September 6, 2017, The European Commission has notified the WTO of a draft G/TBT/N/EU/504, which intends to amending the migration limit for chromium VI in scraped -off toy materials.

According to the amendment, the current EU toy directive will be replaced by articles below:

The amendment sets a limit value for chromium VI in scraped-off toy material. The current limit value (0,2 mg/kg) is based on a tolerable daily intake of 0,053 mg/kg of chromium VI per kg bodyweight per day proposed by the Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) of the California Environmental Protection Agency.

The European Committee for Standardization (CEN) is currently reviewing the test method in standard EN71-3 with regard to improving the detection of chromium VI. A revised test method is expected to be available soon allowing to reliable measure concentrations down to 0,0025 mg/kg. It would then be possible to strengthen further the limit value for chromium VI in scraped-off toy material.

Recently, the European Commission takes a rather actively movement on toy directive. In July, the commission proposed an amendment on the migration limit of Aluminum. Early before, in April the commission published the amendment on the migration limit of Lead.

C&K reminds, toys sold in the European Union market shall comply with the migration limits of 19 heavy metals. All this proposed amendment will enter into force since twenty days after officially published. Manufactures and trade enterprises should keep attention on the process of chromium VI amendment. C&K suggests that enterprises and should strengthen cooperation with third party testing laboratories, follow up the revision of laws and regulations, attach importance to product testing and avoid trade risks.

|Further Information: G/TBT/N/EU/504

|Our Services: Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC&EN 71