Toys are known for being "children's closest companions". However, most people are unaware that some toys have safety hazards that threaten the health and safety of our children. What are the key product quality challenges found in quality testing of children's toys? How can we avoid them?
Remove defects and guard children's safety
China is a manufacturing powerhouse. It sells toys and other products for children in more than 200 countries and regions. In the UK, 70% of the toys come from China, and in Europe, the number reaches up to 80% of the toys.
What can we do if we find a defect during the manufacturing phase of a design scheme? Since August 27, 2007, with the successive publication and implementation of the "Regulations on the Administration of Recalls of Children's Toys", "Regulations on the Administration of Recalls of Defective Daily Products", and "Interim Provisions on the Administration of Recalls of Consumer Products", the defective goods recall system has become more and more effective in safeguarding children's health, raising awareness of product safety and improving the way government departments manage product safety.
We see the same overseas. At this stage, many countries and regions in the world, such as the United Kingdom, Australia, the European Union, Japan, Canada, etc. have successively established recall systems for defective daily products. Every year, many defective daily products are recalled from the distribution industry so that customers can be protected from the potential harm caused by them.
Regarding this matter, "Whether it is China, the European Union, the United Kingdom or other capitalist countries, they all attach great importance to the protection of children, and the product quality management methods for children's toy products are very strict."
General hazards and suggestions for the inspections of children's toys
Unlike other daily products, the objective of toys for children is unique due to their physiological and individual characteristics, which are mainly manifested as the lack of self-protection abilities. Children's physiological characteristics are also different from adults': rapid growth and development, passion to explore new things and constant development of cognitive skills.
"Children's process of using a toy is actually a whole process of exploring and understanding the world. In many cases, it is not easy to follow the design scheme or usage of the toys in the same way an adult would. Therefore, their uniqueness must be considered during the design, production and manufacturing stages to avoid causing damage to children."
The key hazards in a general inspection of toys for children are the following:
1. Physical safety performance of machinery and equipment.
Mainly manifested as small parts, punctures/scratches, obstructions, coiling, squeezing, bouncing, falling/smashing, noise, magnets, etc.
After statistical analysis, it was discovered that in machinery and equipment the highest hazard was the damaged small parts that fell off easily, with a 30% to 40% rate.
What are the small falling parts? They can be buttons, pinballs, trinkets, small components and accessories. These small parts could easily be swallowed by children or stuffed into their nasal cavity after having fallen off, resulting in the risk of swallowing dirt or obstruction of the cavity. If the small part contains permanent magnet materials, once swallowed by mistake, the damage will continue further on.
In the past, European Union countries sent customer warnings to a well-known magnetic toys brand in China. Those toys contained small magnetic components or small balls. There was a risk of asphyxia resulting from children's accidental swallowing or inhalation of the small parts.
Regarding the physical safety of machinery and equipment, Huang Lina suggested that the manufacturing industry should carry out strict inspections on product quality during the manufacturing stage. In addition, factories should be especially careful when selecting raw materials, since some raw materials need to be treated in a specific manner during the production stages in order to avoid the "falling off" risk.
2. Ignition safety performance.
Many toys are composed of textile products. That is why the ignition safety performance of these products must be carried out.
One of the key deficiencies is an excessively fast ignition rate of components/products, resulting in the lack of sufficient time for children to escape the emergency. Another deficiency is an unstable PVC plastic film ignition rate, which easily produces a chemical liquid. Some other deficiencies occur if loose soft-filled toys ignite too fast, if there is an accumulation of bubbles in textile products, or organic chemical damage from ignition fumes.
In the whole process of product manufacturing, we should be aware of the selection of raw materials. We should also pay attention to the application of halogen-free flame retardants. Many companies deliberately add some halogen-free flame retardants in order to better meet the requirements of ignition safety performances. However, some of these retardants could cause organic chemical chronic damage, so be cautious with them!
3. Organic chemicals safety performance.
Organic chemical hazards are also one of the most common types of injuries caused by toys. The compounds in toys are very easily transferred to children's bodies due to saliva, sweat, etc., thereby harming their physical and mental health. Compared with physical injuries, the organic chemical damage from toys is a lot more difficult to perceive since it is progressively accumulating. However, the damage can be huge, ranging from a decline in the immunity system to poor mental and physical conditions and serious damage to the internal organs of the body.
The common chemical substances that cause organic chemical hazards and injuries include specific elements and specific analytical chemical substances, among others. Some of the most common specific elements that are transferred are arsenic, selenium, antimony, mercury, lead, cadmium, chromium and barium. Some specific analytical chemical substances are tackifiers, indoor formaldehyde, azo dyes (prohibited), BPA and halogen-free flame retardants, among others. Apart from those, other carcinogenic substances that cause allergies and genetic mutation must also be strictly supervised and controlled.
In response to this type of injury, manufacturing companies should pay special attention to the paint they apply, and the polymers and other raw materials they use. It is important to find the correct distributors for each raw material to avoid using non-toy raw materials during the production stages. Moreover, it is necessary to pay attention when purchasing spare parts and be really strict with avoiding the pollution of the manufacturing environment during the entire production process.
4. Electrical safety performance.
Recently, and following the upgrade of products and the use of new styles and technologies, electric toys have been warmly welcomed by parents and children, leading to an increase in electrical safety hazards.
The electrical safety hazards in children's toys are specifically manifested as overheated equipment and abnormal performance, insufficient compressive strength and impact toughness of household appliances, as well as structural defects. Potential electrical safety hazards can cause the following types of issues. The first one is toy overheating, where the temperature of the components of the toy and the surroundings are too elevated, which can lead to skin burns or ignition in a natural environment. The second is the insufficient compressive strength of household appliances, which leads to short-circuit failures, power failures, or even damage. The third is the insufficient impact toughness, which reduces the safety performance of the product. The last type are structural defects, such as a rechargeable battery connected backward, that might cause short-circuit failures or the rechargeable battery's falling off, among other issues.
Regarding this type of hazard, Huang Lina suggested that manufacturing companies carry out technical and professional electronic circuit safety design programs, as well as purchase electronic components that meet the standards to prevent possible harm to children.
It also involves labeling/marking, environmental sanitation and protection, and other challenges.
Post time: Aug-04-2021