Dec 212010
Do you have one of these in your child’s room?
Well, you should probably get rid of it!
Belgium is the first country to ban the sale of all foam puzzle mats as new tests show they contain a cancer-causing chemical.
Formamides are used to soften the foam in the mats but are corrosive and can be deadly. Toxicologist Alfred Bernard explained:
“They are solvents, residues from the manufacturing process that stay in the product afterwards. They can be absorbed through breathing or through the skin. As a rule, children should not be exposed to these products.”
Read an update on this topic: Which brands can we trust?
For more information follow the link: Belgium Bans Toxic Children’s Puzzle Mats
Source: Euronews.net.
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11 Responses to “Belgium Bans Toxic Children’s Puzzle Mats! France to Follow…How About You?”
Comments (9) Pingbacks (2)
GASP! My baby chews on one of these all the time!
My both kids did, until just recently.
I also got news of this issue from friends and family in Europe. France has since followed Belgium and ordered these types of EVA foam floor mats off the market until they could do their own testing. I wrote a piece about it here summarizing the issue here: http://bit.ly/e1GcFv
If you have these, you should check with the manufacturer or, if you don’t know, ask your retailer. *Some* brands specifically state that their products are formamide-free, so worth asking.
We couldn’t remember the brand for ours, so we chucked them! Time to buy a nice comfy carpet!
Thank you for sharing!
I bought the ABC foam mat from Early learning center (mother care), does anyone know if it’s safe or not? please advise
Rahel, thank you for asking.
I would email the manufacturer & request their lab test showing their products are formamide-free.
I did some research and will be posting an update to this post listing the brands that claim to contain no formamide.
I’ll be sending an update by email, and will post the news on Twitter & Facebook.
Please stay in touch.
I bought the ABC foam mat before but never used it because I can’t stand the smell.
Thank you Vivian for sharing.
SoftTiles Foam Mats have been tested recently (January 2011) and have been shown to be formamide free. Please visit us http://www.softtiles.com for more information.