Not necessarily, everything has to be made in China. With some well-known brands manufacturing products in China, it has become a hub for toys, garments, electronics and a lot more and this time it is in news for the wrong reasons.
Environmental Working Group (EWG) Action Fund has stated that some crayons and forensic crime kits sold in Australia contain an extremely dangerous carcinogenic and this is a serious concern as it is children who are getting affected.
Asbestos was found in some products during the tests. It is one of the major causes of mesothelioma, a cancer affecting the mesothelium that serves as a lining for many organs of the body such as the lungs. Prognosis is low for this cancer.
Reports stated that out of the 28 tested crayons and 21 crime lab kits, about four and two were found positive for the presence of asbestos, a naturally occurring silicate mineral that can cause a very serious health issue once the person is exposed.
Asbestos fibers are microscopic they can get into the body, particularly into the lungs, where they can accumulate over time. The accumulation may then lead to inflammation and scarring, both of which cause life-threatening respiratory illnesses and complications.
EWG Action Fund commissioned a lab in North Carolina to perform the test. Most of the affected crayons carried fictional themes like super heroes and Disney characters, which made them very attractive to children.
It was seen that these contaminated products that were manufactured in China were sold online through platforms like Amazon, among others, to people directly.
The EWG Action Fund have not informed the amount of deadly asbestos found in these products but they have already reached out to Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to investigate and hopefully ban these products.
Presence of asbestos is something that has been found even before. In 2000, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) had announced the risks of asbestos exposure are low in crayons. However, in this case, it can be inhaled easily as they may have been added in powders in crime kits and this increases the risks manifold. The agent it seems might have been added into the wax of the crayons or the powder in forensic kits.
On the other hand, ACCC has already confirmed they have received such reports and are currently investigating the matter.
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