The French government has issued an official warning about Slime.
The warning comes from ANSES [Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l’alimentation, de l’environnement et du travail]. It bears the headline “Le Slime, une pâte très prisée mais pas sans risque.” Here’s a machine-translation of the first paragraph:
“ANSES and the DGCCRF alert consumers to the risks associated with the manufacture and handling of Slime. Slime, a sticky and elastic kneading paste, is currently popular with children and adolescents. It is commercially available in ready-to-use form or in kits. The Slime can also be made at home, to vary the appearance and texture (color, glitter …). Slime’s manufacturing tutorials are multiplying on the Internet and many recipes are proposed, based on constituents such as paper glue and laundry. Several cases of cutaneous involvement related to the manufacture and handling of “home” Slime have been reported to ANSES, by the poison control centers, the Revidal-Gerda dermato-allergology surveillance network and the AllergOS network. In this context, ANSES and the DGCCRF draw attention to the risks associated with contact with toxic products, diverted from their use, during the manufacture and then the handling of “home” Slime. Regarding the boxes sold in toy stores, they also call on users to respect the precautions for use kits.”
(Thanks to Marc Gozlan for bringing this to our attention.)