A kind of crystal mud toy called Slime has recently appeared on hot searches in China due to its “toxicity”. The reporter learned that this kind of toy enjoys high popularity on Douyin and other short video platforms, attracting many Chinese parents and students to buy it, while the extremely harmful borax exceeding the standard has been repeatedly criticized by relevant Chinese authorities. Why slime crystal mud toys are not safe but still popular? In an interview with the reporter, an industry insider said that the lack of standards in China allows unscrupulous companies to take advantage of this loophole.
Almost all slime toys contain borax
A few days ago, an 8-year-old and a 1-year-old child in Guangzhou, China, when buying borax to make slime, suffered a severe vomiting reaction because of the misuse of a cup filled with crystal mud. Similarly, a 12-year-old elementary school student in Jiangsu was admitted to the hospital after being poisoned by accidentally eating borax used to make slime crystal mud.
The appraisal results of relevant agencies after the incident showed that the cause was the excessive borax component in this slime crystal mud toy. It is understood that as an inorganic compound, borax has a wide range of uses. It can be used as a cleaning agent, cosmetics, insecticide, and can also be used to prepare buffer solutions and prepare other boron compounds. However, due to the high toxicity of borax, if the human body consumes too much borax, it will cause accumulative poisoning of multiple organs. The amount of borax poisoning for adults is 1-3 grams, the lethal dose is 15 grams, and the lethal dose for children is 5 grams; infants and young children are even less, only 2-3 grams.
A Chinese expert told the reporter in an interview that excessive borax in toys will undoubtedly pose a threat to children’s lives and health. According to reports, this slime crystal mud toy has a sticky texture and is easy to stick to the skin. If the skin damage is exposed to borax, the toxin effect will be intensified.
However, it is worth noting that, according to investigations by relevant Chinese institutions, almost all slime crystal mud toys currently on the Chinese market contain borax.
Since borax is so dangerous, why should the Chinese manufacturers add it to production? An unnamed producer told the reporter that the main reason was to reduce production costs and increase product viscosity. “In the process of making crystal mud, although the glue is strong, it cannot be shaped, and borax is a common cheap glue. The combination of the two, through a series of chemical reactions, can let the slime crystal mud become a soft and plastic semi-liquid gel. In addition, borax is low in price and low in cost, so it is widely used by manufacturers.” The insider said.
China lacks relevant standards for slime
It is not the first time that slime crystal has been heatedly discussed in China due to excessive borax, but why has it been able to repeatedly appear?
An industry insider told the reporter that the answer lies in the lack of relevant standards in China, which allows unscrupulous companies to take advantage of this loophole. “At present, China’s relevant standards for children’s toys only stipulate the limit requirements for 8 migration items of antimony, arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, lead, mercury, and selenium. There is no clear standard for the use of boron, while European Union standards stipulate 19 specific elements, including boron. This means that if some crystal mud products are tested according to China’s national standards, they are all qualified, but they are not qualified according to EU standards. The problem lies in the fact that the excess ingredients do have the potential to be damaging and dangerous to the health of children.” The person believes that crystal mud is a toy that has only become popular in China in recent years, and the relevant national standards were established before that. Because of this, the current standards show a certain degree of lag. He also calls for strong regulation of new toys made with new raw materials through standard revisions in China.
Source: Consumer Daily