EC Issues Q&A on 2009 “Toy Joint Action” Surveillance
The European Commission has issued a question and answer document on a 2009 European Union "Toy Joint Action" in which 13 countries1 conducted market surveillance to assess toy safety and gain and share enforcement experiences.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Export Compliance Daily combines U.S. export control news, foreign border import regulation and policy developments into a single daily information service that reliably informs its trade professional readers about important current issues affecting their operations.
Focus Was on Small Parts & Heavy Metals, Gaining XRF Experience, Etc
The main objectives of the joint action were to: (i) ensure that toys for children under 3 years of age placed on the EU market are safe with respect to small parts and heavy metals such as lead and cadmium; (ii) gather experience with best practice techniques in market surveillance, including undertaking joint testing, and promoting cooperation between market surveillance and customs authorities; and (iii) gain and share experience related to the use of X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) equipment for screening heavy metals in toys.
16,330 toys reviewed. During 2009, approximately 14,000 toys were inspected, focusing on possible (detachable) small parts, and approximately 2,300 toys were screened with hand-held XRF equipment for the presence of heavy metals.
Market & import inspections. Although most of the inspections were undertaken by market surveillance authorities, customs in some participating countries inspected a total of 160 shipments of imported toys.
Lab tests. Subsequently, 576 samples were tested in a laboratory against applicable mechanical requirements as laid down in the Toy Safety Directive and European Standard EN71-1, and 227 samples were tested against the heavy metal requirements as laid down in the Toy Safety Directive and European Standard EN71-3.
35% of Toys Failed for Small Parts, 7.5% for Heavy Metals
Of the 576 samples tested for small parts, 200 (35%) failed to comply with the relevant safety requirements, meaning that these non-compliant toys contained small parts that could cause choking. Of the 227 samples tested for heavy metal content, only 17 (7.5%) did not comply with the limits as laid down in the legislation.
Failing Toys Were From China (38%), Europe (36%), Unknown Origin (29%)
Most toys tested during the joint action came from China, as Chinese toys make up 85% of the EU market. However, the origin of the toys to be found unsafe was not significantly slanted toward China. Instead, the origin of failing toys was as follows: China - 38%, EU - 36%, unknown origin - 29%.
1Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Netherlands, Slovak Republic.
EC Q&A document (dated 04/15/10) available at http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=MEMO/10/129&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&guiLanguage=en