ISO toughens toy safety for hazard-free and fun play

28-May-2010 - Switzerland

Millions of toys have been recalled around the world because of hazardous levels of lead or cadmium, choking hazards, dangerous magnets and other safety hazards. Two new standards in the ISO 8124 toy safety series aim to reduce the risk of a child being injured by unsafe equipment or dangerous substances.

"There is no question that ISO 8124 is a cornerstone of the global toy safety network," said Arnie Rubin, CEO of Funrise and President of the International Council of Toy Industries, in a recent interview in ISO's magazine, ISO Focus+. "Assuring the safety of children has been our industry's priority."

Published under the generic title, Safety of toys, the ISO 8124 series of standards are designed to minimize potential toy hazards arising from their use in intended play modes (normal use), as well as unintended play modes (reasonably foreseeable abuse).

Accident data together with risk analyses were the basis for improvements in a new version of ISO 8124-3:2010, Safety of toys – Part 3: Migration of certain elements. The improved standard is intended to minimize children's exposure to potentially toxic elements by reducing the risk of harm if toys are ingested. It gives the maximum acceptable levels of dangerous substances such as arsenic, cadmium, lead, mercury and other materials possibly found in toys. ISO 8124-3:2010 replaces the previous 1997 edition.

"Fears about toy and product safety have ran rampant in recent years, with far too many recalls of non-compliant kids' products" said Christian Wetterberg, Chair of the ISO technical committee responsible for the development of the standards. "ISO 8124 is a vital safety standard and its use can reduce the risk of harm, reduce access to a hazard and reduce the severity of an injury.

https://www.chemeurope.com/en/news/118229/iso-toughens-toy-safety-for-hazard-free-and-fun-play.html