On the eve of the new school year, the French Federation of Consumers UFC-Que Choisir is urging parents not to buy pens for their children because they contain a “cocktail of harmful ingredients”.
The association analyzed six categories of school supplies present in children’s kits: pens, erasable gel rollers, ink cartridges for pens, markers, felt-tip pens and colored pencils. Young users often stain their fingers with ink and tend to chew on their pencils and pens, putting them at risk of ingesting harmful substances that cause skin allergies, cancer or endocrine system disorders.
The inspection found that almost half of the tools analyzed contained potentially dangerous substances. The risk was taken seriously by the National Agency for Sanitary Safety (Anses) at the beginning of the summer, based on previous research by the consumer union, reports AFP. The agency’s experts have come to the conclusion that the necessary legislation is missing both at the French and at the European level. The agency is therefore recommending that school supplies regulations be brought into line with the much more restrictive toy regulations.
Photo by Alina Blumberg:
