Toy safety update go-ahead

A TOUGH new Europe-wide toy safety law, spearheaded by Euro-MP Arlene McCarthy, has been adopted by the European Parliament.

Ms McCarthy led negotiations to ban the use of certain toxins in toys, like lead and mercury, and include clearer warning labels on products.

Arlene said: “Our current toy safety law is 20-years-old and does not deal with the new risks and threats.

“In particular, it does not tackle the risks with imported toys given that 95 per cent of UK toys and 80 per cent of toys EU-wide are imported from overseas countries such as China.”

The new law came into force after Ms McCarthy demanded a review of the law to target toxic toy imports following last year’s toy safety scares.

Importers will now have the responsibility to ensure toys they bring into the EU are safe, rather than leaving this to overseas manufacturers.

Ms McCarthy said: “We have banned chemicals in toys which could cause cancer, mutate cells or be toxic to reproduction.

“We have banned all use of toxic elements such as lead, mercury and chromium in toy production and we have banned the use of most allergenic fragrances in toys.

“We want to give parents confidence in the toys on sale in the EU. Recalls like we saw last year get dangerous products off the shelf fast when dangers emerge but recalls must only ever be a last resort.

“Our new law is designed to ensure dangerous toys never make it on to the shop shelves.”

The Governments of the EU Member States have agreed to adopt the new law without further changes, enabling it to enter into EU law within months.