Harmful elements in toys being looked into: Govt

Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha on the subject, Minister of Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad said a study under the guidance of an expert panel has been initiated to examine the presence of some heavy metals and phthalates in plastic toys in the market.

The Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all various components have been finalised and the validation exercise involving seven national laboratories have been completed, he said.

The Committee of experts is headed by Y K Gupta, professor of Pharmacology at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

The Minister informed that as per the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (Directorate General of Foreign trade), the import of toys is subject to prescribed quality standards and requirement of being tested by an independent lab duly accredited under the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC), mutual recognition arrangements (MRA).