[bizerl (OP)]

I think the subject summed it up.

Just wondering if there was any risk that harmful chemicals could be leeched into the bath water and therefore into a child who was playing with cheap plastic bath toys.

Someone is going to say it depends on the plastic and I have no idea what the toys are made of, some are a soft rubbery type thing and others are hard plasticcy type things.

Cheers.

[CliffordK]

It is true that vinyls and soft plastics may contain solvents called ...sorry, you cannot view external links. To see them, please REGISTER or LOGIN to make them more pliable.  You may wish to read about ...sorry, you cannot view external links. To see them, please REGISTER or LOGIN, the most common class of plasticizers. 

I would think that the transdermal absorption of the phthalates from bath water would be minimal.  Most sources indicate that small doses are not harmful, but some of the more recent studies are questioning that, and noting that children often have higher levels in their systems than adults.

Hard plastics would likely have fewer plasticizers than the soft plastics.

[Bored chemist]

Those plasticisers are scarcely soluble in water anyway.

[CliffordK]

They look like they would have a fairly high boiling point too.  However, could the hot water volatilize the plasticizers?