Strict market access and a classification system will be
introduced to Beijing's toy market in an attempt to keep unsafe and
potentially life-threatening products out of the hands of children.
The new requirements are scheduled to be applied in all of the
city's toy markets before October 1, when a national compulsory
safety requirement for toys will go into effect, according to the
Beijing Youth Daily.
The industry and commerce authority started experimenting with
the system over the weekend at Hongqiao's Tianle Market, Beijing's
biggest toy market.
"We will record information about all of the toys available at
the Tianle Market, especially the toys for children below three
years of age," said Bao Wenjun, director of the Hongqiao Industry
and Commerce Office in Beijing's Chongwen District.
Bao is responsible for inspecting the Tianle Market. "Some toys
used when getting kids to sleep, plastic jigsaw puzzles and painted
toy blocks, which are not suitable for babies, topped the agenda
for supervision," he said.
Bao said it would be forbidden to sell such toys.
"Toy safety is no less important than food safety when it comes
to children," Bao said.
Under the National Technical Safety Requirements for Toys, which
will come into effect in October, toys will be classified according
to their suitability for children of different ages. Warning
notices will be attached.
Special safety requirements for small components will be added
for toys used by children under three years of age, who often put
items in their mouths. Small components could cause choking.
A parental supervision notice will also be required for model
vehicles or aircraft that are powered by batteries.
Meanwhile, all materials used to make toys will have to pass
inspections. The existing regulation only requires heavy metal
content inspections. If any material, including metal, paint, wood
or plastic, fails to meet national standards, the toy may not be
sold.
According to an inspection conducted by the General
Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine in
March, 25 percent of the 139 different categories of toys were not
up to scratch. Eleven products had small components that could
easily detach. Most of the toys had no information regarding use,
age group recommendations or safety warnings. Plastic bags used on
three products were found to be dangerous.
Inspections conducted by local authorities sometimes showed even
worse results. Almost half of the toys sold in Xi'an, provincial
capital of northwest China's Shaanxi
Province, failed to meet national standards.
(China Daily May 31, 2004)