Chemical Toys Subject of New CEN Standard

The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) has published toy safety standard EN 71-5:2015 for chemical toys sets. Conflicting national standards shall be withdrawn by 31 March, 2016.

New Toy Safety Standard Recently Published

In mid-2013 the toy safety standard EN 71-5:2013 ‘Chemical toys (sets) other than experimental sets’ was published [1] by the Comité Europeén de Normalisation (CEN, European Committee for Standardization) and harmonized [2] for demonstrating presumption of conformity with the Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC (TSD) by publication in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU).

On 23 September, 2015, the new toy safety standard EN 71-5:2015 ‘Chemical toys (sets) other than experimental sets’ was published by CEN [3].  This new standard is now available on a commercial basis at the national standards organizations such as the British Standards Institution (BSI) [4].

Chemicals in Toys Targeted by Standard

The new standard EN 71-5:2015 has a number of important changes, including:

- The replacement of ‘Plastic molding sets’ with ‘Polystyrene granules sets’ as part of the scope (clause 1)
- The withdrawal of ‘Ceramic and vitreous enameling materials supplied in miniature workshop sets’ as part of the scope, and references to their test methods and requirements
- The withdrawal of ‘phthalic acid esters with straight-chain aliphatic (C6 upwards except C8) alcohols and mixtures of these esters’ (Table 1, clause 5.1) and rationale for ‘phthalates’ (Annex D)
- The replacement of ‘Petroleum fraction (60 to 140) C’ with ‘Petroleum fraction (35 to 160) C’, and ‘Petroleum fraction (135 to 210) C’ with ‘Hydrocarbons, C9-C16, hydrotreated, dearomatized’ (Table 11, clause 7.2.2.4)

According to CEN, this new standard is expected to be harmonized under the TSD upon official acceptance by the European Commission (EC) and by publication in the OJEU. Any conflicting national standards shall be withdrawn by 31 March, 2016 at the very latest.

Highlights of the new standard, including a comparison with the existing standard method EN 71-5:2013, are summarized in Table 1 (http://www.sgs.com/en/Our-Company/News-and-Media-Center/News-and-Press-Releases/2015/11/SafeGuardS-18315-CEN-Publishes-EN-71-for-Chemical-Toys-Sets-other-than-Experimental-Sets.aspx) of the latest Safeguards bulletin.

References:

[1] Safeguards Newsletter – CEN Published Revised EN 71-5:2013 for Chemical Toys (Sets) other than Experimental Sets – June 2013 (http://newsletter.sgs.com/eNewsletterPro/uploadedimages/000006/sgs-safeguards-11613-cen-publishes-revised-en-71-5-2013-for-chemical-toys-sets-other-than-experimental-sets-a4-en-13.pdf)

[2] Safeguards Newsletter – EU Harmonises Toy Chemical Safety Standards EN 71-3, EN 71-5 and EN 71-12 – July 2013 (http://newsletter.sgs.com/eNewsletterPro/uploadedimages/000006/sgs-safeguards-12313-eu-harmonises-toy-chemical-safety-standards-en-71-3-en-71-5-and-en-71-12-a4-en-13.pdf)

[3] European Committee for Standardization – CEN/TC 52 – Safety of toys – 23 September 2015 (http://standards.cen.eu/dyn/www/f?p=204:110:0::::FSP_PROJECT,FSP_ORG_ID:40179,6036&cs=1AB18E43C98EDF637186C1B3693B96357)

[4] BS EN 71-5:2015 Safety of toys. Chemical toys (sets) other than experimental sets – September 2015 (http://shop.bsigroup.com/ProductDetail/?pid=000000000030304766)

About SGS Testing Services for Juvenile Products

SGS offers a wide range of services to ensure that products comply with the EU Toy Safety Directive (http://www.sgs.com/en/Consumer-Goods-Retail/Toys-and-Juvenile-Products/Toys/EU-Toy-Safety-Directive.aspx). SGS offers training, safety/risk assessment, technical documentation checks, labeling review, testing according to harmonized standards, SVHC screening, inspections and audits. With the largest global network of toy experts and testing facilities around the world – around 20 toy labs worldwide including 4 EU Notified Bodies (France, UK, Germany and Netherlands), SGS is the partner to trust.

Please do not hesitate to contact an SGS expert for further information.

Contact details:

SGS Consumer Testing Services
Hing Wo Tsang
Global Toys and Juvenile Products Information and Innovation Manager
SGS Hong Kong Limited
Fanling, N.T., Hong Kong, China

t: +852 2774 7420
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