The Food and Drug Administration has warned the public against buying and using “unnotified” lato-lato or clacker toys, particularly the one with lights and the glow-in-the-dark varieties, as these can contain harmful materials.
“Potential hazards may come from ingredients that are not allowed to be part of a toy and childcare article product,” the FDA said in its advisory.
“The use of substandard and possibly adulterated toy and childcare article product may result to health risks including, but not limited to, endocrine disruption and reproductive or development effects; or may result to injury, choking or suffocation due to its small or broken parts,” it added.
The FDA told the public to always check if a product is notified through its website: https://verification.fda.gov.ph.
“Since the unnotified toy and childcare article product has not gone through the notification process of the FDA, the agency cannot assure their quality and safety. The use of such violative product may pose health risks to consumers.”
“All concerned establishments are warned not to distribute violative toy and childcare article product until they have fully complied with the rules and regulation of the FDA,” the agency added.
Lato-lato, also known as “clackers,” is composed of two plastic balls suspended on a single string which make a loud clacking sound when swung up and down.