Denmark has published a new Order for the use of phthalates in toys and childcare articles for young children. The new legislation became effective on July 1, 2020..
In 2009, Denmark published Order No. 855 of 05/09/2009 to restrict phthalates to no more than 0.05% in toys and childcare articles for children 0-3 years of age. That Order did not cover BBP, DBP, DEHP, DIDP, DINP and DNOP as these six phthalates were regulated under Community legislation.
In March 2018, the European Union (EU) published Regulation (EU) 2018/2005 to replace entry 51 to Annex XVII of Regulation (EC) 1907/2006 ‘Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (Annex XVII of REACH). That piece of legislation contains provisions to, among other things, restrict BBP, DBP, DEHP and DIBP in toys and childcare articles. From July 7, 2020, toys and childcare articles are obliged to comply with these four phthalates when they are placed on the EU market (SafeGuards 2/19).
In June 2020, the Danish Ministry of the Environment and Food published Order No. 947 of 20/06/2020 to restrict phthalates to no more than 0.05% in toys and childcare articles for children 0-3 years of age.
According to the definitions in the new Order:
- Toys are products that are designed and intended exclusively or in part to be used by children 0-3 years (0-36 months) during play
- Childcare articles are products that are intended or normally expected to be placed in the mouth by children aged 0-3 years (0-36 months), including soothers, jewelry and bathing equipment etc.
- Phthalates are esters of o-phthalic acid
The new Order became effective on July 1, 2020 and has repealed Order No. 855 of 05/09/2009.
Highlights of Order No. 947 of 20/06/2020 are summarized in Table 1.
| Order No. 947 of 20/06/2020 Order on the Prohibition of Phthalates in Toys and Childcare Articles | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Substance | Scope | Requirement | Effective Date |
| Phthalates1 | Toys and childcare articles for children 0-3 years old | ≤ 0.05% | July 1, 2020 |
1Phthalates/products falling under the following are exempt:
| |||
Table 1
Definitions
| Item | Abbreviation | Phthalate | CAS No |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BBP | Benzyl butyl phthalate | 85-68-7 |
| 2 | DBP | Di-n-butyl phthalate | 84-74-2 |
| 3 | DEHP | Bis-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate | 117-81-7 |
| 4 | DIBP | Diisobutyl phthalate | 84-69-5 |
| 5 | DIDP | Di-isodecyl phthalate | 26761-40-0 and 68515-49-1 |
| 6 | DINP | Di-isononyl phthalate | 28553-12-0 and 68515-48-0 |
| 7 | DNOP | Di-n-octyl phthalate | 117-84-0 |
SGS offers a wide range of services to ensure that your products comply with the EU Toy Safety Directive. We offer training, safety/risk assessment, technical documentation check, labelling review, testing according to harmonized standards, SVHC screening, inspections and audits. With the largest global network of toy experts and testing facilities around the world - around 20 toy labs worldwide including 3 EU Notified Bodies (France, Germany and Netherlands), SGS is the partner to trust. Please do not hesitate to contact us for further information or visit our website.
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