Parents warned to not buy slimes containing potentially harmful chemical as Hamley’s pulls product

A lot of popular slimes contain a potentially harmful chemical, according to a report.

13 products classed as slime were tested by Which? and five failed the EU safety standard limit for boron in toys. The EU safety limit for boron in toys is 300mg/kg for toys classed as slime and 1200mg/kg for toys classed as putty. Over-exposure to high levels boron can cause short term side effects such as skin irritation, diarrhoea, and nausea. Extreme levels have been found to affect fertility and cause potential harm to unborn children. Those that failed the test included Frootiputti, for sale in Hamley's, which had four times the permitted amount, and HGL's Ghostbusters slime, for sale in Smyths, which had over three times the amount. The Telegraph reports that Hamley's has since pulled their slime product from all of their stores. Following the report, they said that they were carrying out their own tests on the slime and were not selling it as a "precautionary measure." "Ensuring the safety and trust of our customers is one of our core values as a business and we will never compromise on the safety of our products," they said.

"We work closely with our suppliers and manufacturers to ensure all products meet the legal standards for toy safety. "As a precautionary measure, we have made the decision to remove all Goobands Frootiputti from our stores while we investigate this matter further."

According to Which?, both Hamley's and Smyths had argued that their products were not slime, but putty, meaning that their levels of boron would be acceptable. You can see the full report here.