According to the related export statistics from 2018 White Paper on Industrial Development of China Toy and Juvenile Products released by China Toy & Juvenile Products Association (CTJPA), China’s export of juvenile products still shows optimistic trend, with a total baby stroller export of US$3.755 billion in 2017, an increase of 15.4% from the prior year, of which Zhejiang, Guangdong and Jiangsu ranked the top three in the stroller export. The quality and safety of the widely concerned juvenile products never fade out from public attention. On the contrary, importing countries, in particular the European Union, are exerting increasingly stricter supervision on chemicals. Statistics show that from 2005 up to 25 April 2018, there have been 112 cases of chemical recalls related to juvenile products, mainly caused by cadmium, lead, azo dye, phthalate, PAH and flame retardant.
The recalls in EU juvenile product market are summarized as follows:
|
Item Year |
Cadmium (case) |
Lead (case) |
Azo dye (case) |
Phthalate (case) |
PAH (case) |
Flame retardant (case) |
| 2005-2018 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 81 | 1 | 8 |
Juvenile products to be exported to the EU need to comply with relevant regulatory requirements of EU, such as REACH and Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) to ensure that the chemicals and products made and placed in the EU market will not cause any harm to human health or environment. The EU regulatory requirements on cadmium, lead, azo dye, phthalate, PAH and flame retardant are as follows:
| Chemical item | Regulation | Harm | Applicable scope | Limit |
| Cadmium | REACH ANNEX XVII | Carcinogenic risk |
1.All plastic products 2.Paint 3.Coatings 4.Metal components of jewelries and headwear |
Oil-based paint: <0.01% |
| Surface coating: <0.1% | ||||
| Plastic: <0.01% | ||||
| Metal components of jewelries and headwear: <0.01% | ||||
| Lead | Lead is toxic and affects child development |
1.Products or contactable components that may be put in mouth by children in normal use or used under reasonably foreseeable conditions 2.Jewelry products |
The total content shall not exceed 500mg/kg | |
| Azo dye | Carcinogenic risk | Textiles and leather products that are in long-term direct contact with human skin or mouth. | The concentration of each of the 22 types of aromatic amines shall be no more than 30mg/kg | |
| Phthalate | Harmful to the reproductive system, leading to cancer and disrupting the endocrine system | Children’s toys and child care products | The sum of DEHP, DBP and BBP shall not exceed 1000ppm; the sum of DINP, DIDP and DNOP in the components that can be put in mouth shall not exceed 1000ppm. | |
| PAH | REACH ANNEX XVII | Carcinogenic risk |
1.Toys, including children’s sports equipment and child care products 2.Other products, including but not limited to: ● Sports equipment ● Household appliances and trolleys ● Household tools ● Apparels, shoes, gloves and sportswear ● Watchbands, wristbands, masks and headbands |
Toys and child care products: The content of each of the 8 types of PAH substance* shall be no more than 0.5mg/kg |
|
Products other than toys and child care products: The content of each of the 8 types of PAH substance* shall be no more than 1mg/kg |
||||
| Flame retardant | REACH ANNEX XVII | Damaging the liver, thyroid, reproductive system and nervous system and affecting the immune system |
Widely used on products as flame retardant or softener, such as:
1.Textiles, such as apparels, bags and suitcases 2.Electronic and electric products 3.Other items |
TRIS/TEPA/PBBs: forbidden |
| OctaBDE: <0.1% | ||||
| POPs | SCCP: <0.15% | |||
| TetraBDE/ PentaBDE/ HexaBDE/ HeptaBDE : <10mg/kg | ||||
| HexaBB: forbidden | ||||
| HBCDD: <100mg/kg |
REACH ANNEX XVII controls eight kinds of PAHs: Benzo[a]pyrene, Benzo[e]pyrene, Benzo[a]anthracene, Chrysene, Benzo[b]fluoranthene, Benzo[j]fluoranthene, Benzo[k]fluoranthene Benzo[k]fluoranthene, Dibenzo[a,h]anthracene.
About Intertek
Intertek is a leading Total Quality Assurance provider to industries worldwide. Our network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices and more than 100 countries, delivers innovative and bespoke Assurance, Testing, Inspection and Certification solutions for our customers’ operations and supply chains. Intertek Total Quality Assurance expertise, delivered consistently with precision, pace and passion, enabling our customers to power ahead safely.
