A squishy toy has been urgently recalled after it was discovered it contains a toxic chemical that can cause cancer.

Squishy Dumplings became a viral craze with kids collecting the soft bao buns,always striving for the ultra-rare shiny versions.

But now the cute toys,manufactured in China,have been urgently recalled after they were found to present a ‘serious chemical risk’.

The outer layer of the smiling dumplings,sold by Samsons Cash and Carry,have been found to contain an excess concentration of benzene.

If inhaled,benzene can cause irritation to the eyes,nose and throat.

Sign up for all of the latest stories

Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.Exposure to large amounts may also cause a burning feeling throughout the digestive tract and skin irritation.Others bought the toys for a bizarre social media trend involving heating them in a microwave to ‘make them soft’.But one girl,10-year-old Bella,faces being scarred for life after her’s burst causing the hot liquid inside to land on her face.

What is benzene?

Benzene is a colourless,volatile liquid with a characteristic sweet odour. It’s used as a starting material for plastics,foams,dyes,detergents,solvents,and insecticides.Before its toxic nature was realised,benzene was previously used in cosmetics (for example aftershaves),domestic (cleaning) solvents and in the process of decaffeinating coffee.Its use in such consumer products or processes is no longer permitted.

How dangerous is benzene?

Short term exposure to benzene in air may cause irritation to the eyes nose and throat,cough,a hoarse voice and breathing difficulties.Exposure to larger amounts can cause swelling of the airways and a build-up of fluid in the lungs. Ingestion of benzene may cause a burning feeling throughout the digestive tract,nausea,vomiting and pain.Benzene is known to cause acute myeloid leukaemia/acute non-lymphocytic leukaemia and potentially other cancers in humans.The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified benzene as carcinogenic to humans (group 1).