JavaScript is disabled. Please enable to continue!

Mobile search icon
Eurofins >> Consumer Product Testing >> Media Centre >> News >> Toys & Childcare | Monthly bulletin | April 2021

Toys & Childcare | Monthly bulletin | April 2021

Sidebar Image

Eurofins newsflash Toys and Hardlines

 

EUROPE

 

New requirements of EU Toy Safety Directive

 

On 20 and 21 May 2021, the two Commission Directives (EU) 2019/1922 and 2019/1929 will come into effect. The main points of these Directives are:

 

Commission Directive (EU) 2019/1922
(Applied in point 13 of part III of Annex II to Directive 2009/48/EC)

Effective date

Element

mg/kg
in dry, brittle, powder-like or pliable toy material

mg/kg
in liquid or sticky toy material

mg/kg
in scraped-off toy material

20/05/2021

Aluminium

2 250

560

28 130

 

Commission Directive (EU) 2019/1929
(Applied in Appendix C to Annex II to Directive 2009/48/EC)

Effective date

Substance

CAS No

Limit value

21/05/2021

Formaldehyde

50-00-0

1,5 mg/l (migration limit) in polymeric toy material
0,1 ml/m3 (emission limit) in resin-bonded wood toy material
30 mg/kg (content limit) in textile toy material
30 mg/kg (content limit) in leather toy material
30 mg/kg (content limit) in paper toy material
10 mg/kg (content limit) in water-based toy material’

 

New European regulatory framework for batteries

 

The European Commission released a proposal on 10 December 2020 related to the Batteries Directive (2006/66/EC). It was referred in Parliament and the Committee on Internal Market and Consumer Protection is currently examining it (early stages of legislative process).

 

The main points of the draft are to secure the sustainability and competitiveness of batteries. It would introduce mandatory requirements on sustainability (such as carbon footprint rules, minimum recycled content, performance and durability criteria), safety and labelling for the marketing and putting into service of batteries, and requirements for end-of-life management between other points.

 

The aim is to modernise the European regulatory framework for batteries and it is an integral part of the Green Deal, the EU’s new growth strategy.

 

For more information, visit the European Commission website here.

 

 

Standards updates

 

Please see the below table summarising the most recent standards updates and upcoming dates of withdrawal (non-exhaustive):

 

(*) Date of withdrawal: latest date by which national standards conflicting with an EN (and HD for CENELEC) have to be withdrawn.

 

CENELEC / CEN

Reference

Title

Date of Withdrawal (*)

Supersedes

EN 71-3:2019+A1:2021

Safety of toys - Part 3: Migration of certain elements

2021-10-31

 

 

 

FRANCE

 

Change the Green Dot to the “Triman” logo and Sorting Info in your packaging

 

On 15 March 2021, order N°450160, 450164 was published which requested that the obligation to remove the "Green Dot" does not apply to the French state until 1 January, 2022. This resulted in the suspension of the date of enforcement (previously 1 April 2021) on the implementation of penalties for confused logos related to waste as laid out in the Decree of 30th November 2020. This decision was taken because of the legal actions of several professional organisations which contended that this was an unjustified obstacle to the free movement of goods within the European Union.

 

There is thus no obligation to remove the Green Dot from packaging, unless the product is intended for another Member State of the European Union where it is mandatory, such as Spain or Cyprus.

 

For more information, visit the Adelphe website here (French only).

 

 

US

 

No Action Assurance for flame retardant PIP (3:1)

 

In March 2021, The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a 60-day public comment period to collect additional input on five final rules for persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic (PBT) chemicals issued on 6th January 2021 under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA).

 

On 8 March 2021, EPA is issuing a temporary 180-day “No Action Assurance” for prohibition of flame retardant PIP (3:1) because of received comments, for example from the electronics and electrical manufacturing industry. PIP (3:1) is used as a flame retardant and a plasticizer in plastic components such as PVC wire covers and casings which can be found such as in gaming consoles.

 

For more information, visit the EPA website here.

 

 

Proposal and addition of substances in California Proposition 65

 

On 19 March 2021, The California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) noticed the state of the following substances:

 

For more information, visit the OEHHA website here.

 

 

Recently CPSC publications

 

Please see below a summary list of recent the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) publications:

 

 

CANADA

 

Health Canada's Consumer Product Safety Program recent publications

 

On 22 February 2021, Health Canada published the updated Industry guide to the Glazed Ceramics and Glassware Regulations (GCGR). It is an unofficial summary of the safety requirements for glazed ceramic and glassware under the GCCR. Lead and Cadmium are very toxic and can cause serious health problems when ingested, especially to children. Even small amounts of lead can cause learning and behaviour problems in children.

 

The following test methodologies have been updated in April:

 

Type of methods

Title

Effective date

Chemistry

Determination of Total Lead and Cadmium in Plastic Consumer Products by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) (C02.3.1)

2021-02-22

Chemistry

Determination of Total Lead in Plastic Consumer Products by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) (C02.3.2)

2021-02-22

Mechanical

Sharp Edges (M00.2)

2020-12-07

Mechanical

Sharp Points (M00.3)

2021-01-15

Mechanical

Rattles (M05)

2021-02-12

Mechanical

Pacifiers and other Similar Consumer Products (M09)

2021-03-29

Mechanical

Bassinets (M12.3)

2021-01-26

Mechanical

Accessories and Stands (M12.4)

2021-03-12

Mechanical

Magnetic Toys (M18)

2021-02-04

Flammability

Combustion resistance of mattresses (F06)

2020-12-01

Flammability

Cellulose insulation (F08)

2020-11-30

 

CHINA

 

China publishes updated GB Standards

 

On 13 April, 2021, China National Standardization (SAC) approved, in the announcement Nº4 of 2021, the Issuance of the following recommended national standards:

 

No.

Standard No.

Standard Name

Superseded Standard

Implementation Date

1

GB/T 28004.1-2021

Diapers Part 1: Baby Diapers

Partial replacement:
GB/T 28004-2011

2022-05-01

2

GB/T 28022-2021

Guidelines for determining age applicable to toys

GB/T 28022-2011

2021-04-13

3

GB/T 40227-2021

Baby waist stool

 

2021-11-01

 

 

China publishes updated Standards

 

On 19 April 2021, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People's Republic of China published Announcement Nº 6 of 2021, in which 563 industry standards were approved. Among them were, 60 textile industry standards, and 112 chemical industry standards, as well as other standards from different industries.

 

 

INTERNATIONAL

 

Regulatory proposals notified to WTO

 

The table below summarises the most recent notifications made to the World Trade Organization (WTO) (non-exhaustive):

Notification number

Countries

Title

G/TBT/N/EGY/285

Egypt

The Ministerial Decree No. 609 /2020 gives the producers and importers a six-month transitional period to abide by the Egyptian standard ES 3123-7. This standard specifies requirements for the substances and materials used in finger paints and applies to finger paints only. Additional requirements are specified for markings, labelling and containers. It is worth mentioning that this standard adopts the technical content of EN 71-7:2014+A3:2020

G/TBT/N/EGY/286

Egypt

The Ministerial Decree No. 609 /2020 mandating the Egyptian Standard ES 3123-8 "Safety of toys - Part 8: Activity toys for domestic use".

G/TBT/N/EGY/287

Egypt

The Ministerial Decree No. 610 /2020 mandating the Egyptian Standard ES 7094 "Child use and care articles - Soothers for babies and young children - Safety requirements and test methods"

G/TBT/N/CHN/1564

China

National Standards of the P.R.C, General Safety Technical Specification for Infants and Children Paper Products

G/TBT/N/CHN/1576

China

National Standard of the P.R.C., Lithium Ion Cells and Batteries Used in Portable Electronic Equipments - Safety Technical Specification

G/TBT/N/CHN/1585

China

National Standard of the P.R.C., Safety Technical Specifications for Children's Footwear

G/TBT/N/KOR/961

Korea

A draft revision of safety verification criteria for Portable Laser Devices

G/TBT/N/KOR/944

Korea

A draft revision of safety criteria for children's product

 

 

PRODUCT RECALLS / ALERTS

 

Below you will find a monthly summary table of product recalls and alerts in Europe (Source “RAPEX” and “RASFF”) and in the US (Source “CPSC”)

 

 

Europe

 

RAPEX (European Commission Rapid Alert System for dangerous non-food products – Alerts reported by EU national authorities)

 

The following 29 alerts regarding Childcare articles, equipment and toys have been reported, from week 12 to week 15 of 2021.

 

Type of Risk

Number of alerts

Notes

Chemical

13

Stationery: It contains bisphenol A (measured value up to 1,02% by weight) and it does not comply with the REACH Regulation
Balloons: The amount of nitrosamines is too high. It does not comply with the Toy Safety Directive and EN 71-12.
Plastic toys: The toy contains bis (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP). It does not comply with the REACH Regulation.
Foam toys: The foam material in the product contains an excessive amount of the flame retardant tris(2-chloro-1-methylethyl) phosphate (TCPP).
Finger paints: It contains an excessive amount of n-nitrosodiethanolamine (NDELA).

Chemical, Environment

1

Battery-operated toy: The soldered joints of the toy contain an excessive amount of lead. It does not comply with the Directive 2011/65/EU (RoHS) and EN 62321-5.

Choking

6

Small parts. Does not comply with EN 71-1
Toy guitar: The strap of the toy guitar has no quick release mechanism. If worn around the neck, it could form a loop and become trapped, leading to strangulation. t does not comply with the Toy Safety Directive and EN 71-1.

Choking, Injuries

1

Train set: It has small parts and magnets that can detach from the toy and possess a high magnetic flux. It does not comply with the Toy Safety Directive and EN 71-1.
Expandable toy: the toy expands; it can cause fatal occlusion of the respiratory track or intestinal blockage of small children. It does not comply with the Toy Safety Directive and EN 71-1.

Damage to hearing

1

Educational toy: The sound level produced by the toy is too high. It does not comply with the Toy Safety Directive and EN 71-1.

Entrapment, Suffocation

1

Sleeping bag: There is an opening in the sleeping bag that allows the finger of the baby to penetrate. Furthermore, the top stop of the slide fastener at the neck opening is placed on the top instead of bottom of the product. It does not comply with the General Product Safety Directive and EN 16781:2018.

Injuries

1

Swing: it is not sufficiently resistant to load. It does not comply with the Toy Safety Directive and EN 71-8.

Other

1

Heart-shaped balloons: The sealed bag with liquid inside the gift contains a highly concentrated citric acid. It does not comply with the Toy Safety Directive and EN 71-4.

Strangulation

1

Bedside sleeper: The distance from the highest surface of the mattress to the top of the drop side is smaller than the required 120 mm. It does not comply with the General Product Safety Directive and EN 1130.

Suffocation

1

Sleeping bag: The top stop of the slide fastener at the arm opening is placed on the top instead of bottom of the product. Furthermore, the neck opening is too large in relation to the child height/age. It does not comply with the General Product Safety Directive and EN 16781:2018.

 

RASFF (European Commission Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed - Alerts reported by EU national authorities)

 

The following 4 alerts regarding Food Contact Materials related to children's tableware were reported from March 2021 to April 2021.

 

Product

Substance / Hazard

 

Bamboo cups

Migration of formaldehyde (18.0 mg/kg - ppm) and of melamine (5.2 mg/kg - ppm)

Details

Silicone cups for babies

Migration of volatile organic constituents (1.1 %)

Details

Plastic cups

Unauthorised use of bamboo in plastic cups

Details

Plates

Migration of formaldehyde (19.3 and 16.2 mg/kg - ppm) from melamine

Details

 

 

US

 

From 21 March 2021 to 20 April 2021, CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) published the following recalls: 2 recalls regarding Childcare and children’s products

 

Hazard

Number of alerts

Notes

Choking

1

Infant Teethers: The plastic wings can detach from the body of the teether.
Rattles: The abacus ring on the horses back can dislodge and release the small beads.