Toxic "forever chemicals" found in dollar store toys: report

If you’re planning on treating a young loved one to a toy from the dollar store, you might want to proceed with caution.

A new report from Environmental Defence (ED) found heavy metals such as lead and “forever chemicals” in children’s toys and headphones sold at Dollarama and Dollar Tree stores across Canada.

What are “forever chemicals” exactly?

ED classifies “forever chemicals” as “hazardous phthalates, bisphenols, and PFAS.” PFAS is a group of over 4,700 synthetic chemicals, commonly added to clothing, fire-fighting foams, carpets, furniture food packaging, and cooking utensils.

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Exposure to heavy metals and toxic chemicals — even just a small amount — has serious, long-term health effects and can lead to cancer, asthma, and diabetes.

Cassie Barker, the toxins manager at ED, said there is a lack of regulations in Canada for internal lead in products. “There is no safe limit on lead. Children’s products should not contain this hazardous substance,” she said.

The report found:

• One in four products tested contained toxic chemicals, including lead in children’s products and electronics such as headphones
• 30% of products tested at Dollar Tree contain toxic chemicals
• 25% of products tested at Dollarama contain toxic chemicals
• All of the cash register receipts tested contained bisphenol-S (BPS)
• All of the food cans tested contained toxic chemicals
• All of the microwave popcorn packaging tested contained PFAS

Low-income communities are already facing systemic economic barriers, so exposure to these type of hazardous chemicals at dollar stores are unavoidable, especially when families cannot opt for the more expensive, toxic-free alternatives.

“People living in Canada should not be poisoned by the products they purchase from discount stores, regardless of their socio-economic status.” Barker said. “In addition to retailer accountability, the government must also protect consumers from these toxic exposures.”

Toxic laws need to be amended to protect consumers, especially children, Barker added.

While Dollar Tree claims the chain successfully eliminated 17 “high concern” chemicals from their products back in 2020, ED’s testing revealed that said chemicals (like cadmium, bisphenols, and lead) are still found on store shelves.

Environmental justice advocates continue to call for transparency and commitments from retailers, and the federal government has introduced a bill to reform the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA), which will be debated this fall.