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home > Media services > News > Students learned about the materials in toys via an online chat Students learned about the materials in toys via an online chat Students from nine schools around Europe - Slovenia, Hungary, Spain, Finland, Bulgaria, Denmark, Poland and Germany - participated in the fifth Xperimania online chat on “Petrochemistry and toys” on 25 April 2008. Dr. Ralf Eisert, Head of Product Safety and Regulatory Affairs at BASF answered students’ questions on what toys are made of in this spring’s last Xperimania chat. About plastic and toysOver 40 years toymakers have relied on innovations in chemistry to create some of the most popular toys worldwide. Plastics and other petrochemistry products are used to produce dolls, Lego® bricks, Playmobil® figures...But, when playing with their favourite toys, children may not realise that they have to withstand extremely tough conditions. Answering to students from the Spanish IES La Canal Petrer school, who wanted to know more about the different materials used for producing toys, Dr. Eisert pointed out the close relationship between chemical and toy industry: “The chemical industry works with toy manufacturers from the initial design idea to the final product when it comes to choose the right materials for toys.” Different materials can therefore be used in the toy industry, from petrochemistry-based materials such as polystyrene, polyethylene and PVC, to wood or metal. However plastic is a perfect material for making toys due to its variety of properties (hardness, flexibility and colours). About safety and toys Given all the recent safety problems encountered by some toys’ industries, many students were interested in toys’ safety. Dr. Eisert stated that toys are not made to contain dangerous substances. Before entering the EU market all the materials used in toys need to be tested. The safety requirements are high and they cover toys’ physical and chemical safety, flammability and resistance among other standards. Dr. Eisert pointed out also other kinds of safety standards for toys: “There are further safety requirements which regard e.g. to the age excluding zero to three years old children for risks related to choking, or swallowing small parts in the toys.” Students from the Danish Marselisbog Gymnasium asked if plastic is a problem. Dr. Eisert strengthened that it is not: “Plastic does not pose any particular risk, but one should ensure that it is properly used. The material itself is safe.” Plastic will consequently continue to play a major role in toy manufacturing. New materials are developed all the time and they enable the design of new, lighter or more resistant toys in the future. About the expert The chat expert, Dr. Ralf Eisert, graduated from the University of Hannover, Germany in 1996. After a post-doc at the University of Waterloo in Canada, he joined BASF in 1997 in the Agricultural Products Division and was involved in the area of Environmental Affairs in RTP, North Carolina, USA. In 1998 he was transferred to BASF in Limburgerhof in Germany, where he held various positions in Product Chemistry and in Consumer Safety Assessment. Since 2007, Dr. Eisert works as the head of Product Safety and Regulatory Affairs group in the Plastics Division. He is in charge of regulatory issues linked to materials used in contact with food or drinking water, cosmetics, toys, and pharmaceutical and medical applications. Download the chat transcript here (pdf). http://www.xperimania.org/intern/shared/img/xperimania/pdf/Xperimania_Chat5_Transcript.pdf
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