Consumers told: Don’t buy toxic ‘squeaky chicken’ toy

The “Shrilling Chicken” toy.
PHOTO BY EUROPEAN COMMISSION VIA ECOWASTE COALITION.

The EcoWaste Coalition on Sunday advised consumers not to buy a cheap plastic chicken toy being sold in Divisoria in Manila due to the presence of toxic materials.

Citing laboratory tests they commissioned, the nonprofit watch group said the toy, labeled as “Shrilling Chicken” because of the sound it makes when squeezed, has phthalates DEHP and DBP up to 19 percent and 13 percent, respectively, or beyond the government’s allowable limit of 0.1 percent by weight.

“Phthalates, which are added to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic flexible and soft, are endocrine disrupting chemicals linked to various health problems, including genital abnormalities in boys such as malformed penises and undescended testicles, and the early onset of puberty for girls,” the group said in a statement.

EcoWaste Coalition’s protect coordinator Thony Dizon said the contraband toy does not contain information on its manufacturer and distributor aside from a “Made in China” tag.

“This squeaky toy, which can be funny and entertaining, contains undisclosed plastic additives that may put kids at risk from exposure to health-damaging chemicals,” Dizon said in a statement.

“Sold without the obligatory market authorization from the health authorities, this toy will not pass the quality and safety requirements due to its phthalate content above the regulatory limit,” he added.

European countries like Luxembourg banned the Shrilling Chicken in 2017, Spain in 2016, the Czech Republic in 2014 and Sweden in 2013. Sweden banned the toy for containing another highly toxic substance called short chain chlorinated paraffins (SCPPs), which has been placed by the Stockholm Convention in the treaty list of Persistent Organic Pollutants.

Phthalate DEHP and SCPPs are “possibly carcinogenic to humans,” according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer.

The Department of Health’s A.O. 2009-005 as amended in 2011, states that “it shall be unlawful for any person to manufacture for sale, offer for sale, distribute in commerce, or import into the country any children’s toys that contain concentrations of more than 0.1 percent by weight of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), or benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP).”