Industry Guide to Canadian Safety Requirements for Children's Toys and Related Products, 2006

Considerations and Recommendations

Although the Hazardous Products Act and the Hazardous Products (Toys) Regulations deal with many of the potential hazards associated with toys, the current legislation does not cover all hazards. Manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers should be aware that they may be legally responsible for injuries resulting from unregulated hazards. The following sections present potential hazards that have been identified, and Health Canada's recommendations to businesses regarding these hazards.

Latex Balloons

A number of deaths have resulted from children choking on uninflated latex balloons or fragments of broken latex balloons. In order to inform consumers of this hazard, businesses are urged to apply an appropriate warning such as the one which follows, in both official languages (English and French), to all packages of latex balloons.

WARNING!
CHOKING HAZARD - Children under 8 years can choke or suffocate on uninflated or broken balloons. Adult supervision required.

Keep uninflated balloons away from children. Discard broken balloons at once.

MISE EN GARDE!
DANGER D'ÉTOUFFEMENT - Les enfants de moins de 8 ans peuvent s'étouffer ou suffoquer avec des ballons non gonflés ou éclatés. La surveillance doit être assurée par un adulte.

Tenir les ballons non gonflés à l'écart des enfants. Jeter immédiatement les ballons éclatés.

Lead Risk Reduction Strategy for Consumer Products

As part of the Lead Risk Reduction Strategy for Consumer Products, Health Canada's Consumer Product Safety proposes to regulate the lead content of four categories of consumer products to which children are most likely to be exposed, including all toys. The proposed limit for all accessible parts of toys likely to be used by a child of less than three years of age is 90 mg/kg total lead. For all accessible parts of toys likely to be used by a child of three years of age and older, proposed limits of 600 mg/kg for total lead and 90 mg/kg for migratable lead are currently under study.

The total lead content in surface coating materials on toys and other children's products is already limited to 600 mg/kg; see "Prohibited Toys and Related Products" at the beginning of this guide.

Crayons and Chalk

A health hazard is present when children repeatedly chew and swallow crayons or chalk containing lead. Manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers should ensure that crayons and chalk contain no more than 90 mg/kg total lead, as per the proposed limit identified in the Lead Risk Reduction Strategy for Consumer Products.

Phthalates in Teethers and Rattles

In 1998, Health Canada conducted a risk assessment of children's teething products containing diisononyl phthalate (DINP), a plasticizer used to make vinyl soft. Based on the assessment, it was concluded that a potential health risk is present when children who are under a year in age suck or chew on soft vinyl products containing DINP for prolonged periods of time. Manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers should ensure that soft vinyl teethers, rattles and other buccal products for young children do not contain DINP. This guidance also applies to diethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), which yielded health and safety concerns in the mid-1980s and has been voluntarily phased out of use for buccal products by industry since that time. Content of less than 0.1% by weight, of either of these phthalates, is considered tolerable and indicative of no intentional addition of the plasticizer.

Crib Mobiles

Choking, strangulation and other serious hazards may be present if a child can access mobiles and similar products that are strictly intended for decoration or passive amusement and are suspended from a crib, playpen or similar product. Health Canada recommends that manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers ensure that such products carry a warning in both official languages (English and French). The warning should advise consumers to remove the product as soon as an infant begins pushing up on their hands and knees or is five months of age, whichever comes first.

Toy Storage Boxes and Bins

A toy storage box or bin with a heavy lid that can fall freely poses a severe hazard to a child. This type of toy box design should never be used. Alternatives include a toy box without a lid, or one with a hinged lid designed to stay open in any position and under force.

Ventilation requirements are defined for any toy that is large enough for a child to enter into and that can be closed by a lid or door, such as a toy box. As described in an earlier section, the Hazardous Products (Toys) Regulations require such products to have ventilation holes or openings of sufficient size on two or more sides in order to prevent suffocation. The ventilation holes should be located or constructed so that they are not easily blocked by walls, toys, a child or other objects. In keeping with this legislated requirement, plastic, rubber or similar air-tight storage bins that are large enough to enclose a child cannot be promoted for toy storage.

Toys with Cords

Cords or straps on toys in the form of loops or straight lengths pose a strangulation hazard. The hazard is present when a loop is large enough to fit over a child's head, or when a straight length of cord is long enough to wrap around a child's neck. Health Canada recommends that cords or straps on toys be avoided or of minimal length, especially for toys intended for young children.

Bean Bag Chairs

The small foam pellets or beads used as filling in bean bag chairs are easily inhaled by young children and they present a suffocation hazard. Health Canada recommends that these types of chairs have secure closures that do not allow young children to gain access to the pellets or beads.