Not long ago, a student in Shandong of China accidentally swallowed a ballpoint pen part and jammed the trachea. The teacher used the Heimlich first aid method to give first aid.
The reporter learned during interviews that many Chinese students usually have the habit of biting pen caps, especially when they involuntarily pick up things in their mouths during class, and it is a part of the gel pen that almost suffocates the students.
The Shanghai Institute of Quality Supervision and Technical Inspection recently conducted a survey and sampling of student supplies with play functions and found that more than 50% of stationery products did not meet the standards and there were multiple safety risks. The survey samples found that in order to make the rubber softer and more flexible, some Chinese stationery manufacturers added hazardous substances phthalate plasticizers in the production process, which exceeded the limit by more than 350 times.
A senior engineer from the Shanghai Quality Supervision and Inspection Institute said that plasticizers may enter the human body through the mouth, nose, and skin. Long-term exposure of children to these products that exceed the standard may cause the development of the reproductive system and even precocious puberty. In addition, because accidents of students swallowing pen caps by mistake are becoming more and more common, the national standards for student supplies in China stipulate that pen caps with a diameter of less than 16mm should be perforated or have a ventilation area.
Gao Ye, the deputy chief physician of the emergency department of the First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University of China, said that once there is a foreign body in the airway and the thing falls into the airway, the biggest harm is to cause suffocation, which will threaten our lives. But if there is a small hole on the cap, it will not cause us to suffocate completely, and it will give us time for the rescue behind.
The Shanghai Institute of Quality Supervision, Technology and Inspection conducted market research on student supplies with play functions, sampling 148 batches of suspected non-compliant products. The sample purchase channels involved nearly 400 physical sales locations such as supermarkets, stationery stores, and wholesale markets. Prices range from 1 yuan to 263 yuan. The survey also conducted separate tests based on the national standards for student supplies and toy safety.
Tips on selecting stationery made in China:
- Look for formal and specialized manufacturers;
- The selected stationery should be marked with words such as “environmental protection and non-toxic”;
- Reject “fragrance”: the fragrance in the stationery comes from fragrance additives, and long-term exposure is harmful to health;
- The color of stationery should not be too bright: brightly colored stationery usually contains heavy metals, which will cause adverse effects on human organs, blood system and bones;
- The color of the paper should not be too white: paper that is too white can irritate and damage students’ eyes and cause visual fatigue and affect their eyesight;
- Choose odorless, thin, and well-printed pencil bags and schoolbags, and choose those with few metal accessories, shoulder strap widths greater than 5 cm, and light-weight bags;
- Look at the material of the book cover: The book cover should be made of PP material, and try to avoid using self-adhesive book cover film.
Source: Tencent News