Total lead content and its bioaccessibility in base materials of low-cost plastic toys bought on the Beijing market

The neurological hazards of lead are well-known. Few studies have focused on lead content in plastic toys, especially in China. Therefore, this study aimed to determine total lead content in low-cost plastic toys bought in Beijing, based on the bioaccessibility (BA) of lead through an in vitro leaching method. A total of 27 of the 72 items (37.5 %) examined exceeded the American toy safety limit (100 mg/kg), but HCl extraction results showed that all the samples met the Chinese standard (<90 mg/kg). The BA of lead ranged from 0.80 to 8.86 %, with averages of 1.53 ± 0.74, 3.65 ± 1.28, 4.09 ± 1.83 and 2.62 ± 0.82 % for diluted HCl and three other leaching solutions, respectively. Our results indicated that the bioavailability risk of lead in plastic toys might be underestimated, as the HCl extraction was regulated under the standard procedures of toy safety testing. Total Pb content measurement combined with RIVM methods would be helpful in efforts to reduce children’s exposure to toxic heavy metals.