Commercial Information Circular

24-hour hotline : 23 922 922

e-mail address : enquiry@tid.gov.hk

Ref.: EIC 230/2/12

12 June 2017

Dear Sirs,

Commercial Information Circular No. 476/2017

European Union (EU)* : Amendments to Directive on the Safety of Toys

Further to Commercial Information Circular No. 467/2017 dated 8 June 2017, the European Commission has adopted a Directive to amend Appendix C to Annex II to Directive 2009/48/EC on the safety of toys regarding phenol. Details are set out in the Commission Directive (EU) 2017/774, which can be accessed through the following link:
http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32017L0774&from=EN

DETAILS

2.To ensure a high level protection of children against risks caused by chemical substances in toys, Directive 2009/48/EC establishes certain requirements with regard to chemical substances including the adoption of specific limit values for chemical used in toys. Currently, Directive 2009/48/EC contains only a content limit but not a migration limit for phenol. Now, it is adopted in Directive (EU) 2017/774 that phenol should be limited in toys to 5 mg/l (migration limit) when analysed in polymeric materials, and to a maximum concentration of 10 mg/kg (content limit) when analysed as a preservative. Analyses should be carried out in accordance with European standards EN 71-10:2005 and EN 71-11:2005.

3.Directive 2017/774 entered into force on 24 May 2017. Member States shall adopt and publish, by 4 November 2018 at the latest, the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive.

ENQUIRIES

4.For enquiries concerning the content of this circular, please contact the undersigned at 2398 5556.

Yours faithfully,

(Charles LO)
for Director-General of Trade and Industry

* The EU member countries are Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.