Extreme heat | Beware of squishy toys that pose a risk of burns

Mystery dumplings, small colorful NeeDoh cubes and other squishy toys are currently very popular with children. Parents must, however, be vigilant: these objects can cause burns if exposed to extreme heat.

According to an article from New York Posta teenager suffered burns to her thighs after a squishy toy broke in her hands. The toy in question was in his mother’s car, where it was very hot.

Also in the United States, a local TV station told the story of a 13-year-old girl who suffered significant burns after her squishy toy emptied its contents. A car and high temperatures were also part of the equation.

The car, a furnace

Not everyone necessarily realizes how hot it can get in a car, explains Jason Robert Tavares, full professor in the chemical engineering department at Polytechnique Montréal.

If your child leaves his squishy toy in the backseat of a car or on the surface of the dashboard, the heat the object absorbs won’t be noticeable when he picks it up again, Tavares says. “However, it will be softer than usual and will be easier for a child to crush and handle. »

Trouble can arise when the toy breaks, Mr. Tavares says. “In a car, there are surfaces that can reach 90°C. The gel inside the toy will have almost reached this temperature. For example, in safety courses, it is explained that a burn can occur in less than a second if the temperature exceeds 68°C. It’s problematic,” he explains.

The two children’s hospitals in Montreal, Children’s and Sainte-Justine, indicated in writing to The Press that no case of burn following the breakage of a squishy toy had been reported to them to date.

How are these toys made?

The shell of squishy toys is made of rubber. The interior, the spongy jelly, is made with polyvinyl alcohol, the same material used to make the shell of dishwasher capsules, which dissolve during the wash cycle, explains Normand Voyer, professor of chemistry at Laval University.

“The rubber of the envelope and the polyvinyl alcohol do not mix: to manufacture the toy, the companies will create a capsule which will subsequently be filled with polyvinyl alcohol. The consumer will get a toy with two types of plastic that can be compressed and spring back into shape. »

Manufacturers can add maltose, a type of malt-based sugar, to the polyvinyl alcohol mixture to obtain a gelatinous material with the right viscosity, Voyer says.

If manufacturers use polyvinyl alcohol for its non-toxicity, you should be wary, warns Professor Voyer. “If a person ingests it, they can become very ill. »

In a statement sent by email, Sainte-Justine Hospital indicates that children should not put these types of toys in their mouths. “These toys present risks of choking and ingestion of liquids which may be toxic. »

In short, squishy toys should be used at room temperatures.

Do not put in the microwave!

Videos of a TikTok challenge show people putting their NeeDoh cube in the freezer and then in the microwave. The goal: to make the toy more malleable.

According to the New York Posta 10-year-old girl from the United Kingdom tried to replicate the experiment. The toy exploded and she suffered burns to her face.

It’s a bit like heating a donut stuffed with custard in the microwave, according to chemistry professor Normand Voyer. “Donuts made from flour do not react to microwaves. It is the custard made of sugar and water that will heat up because it will absorb the energy from the microwaves. It’s the same thing with squishy toys: their casing is not very sensitive to microwaves, so it remains cold, but the interior, the polyvinyl alcohol, can reach 100°C,” he explains.

Schylling, the Massachusetts manufacturer that makes NeeDoh cubes, warns users on its product packaging that they should not heat, freeze or microwave NeeDoh, as this could cause injury. Schylling did not respond to our request for an interview.