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Dangerous toys for children/ EU presents proposal to ban products with chemicals

2025-05-01 18:55:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Supported by most political forces, the EU institutions have presented a proposal to ban toxic chemicals from toys sold on European markets. These chemicals can pose significant health risks to children.

Dinosaurs, dolls or dragons, chemicals that pose risks to children's health and development will now be banned from toys sold in the European Union. The European Parliament and the Council reached a provisional agreement on stricter safety requirements for manufacturers and sellers, including those operating on online platforms. The ban will affect chemicals that can cause cancer, alter DNA or damage reproductive organs.

Dangerous products are almost everywhere in our daily lives. Most of them are found in cosmetics (36%), according to data provided by the European Commission. But surprisingly, toys are the second largest category of products found to be the most dangerous (15%), ahead of electrical appliances (10%). And the risks in toys were most often linked to chemicals.

One in five products flagged as dangerous and withdrawn from the EU market is a toy. That's why, before a toy is put on the market, manufacturers will now have to carry out a safety assessment covering all possible risks. And toys now need a digital product passport in the form of a QR code showing that they meet safety standards.

But even the best safety legislation cannot prevent bad actors from selling illegal toys, which is why Europol has issued guidelines on how to spot fake and dangerous toys: If the price is too good to be true, if the mandatory labels are missing, if the toy is sold in a transparent plastic bag instead of regular packaging or if the brand name or instructions contain spelling errors, then don't buy it!

With the revised rules, the European Union is giving children the safest toys possible. Children will be better protected from invisible dangers, such as harmful chemicals, including endocrine disruptors and PFAS, also known as "lifelong chemicals." And their parents will have access to all the information they need about every toy. /CNA