Items not regulated
The Technical Regulation of the Customs Union establishes common principles and rules for Belarus, Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation. The category ‘On the safety of toys’ contains a list of items not regarded as toys and therefore not regulated. This list is comprised of sports equipment including that used for underwater activities, firearm replicas, imitation jewelry for children, swimming equipment (e.g. inflatable arm floats) and protective equipment such as goggles, sunglasses and helmets. In the Toxic Metals in Children’s Products study, toxic substances were found in such products. It indicates a loophole in the present regulations which might result in children using products with toxic substances. This is alarming and further highlights the need for current regulations to be reconsidered and revised. More fundamentally, the region needs a clear, easily enforced regulatory process for toxic metals in children’s products. The total concentration method used for soil or lead in paint could be a model for an updated regulatory process, which would require limits for concentrations of toxic substances to be chosen.
Year: 2013
From collection: Toxic metals in children’s products: an insight into the market in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia
Cartographer: GRID-Arendal