What is the Squeezy Dumpling, the viral toy being pulled from the market for being toxic

The national government is moving forward with the withdrawal of the Squeezy Dumpling, the viral toy shaped like a gyoza that has been reported to pose a "serious chemical risk" due to the presence of benzene at levels exceeding those permitted by Argentine regulations.

The measure was prompted by the Undersecretariat for Consumer Defense and Commercial Loyalty following a presentation made by the Argentine Chamber of the Toy Industry (CAIJ), which detected irregularities based on alerts issued in Europe and the United Kingdom.

The Squeezy Dumpling is a stress-relief toy made from soft plastic polymer, designed to be squeezed by hand and then return to its original shape.

Its appearance was one of the main reasons for its popularity: it resembles a gyoza, a typical dumpling from Asian cuisine, and is sold in packaging that mimics a small steamer basket used to serve this type of food.

In Argentina, the Squeezy Dumpling began to be marketed both through digital platforms and in physical stores across various provinces.

However, authorities detected that the product had issues related to consumer safety, prompting a process to withdraw it from the market.

The withdrawal is mainly due to the detection of benzene at concentrations above the permitted levels, a substance considered dangerous to health due to its toxic effects.

According to the Undersecretariat for Consumer Defense and Commercial Loyalty, the toy presents a serious chemical risk because the compound can enter the body even without being ingested.

Controls determined that the outer surface contained 20 milligrams of benzene per kilogram (mg/kg), while the limit established by regulations is 5 mg/kg.

The Argentine Chamber of the Toy Industry reported that the product had previously been withdrawn from the United Kingdom market following an alert issued by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) and that it also appeared in reports from the Safety Gate of the European Union (SR/02073/26).

Additionally, other safety violations were noted. According to the complaint filed by the CAIJ, the Squeezy Dumpling lacked the Conformity Mark, did not allow for the identification of the responsible importer, and did not include warnings in Spanish.

In light of this situation, national authorities initiated the procedure to withdraw the toy from the market and notified provincial officials to carry out the corresponding supervision tasks in stores and points of sale.

Matías Furió, president of the CAIJ, explained: **"A safe and legal toy must have three things: the details of the responsible importer (name, business name, and CUIT), all warnings written in Spanish, and the Conformity Mark, which is the QR code with the letters AR and two accents.

"If any of those three elements are missing, do not buy it. It doesn't matter if the toy looks nice, if it is viral on social media, or if the price is tempting: without that information, there is no one to hold accountable if something happens to your child," he added.

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