Design, craft, raw materials, is your toy qualified?

Text Intern Xu Bing

News origin

31 companies recall defective toy plastic inflatable toys toxic

Recently, the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine issued a notice to order the recall of 31 batches of defective toys, including baby carriages , remote control toys , educational toys and so on. The General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine said that this was in accordance with the investigation conducted by the "Regulations on the Management of Children's Toys " and found that the rabbit rabbit rattle toy produced by Ningbo Ailebao Baby Products Co., Ltd. and the "Daliufu" produced by Anhui Xiaoxiao Shentong Baby Carriage Co., Ltd. There are safety defects in products such as strollers, including mechanical strength that is not up to standard, sharp edges that can be touched, unqualified brakes, easy to fall off small parts, unaged age range, etc. Some toys have sharp edges and are easily scratched. Children, some small parts are easy to fall off or detachable so that children can swallow.

There is no such thing. Recently, high temperature and heat, many people choose to go to the pool to cool down. However, there are some safety hazards in this - some plastic inflatable toys suitable for playing in the water are poisonous. Investigators from the Consumer Protection Center in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, purchased 12 inflatable toys made of PVC on the Internet, ranging in price from expensive to cheap. After testing, half of the toys contained harmful substances to the human body. In the long run, these toxic substances may have adverse effects on the liver, kidneys and hormone balance, and may even cause cancer.

Core solution "poison"

Unreasonable design of the process does not conform to the standard

From "3·15" to the Quality Supervision Bureau, in recent years, "poisonous" toys have been repeatedly exposed. It is understood that poisonous toys refer to toys containing a variety of hazardous heavy metals or unsafe chemical additives, or a large number of heavy metals that meet Chinese standards and exceed EU standards.

Associate Professor Xu Rizhen from the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beijing University of Chemical Technology told reporters that some toys have safety defects, which lead to various safety hazards.

According to Xu Rizhen, this safety hazard is mainly caused by unreasonable product design or substandard manufacturing processes. "For example, if there are sharp edges, corners and protrusions on the parts, it will hurt the children's skin; the plastic parts of the toy such as plush toys , the nose pull force does not meet the requirements of national standards, and it is easy for children to pull off during play and cause accidental eating. The filling of the cloth toy is not disinfected, or there is a metal broken needle and other garbage in the middle, which may infect the disease or stab the child; the distance between the wheel of the power toy and the body is too large, which may hurt the child's finger; The rope, the belt is too long, causing the child to suffocate the neck and so on."

Production of raw materials containing heavy metals, plasticizers and other toxic substances

At the "3·15 party" of CCTV last year, the incident of garbage toys in Shantou, Guangdong was exposed. According to the investigation, medical waste such as plastic bottles, sealant bottles and even some infusion tubes have become the hot items of local recycling stations. Even more frightening is that these untreated medical waste eventually became a toy in the hands of children.

“The raw materials of toxic toys are often accompanied by toxic substances.” Xu Rizhen said that harmful heavy metals (lead, chromium, antimony, arsenic, antimony, copper and mercury) used in the production of raw materials or surface coatings for toys will exceed the national standards. Threatened. "For example, after mercury ingestion, it will sink directly into the liver, which will greatly damage the brain, nerves and vision; cadmium will cause high blood pressure, cause cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, destroy bones and liver and kidney, and cause kidney failure; lead is heavy metal pollution. A more toxic one, once it enters the human body, will be difficult to be excluded. It can directly harm human brain cells, especially the fetal nervous system, which can cause congenital mental retardation, etc. Some organic colorants may also produce some toxic organic substances. ."

In addition, the large use of plasticizers in toy production materials also threatens the safety of toys. "Plasticizers are substances that increase the plasticity of polymer systems. Phthalates in children's toys are the most commonly used plasticizers in commercial production."

According to Xu Rizhen, the EU has listed three phthalates, DEHP, DBP and BBP, in the chemical elimination list, but in China, there is currently no restriction on the content of phthalate plasticizers in toys. There are many potential chronic toxicities of phthalates. Researchers have shown that DEHP has estrogen-like effects, hepatotoxicity, and nephrotoxicity, which may cause cell metabolic disorders, cause cardiovascular disorders, and even cause cancer. For children who have been exposed to DEHP-containing plastic toys for a long time, DEHP may affect their physiological functions and hormone secretion, resulting in the feminization of boys and precocious puberty among girls.

Lack of additional instructions and safety advice

“The variety and function of toys have increased, and the use is more complicated than before. The complexity of toys will inevitably bring many problems in use. Manufacturers do not have relevant instructions and safety advice, and it is easy to cause accidents.” Say.

Some insiders have pointed out that for children's toys, China has begun to require 3C certification since 2005. After China enters the market, toys exported to foreign countries in accordance with WTO regulations, including home appliances and electronic products, must be compulsory. If they are not certified, they cannot be produced, and they must not be exported or sold. "But the current situation on the market is still quite confusing. Some uncertified toys are also being sold. Even certified products may not be produced according to the certification requirements, and the certification standards in the strict sense are not met."

It is understood that "three no" is no factory name, site, no contact. However, there are many products in the toy market that are “not many”. “The standard code is not available, the 3C certification mark is not available, the name of the material is not available, and the instructions for use are not available. The manufacturer cannot be found, and even the seller cannot find it. The products marked are very harmful to consumers."

Expert advice

Determine the safety of toys from color and smell

It is understood that about 80% of all plastic products are colored. Bright colors tend to attract children's attention, so in order to make toys more attractive colors, some manufacturers apply a large number of colorants to the production of plastic toys.

Some experts said that toys are not toxic and difficult to judge by visual inspection. From the perspective of consumers, color and smell can be seen. For example, the pungent smell of plastic toys may imply some harm. Believe in your nose when you buy, the strong pungent taste is likely to be evidence of harmful substances.

Xu Rizhen pointed out: "If the toys bought are very scented or the colors are abnormally bright, then they are more likely to have safety problems. For older children who are self-care, parents should let them develop. Good habits, wash your hands frequently, don't let the toys touch the mouth. For younger children, parents should pay more attention to the purchase of toys that are produced by regular manufacturers and have safety certification when purchasing toys."

Pay attention to the instructions and twelve signs

"Currently, the national toy safety standards parents should first check the toy instructions and logo on the toy packaging when purchasing toys." Xu Rizhen suggested that the manufacturer's name, site, trademark, age group, safety warning must be indicated at the time of purchase. Language, maintenance method, implementation standard number, product certificate, etc., involving 12 items. If you do not have these logos or logos are not complete, it is best not to buy.

"Secondly, check the description of the toy and see if the toy passes the safety test to ensure that the heavy metal content, plastic additive content and type of the toy meet the safety requirements. Finally, it is recommended to buy toys in the counters of the regular shopping malls to ensure the safety and reliability of the toys. Xu said.

According to the regulations of the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, baby carriages, electric toys , plastic toys, metal toys, catapult toys, doll toys, etc. are included in the compulsory product certification (CCC certification), and no compulsory product certification certificate has been obtained. The certification mark shall not be used in the factory, sold, imported or used in other business activities. If the products listed in the catalogue are not certified and are used for ex-factory, sales, import or use in other business activities, they may be fined 50,000 to 200,000 yuan. For toys marked with the 3C certification mark, if you want to check the authenticity, you can verify the details of the CCC certificate on the website of the National Certification and Accreditation Supervision Committee.