The Department of Labour Inspection, part of the Ministry of Labour and Social Insurance, has issued a consumer advisory ahead of the new school year, warning that a number of common school products may contain chemical substances considered particularly hazardous to children. The department is urging consumers, and parents especially, to be vigilant when making back-to-school purchases.
What plastic and leather items may contain
According to the department, plastic school items may contain phthalates, compounds classified as highly toxic to reproduction, as well as cadmium, which is classified as carcinogenic. Leather school clothing and footwear, meanwhile, may contain hexavalent chromium or dimethyl fumarate (DMF), substances classified as sensitisers that can trigger allergic reactions.
The department also singled out products including superglue-type adhesives, markers, correction fluids such as Tipp-Ex, coloured inks and paints. Some of these have been found to contain organic solvents such as benzene, chloroform or toluene, substances classified as highly toxic and carcinogenic to humans.
Check the hazard labelling
Some school items may also contain other dangerous chemical substances and be classified as flammable, irritant or harmful. In these cases, the department said, products must carry the required hazard labelling in Greek. It stressed that products which do not comply with legal requirements should not be circulating on the market.
The department pointed consumers to the EU's Safety Gate system, where non-compliant products identified on the Cypriot or wider EU market are logged, and encouraged the public to check the list regularly.
Anyone who identifies a product they suspect may be unsafe is asked to contact the Department of Labour Inspection directly, on 22405611, 22405637 or 22405609.
