Updates Address Heavy Metals, Compositing, Bath Toy Projections and More

PR Newswire

WEST CONSHOHOCKEN, Pa., Dec. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — As part of its continuing efforts to proactively address potential toy safety issues, ASTM International Committee F15 on Consumer Products has approved revisions to ASTM F963, Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety. Changes made to the standard include revisions to the section on heavy metals, the introduction of compositing procedures, and new safety requirements and technical guidance for bath toy projections, acoustics and other potential safety hazards in toys.

ASTM F963, under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee F15.22 on Toy Safety, includes guidelines and test methods to prevent injuries from choking, sharp edges and other potential hazards. The standard is reviewed and updated on a regular basis by the subcommittee, which includes technical experts from academia, consumer groups, industry and government.

“These revisions build on the already comprehensive F963 standard by proactively addressing areas where potential risks or opportunities for harmonization have been identified,” says Joan Lawrence, F15.22 chairman and vice president, standards and government affairs for the Toy Industry Association (TIA).

Revisions now approved for F963 include the following:

• Heavy Metals — Limits for heavy metals in toy substrates have been added to the existing surface coating requirements. A soluble approach for determination of heavy elements in toys and toy components has been maintained as this has been demonstrated to be more closely correlated than total content with the amount of element which is bioavailable, and therefore with risk of toxicity.
• Compositing Procedure for Total Heavy Metal Analysis — Revisions outline detailed procedures for accomplishing this end by specifying the conditions under which compositing is allowable, when a composite result may be relied upon without further testing, and when testing of individual samples must subsequently be performed.
• Bath Toy Projections — Revisions are intended to address the potential hazards that may be presented by vertical, or nearly vertical, rigid projections on bath toys. This requirement is intended to minimize possible puncture or other hazards to the skin that might be caused if a child were to fall on a rigid projection.
• Among other revised areas of the standard are sections on jaw entrapment; toys with spherical ends; stability of ride on toys; requirements for squeeze toys attached to rings; use of cords, straps and elastics; packaging film; and yo-yo tether balls.

As part of the landmark Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008, the U.S. Congress endorsed both the F963 standard and the process under which it is developed and continually reviewed and revised. If the CPSC agrees that the revisions improve safety, ASTM F963-11 will replace the 2008 version of the standard as federal law in 180 days.  For more information about the CPSIA and compliance with this law, visit the CPSC Web site, www.cpsc.gov.

ASTM International standards are available for purchase from Customer Service (phone: 610-832-9585; service@astm.org) or at www.astm.org.

ASTM International welcomes and encourages participation in the development of its standards. ASTM’s open consensus process, using advanced Internet-based standards development tools, ensures worldwide access for all interested individuals. For more information on becoming an ASTM member, please contact Leonard Morrissey, ASTM International (phone: 610-832-9719; lmorriss@astm.org).

For technical Information, contact: Joan Lawrence, Toy Industry Association, New York, N.Y. (phone: 212-675-1141; safety@toyassociation.org).

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Established in 1898, ASTM International is one of the largest international standards development and delivery systems in the world. ASTM International meets the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles for the development of international standards: coherence, consensus, development dimension, effectiveness, impartiality, openness, relevance and transparency. ASTM standards are accepted and used in research and development, product testing, quality systems and commercial transactions around the globe.

View this release on the ASTM Web site at www.astmnewsroom.org.

ASTM PR Contact: Barbara Schindler, Phone: 610-832-9603; bschindl@astm.org

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2011  Jeff Gelles- Philadelphia Inquirer

Toys made with lead and phthalates continue to pose needless risks to U.S. children, according to the annual “Trouble in Toyland” report from U.S. PIRG.  Its findings are worth keeping in mind this holiday season as you shop or unwrap gifts for your kids  – especially for the babies and toddlers most as risk.

You can find the report here. U.S. PIRG says this year’s key findings include:

Lead Continues to be a Hazard in Toys

Exposure to lead can affect almost every organ and system in the human body, especially the central nervous system. Lead is especially harmful to the brains of young children and has no business in children’s products.

This year our investigators found 2 toys whose lead levels exceeded the current 300ppm standard set by the [Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act] and one additional toy that exceeded its prospective 100ppm standard; we found 4 additional toys that exceeded the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendation that lead levels in toys should not exceed 40ppm.

Phthalates in Toys

Numerous studies have documented the potential negative health effects of exposure to phthalates in the womb or in child development. U.S. EPA studies show the cumulative impact of different phthalates leads to an exponential increase in harms including premature delivery and reproductive defects. The CPSIA permanently banned toys containing three phthalates and set temporary limits on three others, while tests continue. No toy or childcare article can contain more than 1000ppm of each of the six phthalates.

This year, we found two toys that laboratory testing showed to contain 42,000 ppm and 77,000 ppm levels of phthalates. These products exceed limits allowed by the CPSIA by 42 and 77 times, respectively.

Choking Hazards

Choking on small toy parts, on small balls, on marbles and balloons continues to be the major cause of toy-related deaths and injuries. Between 1990 and 2010, over 200 children died from a choking incident.

This year we found several toys that violated CPSC’s small parts for toys standard intended for children less than 3 years old. We also found “near small part” toys that – while not in violation of current regulations – support our call for the small parts test to be made less permissive. Finally, we found toys intended for older children that failed to provide choking hazards warnings required for small parts or small balls.

Noisy Toys

Research has shown a third of Americans with hearing loss can attribute it in part to noise. The third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey showed one in five U.S. children will have some degree of hearing loss by the time they reach age 12; this may be in part due to many children using toys and other children’s products that emit loud sounds such as music players. The National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders advises that prolonged exposure to noise above 85 decibels will cause gradual hearing loss in any age range.

We found 1 toy on store shelves that exceeded the recommended continuous exposure to 85-decibel limit and 2 close-to-the-ear toys that exceeded the 65 decibel limit when measured with a digital sound level meter.

As often happens, the toys singled out by U.S. PIRG tend to be inexpensive – this year’s top price is $11.99 – and seemingly innocuous.  And it’s true that the annual report draws some criticism as alarmist, perhaps because of its perennial title.

This year is no exception. Even before U.S. PIRG released this year’s report, the Toy Industry Association was ready with a statement warning: “During the holiday season, consumers are frequently targeted by activists who take advantage of the high visibility of toys and the opportunities they offer for media coverage.”

The TIA says:

The reports of such organizations ignore that toys are highly regulated and do not contain hazardous substances to which children may be exposed. They ignore that the U.S. government consistently lists toys among the safest of 15 common consumer product categories in the home. And they ignore that less than half of one percent of the estimated three billion toys sold each year in the United States are recalled.

You can read the rest of TIA’s statement here, and the group’s own safety advice here. The organization is right to recommend that toy risks be understood in their context, but wrong to say flatly that toys “do not contain hazardous substances to which children may be exposed.”

Plainly, sometimes they do – if you have any doubts, look at the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s list of toy recalls, which includes the recall of lead-painted toy cars as recently as Sept. 28.  And take note of the math: Less than half of 1 percent sounds low, but the group could also say “fewer than 30 million toys.” (Actually, I’d be surprised if the number were anywhere near that high.)

More to the point, the relative rarity of problem toys, and their low prices and ordinariness, are sort of the point.

Yes, most toys sold in the United States are safe. But at least a few aren’t, and the results can be tragic.  Do you want someone you love needlessly exposed to choking hazards or to risky substances such as lead, phthalates or cadmium?

As always, “Trouble in Toyland” contains a wealth of information about real risks in the marketplace that are easily overlooked, including toys that violate legal standards or recommendations of authorities such as the American Academy of Pediatrics. The report may reflect the perspective of “activists,” but it’s also a good primer on the underlying policy debates over how to best limit risks imposed on consumers by the occasional manufacturer or importer who violates the rules or pushes the limits.

“Trouble in Toyland” is worth a look. Again, you can find it here.