Chemical emissions from toys – the case of stink blasters

The aim of the present study was to characterise and quantify the emissions of volatile organic compounds that can be released into the air from stink blasters (a toy in human shape that releases malodorous substances after squeezing the head) and to evaluate possible health risks, particularly for children. Although the stink blasters are intended for outdoor use, a hypothetical indoor use (e.g. a child's room) has been considered relevant for exposure assessment studies. The emissions of the items were investigated in environmental chambers and their content was assessed by chemical extraction. In addition to these preliminary experiments and in order to evaluate airborne exposure to cyclohexanone, the stink blasters were placed in the Indoortron facility, a 30 m3 volume walk-in type environmental chamber, and tested for emissions after squeezing several times under ‘real world setting’ conditions (23°C, 50% relative humidity, 0.5 air changes per hour). The amount of chemicals released was determined by...