Fidget or anti-stress toys are widely available on the market and are designed to keep hands busy, being able to be squeezed, pulled, popped and pressed. Adults and children alike use fidget toys, often to manage anxiety and panic attacks as well as develop motor skills.

However, research that came out of the Danish Consumer Council last month showed that some of these products contain problematic chemicals. The good news is that out of 21 different kinds of toys tested, 12 did not contain any chemicals of concern. However, 9 toys contained at least one chemical of concern, including a banned phthalate, a suspected carcinogen and types of silicon on the EU’s Substances of Very High Concern list.

Although the extent to which these substances of concern migrate out of the products and into the human body is not fully known, exposure to even a small amount of one of these harmful chemicals builds on the exposure that we get from many other sources in our daily lives, such as from soft furnishings, cookware and till receipts. CHEM Trust have established in previous work, that children’s exposure, in particular to unwanted chemicals, should be as low as possible due to the impact that these chemicals can have on brain development.

Toys of all descriptions should not contain hazardous chemicals. CHEM Trust is calling for a ban on the use of hazardous chemicals in consumer products in both the EU and UK.

However, as legislation can take years to come into effect, check out our pages on how to reduce your risk from hazardous chemicals in consumer products.

Check out the list of products that the Danish Consumer Council tested to avoid those containing substances of concern.

Read more news.