Keep your children safe from second rate plastic stationary

Eskisehir Osmangazi University (ESOGÜ) Assistant Professor of Medicine, Dr. Murat Dinçer, has warned parents against plastic stationery shopping. As schools are about to open, Dinçer drew attention to the importance of school stationery's material. "Parents should be careful about the quality of plastic that is used in the stationery, price and the material that the stationery is recycled from," Dinçer said. He informed that cheap, plastic, recycled stationery in the market comes from Southern Asia and the Far East, and we do not know what it was before being recycled. He emphasized the importance of knowing the origin of the plastic, adding, "If the product your child is using was recycled from medical waste, for instance, it can cause harm."

He further noted that it is disturbing to think a pencil or a toy that your child is holding was potentially medical waste beforehand. "Parents should at least buy products that are EU approved and comply with Turkish Standards Institution (TSE) standards, instead of cheap and poor quality products," said Dinçer.

He stated that there are a lot of colorful and scented products that allure children. "These colorful and scented products include chemical substances and might cause cancer,"

Dinçer said, adding that parents should be also keep children away from adhesives. He stated that some stationery and toys are produced using "bali" (a type of adhesive that is bad for health), and these products increase cancer risk. "In short, while shopping for stationery for your children, look into the quality of the products and prefer known brands that have been approved by the TSE," Dinçer advised. He underscored that people should prefer high quality products instead of those that are fancy and ornate. He concluded, "Do not forget: if you buy 20 items for the price of one, you are putting your children in danger. Do not prefer cheap and poor quality products."