Toys are a common gift for children, but – as it turns out – not always safe. This is the conclusion of research conducted by employees of the Trade Inspection in Krakow. They checked over 100 toys. More than half of them did not meet standards and could pose a threat to children's health and life.
When fulfilling a child's dream, adults do not always make the right choice, because toys are not equal to toys. – The market is flooded with a lot of products from outside the European Union, which are of lower quality and tempting prices. There is awareness, but not always parents will buy what could be best for their child – admits Mr. Piotr Wójcicki, owner of the “Nic z Chin” toy store in Krakow.
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Employees of the Trade Inspection in Krakow examined 125 toys. More than half of them had construction defects and could pose a threat to the child's health and life.
– We are talking about exceeding the migration content of chemical elements, for example boron, or phthalates in the toy, we are talking about too strong an attractive force in magnetic toys, we are talking about small elements falling off that a child can choke on – says Magdalena Czop from the Provincial Inspectorate of Trade Inspection in Krakow.
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Dangerous stuffed goose
The hit of the last holiday – a plush goose – is on the list of dangerous ones. The toy is pleasant to the touch, but a child can easily pull out the filling and swallow it. However, there are many more such toys on the market – warn inspectors who checked the quality of children's products.
– From packaging, through unpacking and checking it from every side. Depending on what kind of toy it is or whether it's a stuffed animal, we check whether its eyes are falling off – explains Magdalena Czop. – Unfortunately, not all of them are of the right quality, it doesn't take much to bring someone joy and pleasure, but instead to cause a tragedy – says Krzysztof Jan Kleczar, voivode of Lesser Poland.
This is confirmed by emergency workers who receive such reports every year. – The child had a foreign body which we managed to remove, the parent was able to control the situation – says Paweł Nestarak, provincial coordinator of emergency medical services in Krakow.
Therefore, especially now, when a toy is the best Christmas gift for a child, it is worth checking carefully what and where we are buying. – Parents or friends buy for these little ones, then they can study each label, and as the child gets older, this quality fades into the background – notes Mr. Piotr Wójcicki.
Experts emphasize; quality means safety. – We recommend not to be guided by a low price, because a low price should actually be an alarm signal for us that if a toy is to be designed properly, made of substances that are not harmful to children, it cannot cost a few zlotys – points out Magdalena Czop .
– A safe toy is one that meets certain requirements and has markings that are necessary on the EU market, such a marking is the CE mark – points out Michał Młody from the mamabambam.pl toy store.
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What to pay attention to when purchasing?
The CE mark is a guarantee that the toy was manufactured in accordance with safety standards, i.e. it was checked for strength, structure and materials from which it was made. – Without the CE marking, we cannot be sure that the toy has passed the conformity assessment procedure and meets the requirements established for it – explains Magdalena Czop.
This is not the only information on the packaging that we should pay attention to. – The age of the child for whom this toy is intended is indicated, and information about the necessary certificates often appears – says Michał Młodych. – The key information for the consumer should be whether the manufacturer's or importer's details are provided. If we don't have this information, it means that someone would really like to hide from consumers – adds Magdalena Czop.
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From December 13, such data will be mandatory, primarily for products from outside the EU. New EU regulations are coming into force, which are also intended to ensure even greater safety for consumers in the toy industry. – Regulations of this type can largely clear the market of toys that may potentially pose a danger to children – says Michał Młodych.
If you have any reservations about the labeling or quality of products, you can report them to the Trade Inspection.
Main photo source: TVN24