds in toys meant for children and toddlers, in particular, teething toys,” said Steven Kutarna, the study’s lead author and PhD candidate in Analytical Environmental Chemistry at the University of Toronto.
Another “surprising” product that was found to contain one of the highest concentrations of chlorinated paraffins was earbud wires, he said.
Canada banned the manufacturing, sale, use and import of chlorinated paraffins in 2013, under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), as the chemicals were found to be dangerous.
The short-chain chlorinated paraffin (SCCP) toxin is not only a concern for the environment, according to Health Canada it is a “potential concern” for human health as “it was found to cause cancer in some experiments with laboratory animals.”
In an email to Global News on Tuesday, Health Canada said it is reviewing the U of T study “and will take appropriate actions, as required, to further protect the health of Canadians from potential effects associated with SCCPs.”
All chlorinated paraffins are categorized as “toxic” chemicals under the CEPA.
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