Some dumpling squish toys recalled over cancer-linked chemical in UK, not yet in US

Parents whose children have dumpling squish toys should check the products’ labels and packaging.

Tests in the United Kingdom found that knockoff versions of the popular “Mystery Squishy Dumplings,” branded as “Squeezy Dumplings,” contained benzene above the country’s legal limit, prompting recalls. No related recall or alert has been officially issued in the United States.

There is one significant problem: The toys in question cannot be traced to a specific manufacturer. The U.K. recall report says the toys had “No batch numbers or product identifiers provided on product or packaging.”

The Sun reported that the products were made in China, but that alone does not establish whether any Squeezy Dumplings, or other toys resembling Mystery Squishy Dumplings, sold elsewhere were made with “an illegal quantity of benzene” “in its outer layer.”

The toys come in containers designed to resemble bamboo dim sum steamers.

What is benzene?

According the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, long-term exposure to benzene can cause several health effects, including cancer.

“The (U.S.) Department of Health and Human Service has said that benzene causes cancer in humans. Long-term exposure to high levels of benzene in the air can cause leukemia, a blood-related cancer,” the CDC writes.

Along with cancer, here are the other effects of long-term benzene exposure, the CDC says, can cause: 

• Blood: "Long-term exposure, or exposure of a year or more, to benzene can affect the blood. Benzene causes harmful effects on bone marrow and can cause a decrease in red blood cells, leading to anemia. It can also cause excessive bleeding and affect the immune system, increasing the chance for infection."
• Bones: "Studies in animals show low birth weights, bones being formed late, and bone marrow damage when pregnant animals breathed benzene."
• Fertility: "Some women who breathed high levels of benzene for many months had irregular menstrual periods. Some women also had a decrease in the size of their ovaries. It is not known whether benzene exposure affects the developing fetus in pregnant women or fertility in men."

“Quantities of benzene contained in these Squeezy Dumplings toys were found to be 20mg per kilogram, far in excess of the 5mg per kilogram legal maximum in the UK.,” The Sun reported.

There is no evidence that the recalled U.K. batch, or products from the same manufacturing source, entered the United States. However, similar counterfeit toys could have reached the country through international wholesalers, online marketplaces or other importers.

Advice for American parents

The U.K. tests involved knockoff toys branded as “Squeezy Dumplings.” Although the toys were labeled as made in China, that does not mean other squishy dumpling toys made there contain benzene.

A low-cost squishy dumpling purchased at Dollar Tree, for example, may have been made in China but may not be contaminated. It remains unclear because investigators could not trace the products to a specific manufacturer.

The concern does not involve Mystery Squishy Dumplings, which are manufactured by RMS International. Nothing has been linked to that company’s products.

There is no confirmed evidence that the recalled products entered the United States, but officials have not ruled it out.

Concerned parents should look for:

• Packaging that says “Squeezy Dumplings” rather than the RMS-branded “Mystery Squishy Dumplings.”
• A package naming Samsons Cash and Carry Ltd. (The U.K. distributor of the Squeeze Dumplings.)
• No identifiable manufacturer, importer or distributor.
• No physical business address.
• No barcode, model number, batch number or lot code.
• Missing age guidance or choking-hazard warnings.
• No instructions for what to do if the toy leaks or breaks.
• Misspelled words, blurry printing or packaging that looks copied.
• A product sold loose without any original packaging.
• A price much lower than that charged by established toy retailers.
• A strong gasoline, paint, solvent or unusually sweet chemical odor.
• An oily surface, leaking seam or unexplained residue.
• A toy that splits or punctures unusually easily.

Several U.S. wholesalers currently list products under the name “Squeezy Dumplings” for resale to American businesses. A listing under that name does not establish that the products are the same as the recalled U.K. toys or that they contain elevated benzene levels.

The wholesalers include:

• Ace Distributors LLC based in Orlando, Florida.
• Speedy Distribution based in Sunrise, Florida.
• Dallas General Wholesale based in Dallas, Texas.
• Nimbus Imports based in Denver, Colorado.
• ANG Wholesale based in Griffith, Indiana. 
• 4 Aces Wholesale based in Bakersfield, California.
• Master Distributor Wholesale based in Lynnwood, Washington.

If any parents are looking to properly dispose of the toys or report anything they're suspicious of regarding the toys, they should contact the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission at 1-800-638-2772. And should the dumpling burst or leak the inner substance, parents can call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.