EU toy safety rules updated
New toy safety standards were approved today, updating 20-year-old rules in the wake of a series of scares last year which forced millions of toys off the shelves across Europe.
Alarms over removable toy parts which can be swallowed accidentally, and the continued use of lead paint in toys mostly made in China, triggered an EU-wide recall system and added pressure for tougher controls.
The rules approved today mean toys contained in food will be more strictly regulated and warnings on toys will have to be more visible and easy to understand.
The tougher laws, expected to be in force in a few months, also ban potentially-dangerous chemicals in toys, including lead, mercury and chromium - and anything which could cause cancer, change genetic information or harm reproduction.
Powerful magnets – the problem identified in some of the most recent safety recalls – will be outlawed.
And allergenic fragrances can only be used in toys if accompanied by clear warnings.
Conservative MEP Malcolm Harbour commented: “This legislation will significantly enhance toy safety for children without being overly restrictive and limiting the choice of good quality, safe toys.”
He said moves to oblige toy makers to submit toys for “third-party testing” had been fought off, avoiding unnecessary extra costs and red tape:
“UK manufacturers, many of them small businesses, who are already suffering because of the financial crisis, would have been subjected to substantial new costs had we not successfully fought off plans to force them into submitting toys for third party testing.
“Parents can feel assured that their children will be better protected by safer toys.”
Labour MEP Arlene McCarthy commented: “Our current toy safety law is 20 years old and does not deal with the new risks and threats.
“In particular it does not tackle the risks with imported toys, given that 95% of UK toys and 80% of toys EU-wide are imported from overseas countries such as China.”
She added: “After last year’s toy safety scares and recalls I demanded a review of the law to target toxic toy imports. We have achieved a radical review of toy safety law.”
“Importers will now have the responsibility to ensure toys they bring into the EU are safe and they cannot simply leave this to overseas manufacturers.”
EU Commissioner Gunter Verheugen said: “Children’s health and safety is precious and demands the highest possible protection. I am very pleased that the EU has been able to agree within record time on these robust and far reaching rules for safe toys.
“The new rules incorporate the newest health and safety standards – what legislators can do for children to be safe when playing with toys has been done.”
But European consumers’ group BEUC disagreed, arguing that the new rules failed to entirely remove many chemicals from toys and continued to allow allergenic fragrances, albeit accompanied by warnings.
The fact that most toys will not independent safety checking concerned BEUC too.
BEUC director-general Monique Goyens said: “This reflects more the interests of the toy industry than those of children. Given the remaining risks, in particular due to dangerous chemical substances, such as allergens, carcinogenic and hormonal disrupting chemicals, another revision will soon be necessary and unavoidable.”
