New Toy Safety Standard Published in Australia and New Zealand

Standards authorities in Australia and New
Zealand have published a new joint standard that specifies the maximum
acceptable limits for the migration of eight elements from toy materials and
components. The standard – AS/NZS ISO 8124.3:2021 – also includes methods for
sampling, extraction and determination.

Published in February 2021, the new
standard supersedes both previous standards – AS/NZS 8124.3:2012 and AS/NZS ISO
8124.3:2012 Amd 1:2016. Its migration values for the eight elements – antimony
(Sb), arsenic (As), barium (Ba), cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), lead (Pb), mercury
(Hg) and selenium (Se) – differ depending upon the type of toy material:

  • Toy
    materials other than modeling clay and finger paints
  • Modeling
    clay
  • Finger
    paints

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To see a full breakdown of the migration
values, see
SafeGuard 032/21.

The new standard contains several changes
from the previous standards. These include:

  • Separating the definitions
    for paper and paperboard:

    1. Paper: sheet formed by irregular intervened
      cellulose fibers with a mass per unit area of 400 g/m² or less. Laminated paper
      or paper with other treatments that may be resistant to wetting are not treated
      as paper
    2. Paperboard: includes card or cardboard materials,
      means sheet formed by irregular intervened cellulose fibers with a mass per
      unit area of more than 400 g/m², excluding pressed fiberboards such as medium
      density fiberboard (MDF), chipboard and materials with similar properties
  • Completely
    new definition for method blank, calibration blank, instrument detection limit
    and calibration check solution
  • Allowing dewaxing
    to be carried out using either soxhlet extractor or solvent extractor – both procedures
    according to ISO 824-6:2018
  • Completely
    new Annex C (informative) on methods for analysis of elements (former Annex C
    has been re-designated as Annex D with modifications in the new standard)

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Stakeholders should be aware the new
standard is identical to ISO 8124-3:2020.

SGS Toy & Juvenile Product Services

SGS offers a wide range of services to ensure that products comply with
relevant standards for childcare articles and children’s equipment. They
provide consulting, training, product development, testing, audit and
inspection services to ensure that products comply with strict regulations
worldwide, demonstrating the safety and quality of juvenile products being
brought to the market. After all, it’s only trusted because it’s tested.
Learn more about SGS’s Toy & Juvenile Product Services.

SGS SafeGuardS keep you up to date with the
latest news and developments in the consumer goods industry. Read the full Australia
and New Zealand Publish AS/NZS ISO 8124.3:2021 ‘Migration of Certain Elements’
SafeGuardS.

Subscribe here to receive SGS SafeGuardS direct to your inbox.

For further information contact:

Dr HingWo Tsang

Global Information and Innovation Manager

Tel: (+852) 2774 7420

Email: crs.media@sgs.com

Website: www.sgs.com/hardlines

LinkedIn: sgs-consumer-goods-&-retail

About SGS

SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verification, testing and
certification company. SGS is recognized as the global benchmark for quality
and integrity. With more than 89,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over
2,600 offices and laboratories around the world.

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