The Importance of Toy Safety Regulations.

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Do you ever wonder why with such strict safety regulations still many toys are being recalled due to safety hazards? Some of these faulty toys are only discovered months after being placed on the market.

Toy safety regulations.
Phtalates are used to make
plastic flexible

In some cases the injury or the death of a child is the reason for the recall of these toys. Any faulty or unsafe toys should be reported to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC ) or to the manufacturer of the toy.

If a manufacturer holds back information from CPSC about certain safety issues of a toy he may face a large fine or a forced recall of the hazardous toy. CPSC's mission is to protect consumers from unsafe products by informing the public of potential hazardous products or by issuing a recall of a product that is already out on the market.

In 2007 the worlds biggest toy company Mattel recalled millions of products. Toys like Barbie dolls, Polly pocket and Fisher price toys were removed. Lots of these toys were recalled because of the level of lead in the paint.

On August the 14th 2008 President George bush signed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act. Now all manufactures of baby toys must be able to provide a certificate that their product has been tested according to the new toy safety regulations of the CPSIA. Also after every change in design of the toy, re-testing is mandatory. For certain children's products the CPSIA also requires third party testing in laboratories approved by the commission.

Tests required by the Act include:

Flammability test
Mechanical and physical properties
Chemical requirements and heavy metal testing
Stuffed article regulations

Flammability testing

Lab testing of how textiles and children's products do respond to flame and heat under controlled conditions. They test how easily a product catches fire and how long it takes for the flame to spread. This rate of spread of flame may be crucial for a child to get away from the burning toy. Most hazardous toys and children's products are wigs, play tents, costumes, soft toys, blankets and sleep ware.

Mechanical and physical properties

Tests are done on all parts of a toy that a child can touch. There should be no sharp edges, no parts that can break easy, no small parts that can choke a child or pieces of string or rope long enough to strangle a child.

Chemical requirements

Toy safety regulations require testing for chemical substances in accessible parts of toys. Listed below the ones you may have heard of and their health concerns.

Chemical	Health concern	Found in
Lead	May lead to learning disabilities, behaviour problems and at high levels it can lead to coma and death.	Paints/coatings, textiles, glass and ink.
Mercury	Can cause blindness, kidney damage and mental retardation.	Thermometers, batteries
Phtalates	Can interfere with normal development of a fetus or child and harm reproductive system.	Childrens toys, pacifiers, certain cosmetics, paint, glue and lots of other products we use every day.
PAH (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons)	Has carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic properties	Paints, plastic rubber.
AZO dyes	Can cause allergens and cancer.	Textiles and leather.
DMF (Dimethyl Fumerate) to prevent mold build up.	Related to skin eczema and skin burns.	Textiles and furniture.
PFOA(Perfluorooctanoic acid.); used to make materials water and oil resistant.	Can result in developmental/reproductive toxicity, liver toxicity, and cancer.	Floor polish, paint and waterproof clothing.
Bisphenol A (BPA)	Possible harmful effects on the brain, behaviour, and prostate gland of infants and children.	Baby bottles, food storage boxes, plastic baby drinking cups, coating of food and infant formula cans.

Stuffed article regulations

Stuffed article stands for fabrics stuffed with materials like cotton, wool, foam, hair or feathers. This can be mattresses, pillows, comforters or stuffed baby toys. Stuffed articles should carry a label that informs the consumer about the fabric and the stuffing it is made of. The law requires testing of the stuffing material for harmful substances and chemicals and the strength of the fabric. A child should never have access to the stuffing material that could become a choking hazard.

There are over a hundred tests that are done to be able to deliver safe toys to children. The following video gives you an idea how rigorous toys are tested before they can be sold on the market.

Stricter federal toy safety regulations are having a positive effect and rebuild people's faith in the safety of toys. Toy recalls have dropped noticably since 2008 as you can see below.

Year	Toy recalls
2008	172
2009	50
2010	46
2011	34

Age class guidelines and warning labels

All toys should have labels clearly visible to the consumer with age recommendations and warnings with information on potential risks and hazards.

Toys should also come with clear instructions for use. Some toys are only meant for outdoor use and others require a parent's supervision.

What about China Manufacturers?

Nearly 80 % of all the toys in the USA are made in China. In 2007 there was a hugh recall on China produced toys. So since 2007 China has it's own Toy Safety Regulations. All manufacturers have to apply for the China Compulsory Certification ( CCC ). Still many parents have their doubts about toys imported from China and other Southeast Asian countries and prefer yo buy US and European made toys.