High levels of banned toxic chemicals in toys and headphones

Chlorinated paraffins, a class of toxic chemicals commonly used to soften plastic toys or make computer wires pliable, have been prohibited in Canada since 2013 due to their known health harm - but a new University of Toronto study found they remain prevalent in many everyday household objects. Since the chemicals, banned under the  Canadian Environmental Protection Act, are still being detected at high concentrations in the dust and air of indoor environments, researchers in the department of chemistry in the Faculty of Arts & Science set out to investigate the source of these continued emissions. They found high concentrations of short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) in 84 of 96 indoor consumer products they tested, including electronics, children's toys, clothing, personal care products and indoor paints. The results were published recently in the journal  Environmental Science: Processes & Impacts . "We analyzed a wide array of household items - some newly purchased from Toronto retailers, others donated by lab volunteers - hoping to confirm that these chemicals were no longer present," says lead author  Steven Kutarna , a recent PhD graduate of the department of chemistry. "Instead, we were surprised to find chlorinated paraffins in over 87 per cent of these products that are currently marketed in Canada." The researchers said they were also surprised to learn that certain products contained extremely high concentrations of the chemicals. Headphones and computer wires had the highest levels, followed by plastic children's toys and toy packaging.