Toys to avoid
There will be among us who will be at business establishments these coming months. The law of supply and demand will affect these establishments, raising their items’ prices due to the coming holiday season. Early shoppers gravitate to places where they can purchase Christmas gifts—particularly children’s toys—at low prices.
Every holiday, consumers are warned of the dangerous effects of lead which is present on painted toys. However, Filipinos below and on the poverty line refuse to heed the warning because “these toys are cheaper.” The narrative does not end here.
There is still something that we can do and that is to remind our manufacturers of their social responsibility and accountability to our children.
The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that young children are particularly vulnerable to the toxic effects of lead and can suffer profound and permanent adverse health effects affecting the development of the brain and nervous system. The same report stated that lead also causes long-term harm in adults including increased risk of high blood pressure and kidney damage.
Lloyd Field, a Doctor of Philosophy, author of “Business and the Buddha: Doing Well by Doing Good,” tells us that should we disregard for a moment the advertising and public relations hype, we can differentiate among businesses on their value
system. The author pointed out that although there are laws prohibiting the use of lead-based paint on children’s toys, there are no laws that cover the exporting of such products.
Field took cognizance of the inter-dependence between the production manager, the company and the end users who are the children with this question: “Does your experience tell you that the court settlement, thought to be excessive by the company, will not have a longterm effect on the executive’s decision to continue exporting lead-based paint?”
The Buddhism inspired literature underlined “corporate practices” that “would run contrary to the company’s values and mission statements.”
“[There is a] double standard that places greater value on profit than on wellbeing... they were, in some way, complicit... their actions contributed to the death of these children.”
In my opinion, manufacturers of children’s toys should understand that while they are free to make choices, there are serious repercussions that can adversely affect our children.