CEN Publishes EN 71-4:2020 ‘Experimental Sets for Chemistry and Related Activities’

SafeGuardSToys and Juvenile ProductsJanuary 26, 2021

CEN has published EN 71-4:2020 for experimental sets for chemistry and related activities. Conflicting national standards are to be withdrawn by December 2021.

In December 2020, the European Committee for Standardization (Comité Européen de Normalisation, CEN) published EN 71-4:2020 ‘Experimental sets for chemistry and related activities’. This method defines the requirements for the maximum quantity or concentration of certain substances and mixtures that are used in experimental sets for chemistry and related activities, including crystal growing sets, carbon dioxide generating experimental sets and supplementary sets.

Highlights of several important changes in EN 71-4:2020 when compared to the 2013 version are summarized in Table 1.

EN 71-4:2020 ‘Experimental Sets for Chemistry and Related Activities
Section	Title	Highlights of changes
Clause 1	Scope	Clarifies that combined sets, e.g. a combination of a chemistry set and a crystal set are not within the scope
Clause 4.1.1	Inclusion in the chemistry set	Permits food additives and their mixtures (Regulation (EC) 1333/2008) to be supplied if pure food additives or mixtures are not classified as hazardous
Clause 4.1.2	Inclusion for experiments (as mentioned in the instructions but not supplied in the chemistry set)	Inclusion of starch and flour as examples of other non-hazardous substances or mixtures which may be suggested in instructions
Table 1	Maximum amounts of chemical substances and mixtures for chemistry sets and labeling	Entry for iron fillings/iron powder is separated into two distinct entries with each substance having its own set of pictogram and signal word Amends pictogram and/or signal word for 15 substances/mixtures other than iron fillings/iron powder mentioned above
Table 2	Maximum amounts and concentrations of indicators for chemistry sets and labeling	Completely new ‘GHS08’ pictogram and ‘Warning’ signal word for iodine (0.025 g/ml in an aqueous solution (0.025 g/ml) of potassium iodide)
Table 3	Maximum concentration of reagents not supplied with chemistry set and labeling	Revises pictogram to GHS05 for ammonia solution and hydrochloric acid, as well as changing the signal word to ‘Danger’ for the latter substance
Table 4	Maximum amounts of chemical substances for crystal growing sets and labeling	Revises pictogram and/or signal word for four substances – copper (II) sulfate, potassium hexacyanoferrate (III), sodium silicate and tartaric acid
Table 5	Maximum amounts of chemical substances for carbon dioxide generating experimental sets and labeling	Revises pictogram to GHS05 and signal word to ‘Danger’ for tartaric acid
Clause 5.2.4	Packaging and closures	The requirements on closures for child-resistant containers have been revised by permitting only closures in compliance with EN ISO 8317:2015
Clause 5.2.4.2	Crystal growing sets	Inclusion of potassium hexacyanoferrate (III) to the list of crystal growing substances that must be supplied in child-resistant containers in Table 4
Clause 5.5	Eye protection	Completely new requirement for eye protection to be provided with carbon dioxide generating experimental sets containing substances with ‘GHS05’ pictogram in Table 5
Clause 8.3.3	Carbon dioxide generating experimental sets	The safety rule phrase ‘Always wear eye protection’ must be given for such sets containing substances with pictogram GHS05 in Table 5
Annex A to EN 71-4:2013	Test methods for closures of reagent containers	Deleted
Annex A	Rationale	Expands former Annex B with rationales for 1) combined sets, 2) use of substances/mixtures not provided with a chemistry set and 3) marks, labeling and warnings

Table 1

According to EN 71-4:2020, this standard will be given the status of a national standard by June 2021 and conflicting national standards are to be withdrawn by December 2021 at the very latest. This standard is expected to be harmonized under Directive 2009/48/EC (Toy Safety Directive, TSD), upon official acceptance by the European Commission (EC) and by publication in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU).

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. We operate the world’s largest network of toy experts and testing facilities – around 20 toy laboratories worldwide, including 3 EU Notified Bodies (France, Germany and Netherlands). In the end, it’s only trusted because it’s tested. Contact us for more information or visit our website.

For enquiries, please contact:

Hingwo Tsang
Global Information and Innovation Manager
t: (+852) 2774 7420

^{© SGS Group Management SA - 2021 - All rights reserved - SGS is a registered trademark of SGS Group Management SA. This is a publication of SGS, except for 3rd parties’ contents submitted or licensed for use by SGS. SGS neither endorses nor disapproves said 3rd parties contents. This publication is intended to provide technical information and shall not be considered an exhaustive treatment of any subject treated. It is strictly educational and does not replace any legal requirements or applicable regulations. It is not intended to constitute consulting or professional advice. The information contained herein is provided “as is” and SGS does not warrant that it will be error-free or will meet any particular criteria of performance or quality. Do not quote or refer any information herein without SGS’s prior written consent.}