The European Parliament on Tuesday adopted new rules banning several harmful chemicals in toys to protect children’s health.
“With the new toy safety regulation, Europe is sending a clear signal: safety must not be left up to chance,” said Marion Walsmann, the German EU lawmaker who spearheaded the text.
The new rules set a four-and-a-half-year transition period to ban the sale in the EU of toys containing chemicals particularly harmful to children, such as endocrine disruptors, which interfere with the body’s hormone system.
They also ban the “intentional use” of “forever chemicals” — or PFAS — a family of synthetic chemicals that take an extremely long time to break down.
Chronic exposure to even low levels of the chemicals has been linked to liver damage, high cholesterol, reduced immune responses, low birth weights and several kinds of cancer.
Among others, the “most dangerous types of bisphenols” have also been banned.
Before being able to sell a toy, manufacturers will have to carry out safety checks on all potential hazards — chemical, physical, mechanical and electrical.
The new rules aim to reduce the number of unsafe toys through improved enforcement and customs controls.
According to an EU statement, “all toys must have a clearly visible digital product passport (DPP), showing compliance with the relevant safety rules”.
The statement said the new rules came amid a rise in online shopping — including from outside the EU — and the use of digital technologies.
“This regulation is a win for everyone: consumers, manufacturers and the future of our children,” Walsmann said.
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