Dubai: Dubai Municipality has warned parents about some varieties of the “slime toy” that might contain toxic chemicals. It has also warned against making slime at home with hazardous ingredients.
Slime is a liquid material composed of polymers.
Introduced first in the 1970s, slimy toys have been popular all over the world and they are said to help children improve their motor skills. There are plenty of slime toy recipes available online.
However, officials have warned that some versions of these sludgy toys contain toxic materials and children should refrain from using hazardous ingredients for making slime at home.
This follows a similar warning from the Child Safety Promotion and Injury Prevention Research Centre in Thailand after a Facebook post claiming a girl contracted a blood infection after playing with slime caused public concern.
Sultan Al Suwaidi, head of the public safety section at the public health and safety department of Dubai Municipality, noted that there is a lack of serious supervision on the part of some parents when their kids play with slime toys.
Stressing the need for constant supervisory control from parents, he said the latter must read the instructions and guidelines for safety that come with every toy to reduce the risks that may accompany a toy, a senior official said.
Al Suwaidi said that using cockroach powder (borax) in making slime is a dangerous practice and all toxic substances, such as pesticides, disinfectants and cleaning products, should be kept out of reach of children.
Another danger is that small kids my swallow the brightly coloured and sometimes scented slime if they are not supervised, he cautioned, reminding parents about laws that penalise parents if they neglect the safety of their children.
Although the municipality has not received any complaint about slime toys yet, the official said, the department is keeping a close watch on the import of these products and the ones available in the market.
He added that toys found not conforming to safety standards will be withdrawn immediately.
