TUV Rheinland Recommends Consumers: Pay Attention on the Safety of Christmas Presents

HONG KONG, Dec. 6, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The approaching Christmas season means that another round of shopping frenzy is about to descend upon shopping malls. What standards are consumers relying on when faced with shelves full of children's products? Do they base their selections on looks, fun or cost? How many consumers also take the product's safety into account as well? The latest laboratory test results published by the Consumer Council of Hong Kong found that 7 out of 27 baby toys exceeded Western standards on plasticizer content. The most serious case was 370 times higher than the allowed limit. How can parents pick safe Christmas presents that they can trust their kids with?

Staying clear of toxic products

Consumers became more cautious about clothing and especially children's clothing after the "toxic clothing" scandal was exposed in the media last year. Parents now tend to pick lighter colors without excessive ornamentation when picking children and baby clothing. This does not guarantee 100% safety. However, apart from obvious features such as bright colors and a sharp smell, there are many hidden hazardous ingredients that are harder to discern. Chemicals to protect clothing against mold, smoothing and fluorescent agents for fabrics, as well as colorless and odorless azo dyes are for example added during the weaving process. These are not just hard to consumers to pick out. Even garment makers may have difficulty identifying them.

Toxic hazards exist in toys that children come into close contact with as well. With paint used for drawing for example, bright colors may have high lead/cadmium content; plastic toys will contain plasticizers and very soft toys may contain high levels of phthalate that interferes with the endocrine system.  Toy testing by TUV Rheinland Hong Kong, the world-leading provider of inspection, testing and certification services has found that plastic toys that contain 10 times more phthalate than the allowed limit are very common.

Pay attention to safety during use

Apart from the hazardous substance content of products, safety during use is also neglected. News reports of children being strangled by hat strings or choking on scattered toy parts are all too common. Toys that shine too brightly or make too much noise can damage children's sight and hearing as well. Improper use may turn batteries and motors included with toys into deadly weapons...

Some countries and regions have therefore introduced related regulations. Europe, America, Australia and Canada all have issued explicit requirements on the length of string allowed on children's clothing so children don't get tangled up or crushed during play. These types of compulsory requirements are still lacking locally. Manufacturers, retailers and parents must therefore pay more attention to this information.

Third-party certification

Even the most cautious parent will have difficulty identifying safe baby products. This requires professional expertise and testing equipment as well. The most simple and reliable method is therefore checking these products for safety certification.

Developed Western nations have not only issued a series of product safety standards but also require businesses to submit their products to an officially approved independent third-party lab for testing. The products must acquire required safety certification before they can be sold on the market. The European Union for example has issued the 2009/48/EC as well as EN71 and EN62115 standards for toy safety. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) of America sent a notice to the UN Secretariat early this year about CPSC's revising of tests for CPSC testing and labeling. A final rule was also issued imposing even stricter standards on sample products testing, test cycles and preservation of test logs.

These measures show that product safety certification is the most effective way to control product safety and generate strong sales. For example, some major children's brands sold in Europe not only feature the basic safety mark. They can now also apply for "Toy proof" certification from TUV Rheinland. These products are certified as Toy Proof by TUV Rheinland in order to highlight that the quality and safety of the products are unlike any others.  These officially approved certification agencies not only have a large amount of manpower and competence to test the products and inspect the factories, they can also regulate company production, improve product safety and reduce costs.

Expert recommendations

Compulsory certification for children's products is now well-developed but in Hong Kong is still in its infancy. Without a test mark, how can parents pick safe children's toys? TUV Rheinland Greater China's Director of Softlines Keith Kwok offered the following few pieces of advice:

1. Pick products with a brand or commercial reputation as much as possible. Large brands have their own quality management systems. A strict process exists for quality control. Past reviews conducted by TUV Rheinland showed that samples sent by large brand-name companies rarely have excessively high levels of hazardous substances.
2. Don't be obsessed with "original factory products." Some products are completely fake. Some are just NG products that have failed QC.
3. Most clothing contains formaldehyde. Businesses use it to keep clothing bright and wrinkle-free. It also protects clothing from turning moldy during long-distance transportation and while in stock. Formaldehyde can be detected so it's best to wear lightly colored clothing. It's best to pick lighter shades and wash the clothing once before wearing.
4. Remember the saying "poison goes into the mouth." Toxins are at their most dangerous when they are transferred via the mouth and into the human body. Toxins absorbed through the skin or general contact work more slowly and become saturated more slowly. Parents must remind children to wash their hands right away. Children must not be allowed to put objects like drawing pens, toys, decorations and jewelry into their mouths.
5. Children use coloring pigments and brushes are subjected to tighter safety requirements. It is recommended that only gives children the coloring pigments and brushes which are designed for them only.

Parents will hopefully enjoy picking a Christmas present. Pay attention product and usage safety so your precious children can stay clear of drugs on their way back and enjoy a merry Christmas together.