Greenpeace has released another study about the threats that electronic devices found in our household pose. This time, gaming consoles and the materials they are made from made the international organization raise some questions as to whether they are harmful or not.

The study was conducted in a Greenpeace research facility as well as two other labs. The results have shown that all three most popular devices, Nintendo’s Wii, Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3, are compliant with the European Union’s regulations for hazardous materials found in electronic devices. However, if we look at these devices as toys, the level of toxic materials is way above the one permitted by the law.

The chemicals that were discovered were bromine, a substance used to delay the spread of fire, phthalates, which are used to soften plastic, and beryllium. All these materials pose no threat to the people that are playing the game, and storing them in our houses is not dangerous. The people that could really suffer because of them are the ones that take care of the disassembly of the consoles, if the process is not done paying attention to safety issues.

Greenpeace shows concerns over the fact that the United States does not have any law preventing the exportation of waste, which often ends up in underdeveloped countries where people either do not have the resources, or the knowledge to dispose of them safely.

According to the organization, the three companies could eventually produce ‘greener’ devices if they look at what the other did. If they’ll take Wii’s beryllium free contacts, Xbox 360’s low bromine case and PS3’s bromine free circuit board, they would obtain a more environmental friendly device using technology that already exists.