WeeklySA_AdminREGULATION: University of Cape Town study has uncovered hazardous chemicals in children’s toys, while separate testing has found dangerous pesticide residues in staple foods, prompting renewed warnings that South Africa’s weakest citizens are paying the price for regulatory failures…
By Monk Nkomo
South African children may be facing a growing public health crisis as toxic chemicals banned in Europe continue to find their way into toys and staple foods sold locally, exposing youngsters to substances linked to cancer, hormone disruption and developmental disorders.
A new University of Cape Town (UCT) study has found that many plastic toys available in South Africa contain hazardous industrial chemicals associated with recycled electronic waste, while separate research has revealed widespread pesticide contamination in everyday foods consumed by children.
Together, the findings have reignited concerns that weak regulation and poor enforcement are allowing dangerous products to reach South African homes.
The UCT study, published in the scientific journal Heliyon, found evidence that toxic flame-retardant chemicals, banned internationally under the Stockholm Convention, are re-entering the consumer market through recycled plastics used in children’s products.
Our children are being exposed to banned toxic chemicals not only in their food, but in the very toys they play with. Regulatory failure is systemic,
and it is putting children’s health at risk.
— Zakiyya Ismail, Africa Centre for Biodiversity
Conducted by doctoral researcher Rebecca Mlelwa and Professor Andrea Rother from UCT’s Environmental Health Division, the study analysed 138 new and second-hand children’s products sold in South Africa.
Researchers tested products including Rubik’s Cubes, toy mobile phones, puzzle mats, toy vehicles, child car seats and sunglasses.
The highest contamination levels were detected in Rubik’s Cubes, toy mobile phones and puzzle mats, while traces were also found in toy motorcycles, shopping trolleys, toy stethoscopes, toy pistols and child car seats.
According to the researchers, the contamination patterns strongly indicate that recycled electronic waste is the source of the toxic chemicals.
“This study provides preliminary evidence that legacy pollutants are potentially re-entering children’s products through recycled plastics. While recycling is essential for reducing waste, it should not come at the expense of children’s health,” the researchers said.
Children are especially vulnerable because their organs and nervous systems are still developing. They absorb harmful chemicals more readily than adults, are less able to eliminate toxins from their bodies and frequently place toys in their mouths during play.
The study focused on brominated flame retardants, chemicals once widely used to reduce the flammability of electronic products. These substances were later banned after research linked them to endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity, reproductive harm and cancer.
Using handheld X-ray fluorescence equipment, researchers detected bromine in 38% of the products tested, while antimony—another indicator of flame retardants—was found in 90% of contaminated products.
Alarmingly, about 85% of products containing bromine exceeded international safety thresholds established under the Basel Convention, meaning they should be treated as hazardous waste rather than ordinary consumer goods.
The toy findings come as separate independent testing commissioned by the Africa Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) found pesticide residues, including glyphosate, in staple foods such as maize meal, bread, baby cereals and fresh produce sold in South Africa.
Several products exceeded both South African and European safety limits, prompting renewed calls for tougher food safety regulation and stronger oversight of chemical exposure.
The growing concern extends well beyond South Africa.
Research cited by environmental organisations including Amnesty International, Greenpeace and the Veblen Institute shows that products containing chemicals banned in Europe are routinely exported to developing countries with weaker regulatory systems.
According to the European Chemicals Agency, approximately 660 000 tonnes of hazardous chemicals banned or severely restricted within the European Union were exported to other countries in 2020. Environmental organisations have described this as a dangerous “double standard”, allowing products considered too hazardous for European consumers to be sold elsewhere.
Responding to the UCT findings, the Africa Centre for Biodiversity said the study reinforced long-standing concerns over South Africa’s failure to adequately protect children from toxic chemical exposure.
“The detection of brominated flame retardants—substances banned globally under the Stockholm Convention because of their links to endocrine disruption, neurotoxicity and cancer—in products intended for children is deeply alarming,” said Zakiyya Ismail, the ACB’s Pesticide Programme Coordinator.
She said children are uniquely vulnerable to chemical exposure because their bodies are still developing.
“Their organs and nervous systems are more sensitive to toxic insult, and they have a lower capacity to metabolise and eliminate hazardous substances,” she said.
Ismail said the UCT findings echoed the organisation’s own investigations into pesticide residues in food.
The ACB’s recent briefing paper, What’s Really in Our Food?, found pesticide residues—including highly hazardous pesticides and substances not approved for use on food crops in the European Union—in 86% of commonly consumed foods tested, including products specifically marketed for infants and toddlers.
“The cumulative effect of chemical exposure from food, water, toys and other everyday products represents a serious but largely unaddressed public health crisis,” she said.
According to Ismail, the latest findings expose systemic weaknesses in South Africa’s regulatory framework.
“Whether it is pesticides in food or legacy chemicals in toys, the same problems recur: outdated legislation, fragmented oversight across multiple government departments, weak enforcement, and a lack of transparency that leaves consumers without the information they need to make safe choices.”
She described the UCT study as a warning that could no longer be ignored.
“Our children are being exposed to banned toxic chemicals not only in their food, but in the very toys they play with. Regulatory failure is not limited to one sector—it is systemic, and it is putting children’s health at risk.”
The ACB endorsed the UCT researchers’ recommendations for stronger enforcement of existing legislation, compulsory screening of products before they enter the market and greater transparency throughout supply chains.
However, Ismail said these measures should extend beyond children’s toys.
“We would add that these measures must be applied across the board—not only to toys, but to food, water, household products and the environment as a whole.” She said the ACB stood ready to work with researchers, regulators and government to address the growing crisis.
Protecting children from toxic exposure, she said, requires urgent, coordinated and multisectoral action.
“We cannot afford to wait.”
