and the health and well-being of our loyal readers (both of you!). So, in the spirit of good science, it has been found that Mr Squiggles, the popular robot rodent is a toxic hazard, and the EPA will soon get around to that, and find that it also causes Global Warming! - HLG
Top selling Mr Squiggles Go Go Hamster linked to toxic chemical
(Mark Lennihan/AP)
Parents desperate to secure this year’s must-have Christmas present – the battery-powered robotic Go Go Hamsters – have been warned that the toy may contain excessive levels of a chemical linked to cancer.
British distributors and US manufacturers both rejected allegations that the popular toy, which is being rationed by retailers, could be dangerous to children.
The fur and nose of Mr Squiggles, a life-sized imitation rodent, could contain the potentially harmful substance antimony, according to GoodGuide, an American consumer group.
Antimony, a metalloid, was measured by GoodGuide at 93 parts per million in the hamster’s fur and at 106 parts per million in its nose.
Dara O’Rourke, the ceo of the consumer website, said both readings exceeded the allowable level of 60 parts per million. He claimed that antimony "has potential health hazards related to it which, if ingested in high enough levels can lead to cancer, reproductive health and other human health hazards".
The United States Environmental Protection Agency said that short-term exposure to the metal-like substance could cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea. The government watchdog says the chemical is thought to be a potential human carcinogen.
Go Go Hamsters, aimed at three to ten-year-olds, have been this year’s Christmas gift craze with toy shops implementing one toy per customer rationing in a bid to keep them in stock.
The hamsters have now sold out in many shops after around 600,000 play sets, accessories and toys were purchased in Britain.
Mr Squiggles is one of four faux rodents in the range that are sold for around £10 each. The promotional literature says “Mr Squiggles is a true Hamster ‘Prankster’,” and the British distributor insists that he is also entirely safe.
Jon Diver, managing director for Character Options, said: "[We are] confident that Mr Squiggles and all the toys in the Go Go Pets collection are completely safe.
"The pets are tested in independent accredited laboratories during the manufacture and again before shipment through our own internal diligence programme. Their safety has always been ratified."
GoodGuide admits that it did not use officially-approved methodology for testing the toys.
A spokesman said: “We did not test these toys using the new government standard for toy companies to determine the “soluble” level of contaminants in a toy.
“While GoodGuide considers the presence of any antimony on the surface of a toy to be a concern, we want to clarify that we used a testing methodology to evaluate the toys that is different from the testing methodology incorporated into the federal standards.”
Cepia LLC, the toy’s maker, insisted in a statement that its product is safe and has passed rigorous testing. The company said it was contacting GoodGuide to share its testing data and determine how the report was founded.
Russ Hornsby, the chief executive officer of Cepia said: "We are disputing the findings of GoodGuide and we are 100 per cent confident that Mr Squiggles and all other Zhu Zhu Toys are safe and compliant with all US and European standards for consumer health and safety in toys.
“I have been in the toy industry for more than 35 years, and being a father of children myself, I would never allow any substandard or unsafe product to hit the shelves."
The accepted safe level of antimony, as well as arsenic and mercury, in toys and leisure equipment sold in Britain is set at 60 parts per million by the European standard EN71-3 enshrined in 1995.
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