Assessment of Level of Lead and Cadmium in Selected Plastic Toys Imported from China on the Ghanaian Market

Abstract

In recent times, the US had ban and ordered the recall of made in China toys on the US market on account of high levels of Lead (Pb) and Cadmium (Cd) content. The Ghanaian market is flooded with all manner of soft plastic toys manufactured in China. This research was therefore carried out to assess the level of Lead and Cadmium in randomly selected brand-new soft plastic toys manufactured in China. Thirty (30) different soft plastic toys were obtained from Makola and Kasoa markets and analysed for the level of Lead and Cadmium. The samples were digested and Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrophotometer (ICP-AES) was used for the analysis. The result obtained from the analysis showed that both Lead and Cadmium were present in all the thirty toys giving positive result. Concentration of Cadmium was in the range of 0.0658 mg/kg to 0.5689 mg/kg whiles was in the range of 0.6876 mg/kg to 50.0806 mg/kg. The results recorded were lower than 100ppm and 200ppm respectively for lead and cadmium. set by the US standard. Both Lead and cadmium are cumulative toxicant that affects multiple body systems. Children are particularly vulnerable to the neurotoxic effects of lead, and even low levels of exposure can cause serious and, in some cases, irreversible neurological damage. The positive results in this study, the low levels notwithstanding, suggest that children who play with these toys are at risk of lead and cadmium exposure. The study therefore recommends the continuous monitoring of soft plastic toys on routine basis to check the level of Lead and Cadmium entering the Ghanaian.

Keywords: concentration, digestion, assessment , heavy metals