Children’s biggest summer craze, Loom Bands, are thought to be posing a cancer risk as some cheaper plastic varieties have been found to contain harmful chemicals. Rainbow Loom © is a plastic loom that is used to weave colorful bands into bracelets and charms. The original inventor, Cheong Choon Ng, from Michigan in US, is warning parents of counterfeit products that are ‘unsafe for children’ and have not been tested by either US, Japan or EU toy regulators.

The Assay Laboratory in the UK, who were asked by independent an toy dealer to test loom products found that many of them contained high levels of Phthalates which are ‘suspected carcinogens and are known to disturb the endocrine system in both humans and animals.’

The cheaper counterfeit looms may be sold unwittingly by many retailers around the country which has prompted a call for action by The National Consumer Agency who are in charge of monitoring dangerous products.

Loom bands also hit headlines recently with other stories pointing to their potential dangers to children, along with posing an environmental hazard and for some media calling for a ban.

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