We told you this summer the news that a legislative proposal had been submitted to reinforce the safety of toys, modifying the current regulations, which is already 20 years old ...
Today, this reform has been deemed necessary after accounting for the withdrawal of 20,000,000 toys from China that were removed because the paint contained too much lead. Now it is intended prohibit lead paint, carcinogenic substances and that foods contain toys included inside.
Is the reform adequate or sufficient?
The issue that I found worrying is that European Toy Industries, an organization that represents companies such as Mattel, Hasbro or Hornby, says that reductions or withdrawals should be supported by scientific evidence that demonstrate that these products or substances can cause damage, when, in the case of chemicals and children, I believe that any precaution is little and that the opposite should prevail, that companies demonstrate that their products contain nothing harmful.
The truth is that if we think about the things we know today that cause cancer and that have happily spilled into the environment or added to everyday objects before demonstrating their safety, I start to tremble.
That is to say, now, apart from some specific restrictions, the products that are commercialized base the control of security in the good faith of the manufacturer, and still more when the products have not been manufactured in Europe and the controls in origin are much more lax. Let us take into account that 80% of the toys sold in the world come from factories in China and the regulations are very different in this area.
The role of companies
It must be said, anyway, that many withdrawals are made on the initiative of companies. I have found 50,000 units immobilized in Spain of the Bindeez game, distributed by Giochi Peziosi, 510,000 units of four Mattel products for containing excess lead and problems in the subjection of the pieces and Toys'r'us gave the warning of excess barium in the paint. It should be noted that so far this year in Europe almost 60,000 toy models have been removed.
What does the high number of withdrawals mean?
Reading such a large number can have two conclusions.. On the one hand, we can say that there are so many withdrawals because the controls work; but on the other hand it is worrying to think if the controls really detect all the problems, especially if they occur once the product is marketed and not before, to obtain its authorization, and that, basically, the existence of too high levels of toxic I could suggest that it would be, perhaps, better, to ban toxics and demand that toys circulating in Europe can only be made with clearly harmless and natural substances.
Unsafe toys create a justified alarm. I do not know if the measure to reduce the heavy metal limit and strengthen controls will be sufficient, especially with imported products.
Experts and business organizations, such as the Spanish Association of Toy Manufacturers (AEFJ), consider that the measures are sufficient and that: "analyzing each unit is not viable, as trade would be paralyzed."
How is the safety of a toy authorized?
First, companies have an obligation to pass an analysis to the toys, the EC test, which is mandatory for both toys manufactured in Europe and for imported ones. An authorized laboratory performs standardized tests on the toy and, if passed, receives the CE seal.
For the toys that are imported, it is customs that must control their access to European countries, but there are problems to control all imports. As I have found, those responsible for toy companies ask for greater customs control, both in terms of security and counterfeiting.
The third method of control is the random inspections carried out by the Administration in toy stores, to detect possible anomalies.
Are they enough measures? I do not know. I believe that there should be greater control and, in addition, inform parents very well so that we can pay attention and not buy objects that may seem unreliable.
In Spain, more than 20% of items removed due to insecurity are toys, but the main problems are the risk of suffocation or injury.
Any toy that we see that can be disassembled, the paint falls off or has small parts can be a risk and, especially with younger children, who suck everything and manipulate it, prevent them from playing with it.
I am of the opinion of extreme parents, precautions and opt for toys of recognized brands or those that are certified in addition to the CE seal with a clear exposure of the materials used, preferring for younger children those who They are made of natural materials.
The safety of toys It depends on many factors, but, ultimately, as consumers and parents, we should not let our guard down.
