Posted at 5:00 a.m.
Pencils, pens, highlighters, tubes of glue: toxic and carcinogenic chemicals have been found in many school supplies in Europe. Some of these products are even on the shelves of Quebec stores.
At the end of August, the consumer defense association in France published an alarming report: 40% of school supplies tested are made with potentially dangerous components.
“Manufacturers – including the big brands – thus expose children very widely to sometimes considerable doses of toxic, carcinogenic, allergenic compounds or endocrine disruptors”, can we read on the website of the Federal Consumers’ Union Que Choose.
In July, the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES), the equivalent of Health Canada in France, also revealed the presence of several families of dangerous chemical substances in supplies. school, such as heavy metals, such as nickel and lead, benzene and perfluorines.
“If there are no regulations or instructions surrounding their sale, there is a good chance that we will also find these substances in school supplies. [du Québec] says Maximilien Debia, professor in the department of environmental health and occupational health at the School of Public Health at the University of Montreal.
Watch out for pens!
The survey results were particularly concerning for ballpoint pens, which were found to be “full of carcinogens”. Some products of the Bic and Paper Mate brands, which are also found in Quebec, contained impurities classified as “probable carcinogens”.
“If we are exposed from a young age to potentially carcinogenic substances and if we continue throughout our schooling to be exposed to the same office supplies, the risk of having cancer is multiplied”, explains the director of the Eau Terre Environnement Center and associate professor at the National Institute for Scientific Research, Louise Hénault-Ethier.
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
Paper Mate ballpoint pens
Children, by staining their fingers with inks or chewing on the tips of their pens and pencils, can be exposed to many of these harmful compounds. Until there are stricter regulations, the consumer protection association advises parents not to buy ballpoint pens for their children.
Many allergens
Highlighters do pretty well in their composition. However, the Association “strongly” advises against the original Stabilo Boss, which can be found in many Quebec stores.
“His ink is far too full of allergens”, denounces the Association on its website. Indeed, isothiazolinones, a product that increases the risk of triggering allergies, were found in large numbers in the product.
The Association also recommends avoiding the Pilot brand FRIXION blue erasable gel pen, which also contains a high allergen content.
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
FRIXION pens, which contain a high content of allergens
Good news, Crayola’s ultra-washable drawing pens are on the honor roll, without any carcinogenic or allergenic compounds.
Avoid glitter
Fluorescent, shiny, fragrant. Although attractive, these school supplies should be avoided, say experts.
“I would advise consumers to give preference to supplies that do not contain perfumes or glitter or other artifices that could induce behaviors diverted by children, such as chewing or even ingestion,” said Céline Dubois in a press release. project manager at ANSES.
PHOTO SARAH MONGEAU-BIRKETT, THE PRESS
Crayola Ultra Washable Crayons do not contain any carcinogenic or allergenic compounds.
Mme Hénault-Ethier agrees. “You have to stay away as much as possible from pencils and erasers that smell of aromas, because these scents hide many chemical compounds that can be toxic,” she says.
To limit exposure to harmful chemicals, the specialist suggests opting, as far as possible, for products made from paper or cardboard and as few plastic products as possible. “I would also love to see schools encouraging less acquisition of new equipment, to reduce waste and exposure to chemicals,” she says.
Inspired by California
Mme Hénault-Ethier regrets that there is no regulatory framework or labels allowing consumers to make informed choices, as is done elsewhere in the world.
As of January 2019, California prohibits schools from ordering or purchasing any product containing toxic or carcinogenic substances for students in kindergarten through 6e year. At the secondary level, their use is authorized only if the product bears a label informing the user of the presence of dangerous ingredients, potential health effects and instructions for safe use.
In order to enlighten parents and safeguard the health of children, California provides a list of supplies not to be purchased. A second list listing the material that meets the requirements is also published on the website of the Institute of Arts and Creative Materials (in English).
However, some of these products “containing toxic or carcinogenic substances” are sold in Quebec. “It would be nice if the Ministry of Education or other organizations in Quebec could also create databases of products recommended or avoided,” says Ms.me Henault-Ethier.
The Bic, Paper Mate and Pilot brands did not respond to requests for The Press. For its part, the company Stabilo indicated that it “guarantees the safety and quality of its products”. “STABILO BOSS meets all legal requirements and is safe whether used as intended on paper or even when used unintentionally, for example by accidentally marking the skin,” the company said.