Author: Ina Allkanjari
Games are an irreplaceable part of childhood, offering joy and great opportunities for development. But behind the smiles and fun, there are hidden dangers that can threaten children's health. Unsafe materials and lack of proper certifications can lead to serious harm to children's lives.
SH, the mother of a two-year-old girl, tells Sinjalizo about her difficult experience when, about a year ago, she sent her daughter to the emergency room because of a reaction caused by a toy.
"My daughter was 10 months old when she received a plastic toy as a gift for June 1," recalls SH. "The moment she started playing with it, I did not understand where the red spots on her body came from. The situation worsened when the girl started having difficulty breathing, so I immediately sent her to the emergency room."
The 30-year-old says that after detailed examinations and discussions about every contact the girl had had, the doctors came to the conclusion that the reaction was caused by the material of the toy.
"That day the girl had not done anything different, I had not fed her any product that she had not tried before. After the examinations, the doctor confirmed my suspicions that the spots were caused by a reaction to the plastic material of the toy," says SH
SH explains that since then, she has become much more careful in choosing toys for her daughter.
"Since then, the toys we get the girl are only certified," she says. "I mostly buy wooden toys and always check the certification for safety."
Risk of chronic intoxication
Toxicologist Alert Drishti tells Signal about the risk of chronic intoxication from children's toys.
"Acute intoxication with toys has not appeared either in us or in the world, but it is chronic intoxications that come more gradually, worsening the situation."
The doctor points out that the manufacturers of toys in the European community, which follow the CE standards, are obliged to comply with the certification regulations to ensure that the toys are safe for use by children so that they do not get toxic substances.
He warns that some toys that do not pass such checks can cause serious health problems:
"Toys that do not pass such certifications, or do not have serious testing, may have various problems with children who have this habit of putting the toy in their mouths".
The toxicologist also points out that some substances used in toys have the potential to cause severe toxic effects.
"Many kinds of substances have been talked about, but some of them give many chronic toxic problems which appear with different pathologies where one of them can be, as it is said in the vernacular, cancer of the upper respiratory tract. Of course, these substances also cause other systemic diseases".
Import of toys in Albania, China is the main partner
According to data from the Albanian Customs Agency, toy imports have undergone significant changes over the past five years. In 2019, the value of imports for these products was 2,220 million ALL. This number increased slightly in 2020, reaching 2,237 million ALL. The biggest increase was observed in 2021, with a total value of 3,671 million ALL, a significant increase compared to previous years. However, after this peak, the value of imports began to decline in 2022, reaching 3,394 million ALL, and continued to fall in 2023, reaching 3,180 million ALL.
As for the volume of imports, the trend is somewhat similar. In 2019, the volume was 3,484 tons. In 2020, this number remained almost the same at 3,488 tons. In 2021, the volume of imports increased significantly to 4,229 tons, reflecting the increase in the value of imports for the same year. The year 2022 brought a slight decrease with 4,205 tons, while in 2023 the volume fell to 3,902 tons.
According to the data, Albania imports an average of about 4,000 tons of toys per year, with China accounting for most of these imports.
Despite the occasional checks of the State Market Surveillance Inspectorate, the year 2020 represents the highest value of withdrawal from the market of toxic toys. ISHMT this year confiscated and destroyed thousands of toys after tests carried out in an EU laboratory for at least 42 products.
Toy safety
Toy safety is a major concern for parents and retailers who want their children to play with safe and quality products. Endri, the owner of the "Toy Store" with five years of experience, tells Sinjalizo about his experience and the importance of certified toys.
"We mainly deal with developmental and educational toys," says Endri. His store offers toys from various European brands such as Clementoni, Chiço, Fisher-Price, and Janod. "Plastic toys that are CE and from the best European brands are used by children despite the fact that they can put them in their mouths, it is claimed that they do not take toxic substances."
An important aspect he underlines is strict quality control. "The toys that are European come with a patent, with quality control. They do not come out without the quality control, the one who enters it. Details for these are provided by the importing company that has the exclusive right. As for those that are European, they have no chance for uncontrolled products to enter because they do not produce them themselves. They don't care."
This includes wooden and plastic toys that are CE certified and BPA free.
"I mostly buy toys with wooden material, I always see the certification if they are checked. The materials that are produced with wood and made by baking are materials that do not crumble and after many years break when they break, they do not become sawdust."
He then dwells on the checks and verifications that take place in Albania to guarantee the quality of the toys.
"To be honest, I can't speak and I can't say who brings in and who doesn't bring in controlled toys because everyone knows their own work, but we have passed more than 2-3 times controls during these years by the directorate of plastic, I don't know what it's called, but they have seen all the products and analyzed them. They also took some to the laboratory and confirmed to us that our products are in order", says Endri.
He also advises parents about the choice of toys.
"I know how to tell you to use as many educational toys as possible, as many developmental toys as possible, mainly wood because they do not contain plastic and do not contain toxic materials. But there are also international brands that are plastic starting from 0 months that you can put in your mouth, because they are safe".
Endri emphasizes the importance of educational toys for children's development.
"We recommend to parents that it is not necessary to buy many toys at the same time, because more than two toys are harmful for the child. Toys with concentration and geometric shapes are widely used in speech therapy studios to improve concentration and hand-eye coordination."
Toys are more than just objects of entertainment, they are part of the formation and development of children. Therefore, choosing safe and certified toys is a task that requires attention and responsibility. Only the information and care of parents and relevant institutions can guarantee that children play and grow in a safe and healthy environment, away from invisible dangers.
