In response to the phenomenon of children biting pencils, the reporter visited a number of kindergartens and primary schools. According to the teacher, in the process of using pencils, most children have the habit of biting pencils, especially boys. After listening to the teacher's lecture and drawing by themselves, they will unconsciously pick up pencils and stuff them in their mouths. Sometimes children will compare each other with "whose pencil bites badly" It is understood that for children who have just left their mother's arms, the dependence on breast milk can easily be transferred to the pencils they often use, which is especially common in the transition period from kindergarten to primary school. Faced with a bitten pencil, even some rubber heads and aluminum hoops are "poisoned", parents can't help but think how unsafe it is to eat so much, especially lead and rubber! So what are the potential hazards of biting a pencil? The reporter specially interviewed relevant experts and insiders.

"pencil mouth", oral cancer, the consequences of biting a pencil are worrying.

It is understood that many people mistakenly think that lead is the most harmful to children, but in fact, lead is made of graphite and clay. The biggest harm of biting a pencil comes from the paint on the surface of the pencil, and there are also hidden dangers in wood and adhesive. At present, the market is full of fancy stationery. In order to make pencils look gorgeous and cater to children's psychology, some manufacturers have printed cartoon images popular with children on pencils, and the paint contains harmful substances such as toluene. At present, most pencils sold in the market have a layer of paint on their surfaces, and the paint contains metallic lead. Moreover, the preservatives used by some manufacturers in the wood treatment process may also contain other metal toxins such as lead, mercury and arsenic, especially the inferior pencils produced by some unlicensed small workshops, which have higher lead content.

Lead poisoning is like an "invisible killer", which infringes on children's nervous function and also affects their intellectual development and vision. The clinical symptoms of this chronic poisoning process are not particularly obvious, and parents are not easy to find. In addition, children who bite pencils are prone to various oral cancers. When sharpened pencils are put into their mouths, they will inevitably puncture the oral mucosa, forming a vicious circle of ulcer-repair-healing-puncture-re-ulcer, and suffering from self-injury ulcer. Long-term recurrent self-injury ulcer is the main cause of oral cancer such as tongue cancer, lip cancer and jaw cancer in children. Chewing pencils often can also lead to irregular teeth arrangement, pencil-shaped gaps, and "abnormal teeth" caused by occlusal disorders.

Paint-free pencils are safer

Experts suggest that parents should immediately stop their children from biting pencils once they find out. On the other hand, changing children's habit of biting pencils cannot be completed overnight. I hope parents can choose pencils with simple design and safe and environmentally friendly materials for their children. It is reported that there are some log pencil styles on the market that need no paint at all. According to insiders, because there is no paint to cover up the defects of the pen body, the requirements for raw materials and manufacturing technology of this pencil are far greater than those of ordinary pencils, which are not manufactured by ordinary small factories. For students who unconsciously bite the tip of a pencil, there is an extra security guarantee, and parents can consider biased choice. It is reported that the Marco pencil, which first put forward the concept of "lead-free poison", has a "hidden lead core" treatment at the end of the pen in addition to the paint-free process to prevent students from biting the refill.

Lu Jing, director of China Light Industry Pencil Quality Supervision and Inspection Center, said that pencils are most commonly used by students, especially now that writing is getting younger and younger, and safety and quality are more important for juniors and even preschool children. Parents should guide their children how to use pencils correctly, pay attention to the behavior of children biting pencils, and beware of children biting pencils becoming a habit.