2022-09-15 09:14:00
This article is republished from The Conversation sous licence Creative Commons. Lire l’article original.
September is traditionally a back-to-school month, which in stores means a stationery and other supplies section that is denser than usual. However, for several years, the start of the school year has been accompanied by several studies conducted by the Danish Environmental Protection Agencyl’Ademel’UFC What to choose or even 60 Million Consumers which have revealed the presence or emission of chemical substances (in particular phthalates, formaldehyde, allergenic substances, etc.) in school or office supplies.
Signals which pushed ANSES to take action on the subject.
Inhaled, ingested or in contact with the skin, some of these chemical substances can cause health effects: certain phthalates (used as plasticizers) can be toxic to reproduction or endocrine disruptors, etc. ; formaldehyde (used as a biocide, in resins or even as a preservative) is a skin sensitizer and carcinogen…
These effects could be observed in particular in children, who tend to put certain objects in their mouths. As these products are used on a daily basis, the Agency has decided to identify the substances which are specifically present in them.
No official categorization of school and office supplies exists today whether in France, Europe or the world. Thus, as part of this study, ANSES carried out research into the different categorizations proposed and combined together in order to propose its own classification. Please note that new technologies (e.g. tablet) are not considered in this study.
Incomplete regulations and data
In France and Europe, school supplies are not subject to any specific regulations whether for their composition, manufacturing or use.
It should be noted, however, that European regulations REACh (which secures the manufacture and use of chemical substances in industry in Europe) and CLP (intended for communication on the dangers of chemical substances and mixtures at European level) apply, as well as the general product safety directive n°2010/95/EC. Some toys (glitter pens, finger paints, etc.) can also be used as school supplies, but they come in a more restrictive regulatory framework in accordance with Directive No. 2009/48/EC.
ANSES has therefore produced a summary of the available literature concerning the chemical substances present or emitted by school and office supplies. She made the observation that this theme is very little documented. Studies on school or office supplies mainly focus on the emission of chemical substances, and to a lesser extent on transfer by skin contact (a subject for which there are data from modeling).
In the scientific literature, few studies specific to the chemical composition of school supplies have been identified. However, a few institutions have focused on some of them, in particular the Danish EPA. In 2007, the Danish agency, for example, identified the presence of phthalates in gums through composition tests.
Some examples nonetheless
The Danish EPA has carried out a risk assessment focusing on oral or dermal exposure to phthalates. Although it did not highlight any general risk, it nevertheless estimated for one of the phthalates that the daily ingestion of a piece of gum, or the fact of sucking or chewing a small quantity on a long period, could pose a risk to the health of children.
However, for the few available/existing risk assessments, which are relatively old (with the exception of that concerning phthalates in gum), no risk had been highlighted.
Consumer associations such as UFC Que Choisir or 60 Million Consumers have also taken an interest in the issue. They carried out chemical analyzes on different school supplies such as ballpoint pens or highlighters. UFC Que Choisir recently published new composition tests showing that 40% of the supplies tested contained chemical substances.
Thus, despite a relatively weak scientific and “grey” literature (not submitted to reading committees or from institutes such as ANSES or its counterparts around the world), ANSES notes that the families of most chemical substances regularly studied, or most often identified during analyses, are:
THE phthalates (which ANSES notes are only sought in articles containing PVC). Some were found in erasers and the modeling clay.
THE volatile organic compounds (VOC), including formaldehyde, chloroform or toluene often used as solvents. Potentially toxic, carcinogenic and mutagenic, several have been found in highlighters, markers, erasers, scented pens, wooden pencils, gangs, adhesive tapes…
the benzenesometimes found in gangs.
of the metals (such as hexavalent chromium, cadmium, nickel, lead)occasionally found in the finger painting or whiteboard markers.
of the PFAS (per and polyfluoroalkyls) emitted by sheets of paper.
of the colorantssome found in felt-tip pens.
of the preservatives (isothiazolinones…),
of the substances parfumantesused in some markers et colored pencils.
resins, which have been found in gangs or inks.
Several of these substances are classified at European level as skin sensitizers, carcinogens, etc. and are already banned or restricted, particularly in toys.
Some of these substances are the subject of alerts Safety Gate (ex Rapex) regular. Safety Gate is the European rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products which facilitates the exchange of information between 31 countries and the European Commission on products presenting a risk to health, consumer safety and the measures taken.
ANSES’s conclusions and recommendations
In conclusion, the ANSES study, despite an old and sparse literature, highlighted the emission or presence of numerous chemical substances in school and office supplies which, for some of them, present skin sensitization, endocrine disruption or carcinogenicity properties. ANSES highlighted the fact that school and office supplies were not subject to any specific regulations whether for their composition, manufacturing or use.
L’exposure to some of these substances can be easily limited, as we detail below. Consequently, ANSES advises consumers to favor supplies that do not contain perfumes, glitter or other artifices that could encourage children to “chew” or even swallow them.
To protect the health of consumers, that of teachers or staff working in offices and more particularly that of children, the Agency calls for a review of current regulations.
ANSES recommends applying to all school supplies the regulations relating to the safety of toys, where the chemical component prohibits or limits the presence of a large number of substances such as CMR, or carcinogenic, mutagenic and reprotoxic chemical agents), allergenic substances, chromium, lead, etc.
Thus, by integrating school and office supplies into the toy safety directive, a large number of chemical substances already identified would be banned or restricted to low concentrations.
Finally, ANSES recommends that manufacturers and distributors remove certain dangerous substances such as perfumes, volatile substances, etc. without waiting for regulatory changes.
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stylo-bille non toxique
Ques substances dans les fournitures scolaires, entraînant des préoccupations concernant la santé des enfants qui les utilisent quotidiennement. Il s’avère que de nombreuses fournitures ne sont pas soumises à des réglementations spécifiques concernant leur composition ou leur fabrication, ce qui rend la situation encore plus préoccupante.
ANSES (l’Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l’alimentation, de l’environnement et du travail) a recommandé une meilleure documentation et un meilleur suivi des substances chimiques présentes dans les fournitures scolaires. L’agence appelle également à une réglementation plus stricte dans ce domaine, à l’instar de ce qui existe déjà pour les jouets, afin de protéger les enfants contre les risques potentiels pour leur santé liés à l’exposition à ces produits.
ANSES propose également de sensibiliser les consommateurs et les fabricants sur l’importance de choisir des fournitures exemptes ou contenant moins de substances dangereuses. À mesure que les études sur cette question se développent, il est crucial qu’une communication proactive soit mise en place pour informer le public et influencer les choix des produits scolaires.
Pour un avenir plus sûr pour les enfants, il est essentiel que des efforts continus soient déployés afin de réduire les risques potentiels qui pourraient être associés aux fournitures scolaires.