Half of dangerous products recalled are toys and clothes

Toys and clothing account for more than half of nearly 2,500 dangerous consumer products recalled or withdrawn from sale across the EU last year.

Among those which were notified by Irish authorities were three different teething necklaces that caused a risk of choking on small beads that were easily broken from the cord, and one of them also posed a strangulation risk.

They were the subject of product recalls, as were five other products alerted to more than 30 countries in 2014 by the National Consumer Agency, which became part of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission last October.

Babies’ slippers made in Hong Kong, in the guise of Sesame Street’s Elmo and Cookie Monster, were recalled by Dunnes Stores last December because the eyes could be easily detached and put in a small child’s mouth.

Following advice from the National Consumer Agency, a girls’ cardigan was recalled by Primark, as its waist belt was too long and posed a risk of accidental entrapment.

It was made in China, as was a car seat adaptor found to be brittle at very low temperatures that could break or crack open upon impact. China remains the country or origin for most dangerous products in its alert system, accounting for 64% of notifications in 2013 and 2014.

“The European Commission collaborates closely with China through the ‘Rapid alert system-China’ application to ensure that the Chinese authorities tackle any product safety issues on the ground,” the commission said.

Overall, 28% of the products which posed threats to consumers and withdrawn from EU markets last year were toys, with clothing, textile, and fashion items making up a further 23%.

Electrical goods were the subject of 217 (9%) of notifications in 2014, followed by cars and childcare articles. The 2,435 non-food items deemed unsafe and notified by individual member states to 30 other countries in 2014 was 3% more than in 2013 which the commission said is a sign consumers are better protected.

However, European Consumer Organisation BEUC said a stalemate among EU governments that has delayed the passage of product safety and market surveillance laws, which were drafted in early 2013, is adding to the problems.

“This review is crucial in order to help safety supervisors cope with their important task of keeping faulty products off our shelves,” said BEUC director general Monique Goyens.

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