Eurofins | Newsflash - June 2018 | Toys & Childcare

Europe

New requirements for Chromium VI in toys

On 17^th May, the European Commission published Commission Directive (EU) 2018/725 amending point 13 of part III of Annex II to Directive 2009/48/EC on the safety of toys, as regards Chromium VI.

In this amendment, a more restrictive limit for Chromium VI in scraped-off toy materials has been included, replacing the current limit of 0.2 mg/kg:

Element	In dry, brittle, powder-like or pliable toy material	In liquid or sticky toy material	In scraped-off toy material
Chromium (VI)	0,02 mg/kg	0,005 mg/kg	0,053 mg/kg

Member States shall apply the provisions of this new Directive from 18 November 2019

Click here for getting the publication in the Official Journal of the European Union.

New standard version for Booster Seats

The new version of the standard ASTM F2640 - 18 - Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Booster Seats has been recently published by ASTM.

Some highlights of the new version, within others:

New performance requirements and updated test methods.
Updated labeling and marking requirements as well as instructional literature.

Canada

New “Consumer Products Containing Lead Regulations”

On 2^nd May, Canada authorities published the updated “Consumer Products Containing Lead Regulations (SOR/2018-83)” repealing the “Consumer Products Containing Lead (Contact with Mouth) Regulations (SOR/2010-273)”.

The new Regulations maintain the same lead limit as the previous ones but extend the scope of application.

These regulations apply to the following products:

Products that can be in contact with mouth during normal use (except kitchen utensils or product subject to the Glazed Ceramics and Glassware Regulations).
Products intended for use by a child under 14 years:

Any clothing or clothing accessory
Products that are intended for use in learning or play
Book or similar printed product (with some exceptions)

Products whose primary purpose is to facilitate the relaxation, sleep, hygiene, carrying or transportation of a child under four years of age.

Any accessible part (that may be touched, licked, mouthed or swallowed during foreseeable use of the product) of the above mentioned consumer products must not contain more than 90 mg/kg of lead (with some exceptions as described in Section 2 (2) of the Regulations).

The regulations would come into force on November 2^nd, 2018.

Canada

Children’s Jewellery Regulations Update

On 2^nd May, Canada authorities published “Children’s Jewellery Regulations: SOR/2018-82” in the Canada Gazette.

Compared to the previous version SOR/2016-168, the updated Children’s Jewellery Regulations include the following main amendments:

Children’s jewellery must not contain more than 90 mg/kg of lead (total content).
Add cadmium content requirement (130 mg/kg) for children’s jewellery if the jewellery item is a small part after a force of not more than 4.45 N is applied.

The regulations would come into force on November 2^nd, 2018. Click here for more information.

India

Concern about India new toy import policy

In 2017, the Indian Ministry of Commerce and Industry published Notification No. 26/2015-2020 about the new toy import policy which mandated imported toys to be in conformity with Indian Toy Safety Standards (IS 9873 series and IS 15644). Additionally, the notification required imported toys to be tested by a laboratory accredited by the Indian National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), while, previously, toys tested by laboratories accredited under ILAC MRA were accepted (based on ASTM, ISO, IS or EN standards).

After its notification to the World Trade Organization (WTO) by the end of last year, in April 2018, both the European Union and Hong Kong have sent their comments and opinions to WTO raising their concern regarding this new policy as per the increased testing burden (duplicate testing, costs) on toy producers that this policy involves.