Today on instagram under the hashtag #slime you can find almost 10 million results. What kind of weird toys why they are so loved children, and do they hurt? Telling the whole truth about the goops.
What is it?
The word slime in English means “mucus”. This is what they are most similar. People that do this substance with their hands, and then with the same hands crumple, tear and stretch – it is believed that it relaxes and relieves stress. If you do not want to do slaym yourself, you can buy in the store or from a master on the Internet.
In the countries of the former USSR toy called slime – most likely in honor of the character from “Ghostbusters”.
What they are doing?
On the Internet there are many recipes, but the simplest looks like this: white glue, liquid detergent and water. Sometimes instead of powder use shaving foam, shampoo, toothpaste, etc. and to slaym turned out beautiful, it adds dye, sequins, beads and even small toys.
Frequent recipes with the following ingredients:
- Borax is the sodium salt of boric acid;
- Guar gum (guar, guar gum, gum carob) – food additive, thickener;
- Cellulose is another thickener, which is obtained from wood;
- Corn starch;
- Gelatin.
Can they be dangerous?
Yes, British and Spanish scientists have warned that slimy are toxic. Some ingredients can cause diarrhea, burns, nausea, vomiting and cramps in the abdomen. Here they are:
PVA glue
Generally, it is considered a fairly safe substance, but the manufacturers warn that to work with the glue needed with good ventilation, safety glasses, and rubber gloves. We cannot allow the child swallowed the glue – it can cause dizziness, nausea and headache.
Borax
Sodium tetraborate may cause severe irritation to the eyes, and he’s toxic to children and pregnant women. British scientists studied the composition of the “shop” Selimov and found that 8 of the 11 types of toys exceeds the permissible safe limit of the content of borax.
Natural ingredients
The starch and gelatin breed bacteria and fungi. Therefore, the life of this toy is very small: from several hours to several days. Otherwise, a child can be poisoned or catch an infection.
Do they completely give up?
No, you can just follow the safety rules:
- Limit the time of contact of the licker with the skin. Especially if you bought a toy online and not sure about the composition. Slaym is impossible to take in hand, if the skin has scratches and sores.
- Don’t give it to children under three years: they all tend to pull in my mouth.
- If you made the slime from natural ingredients, store it in the refrigerator. The appearance of mold or an unpleasant smell throw away without regrets.
- Supervise the fabrication process: make sure the room is well ventilated, and children do not wet hands.
Another threat to children’s health toys for the bath. Every square inch can inhabit up to $ 75 million of bacteria and fungi. Details – in the article “Danger! Rubber ducks for the bath”.