The white paper “2013 National Report on the Quality of Imported Toys,” released by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, indicates that China currently has nearly 223 million children and infants under the age of 14, accounting for 16.5% of the national population and forming a substantial consumer base for toys. Children’s affinity for toys is innate, which is why many parents regard them as the “first teachers” in nurturing their children’s intellectual development. In recent years, as living standards have continued to rise, toy consumption in China has maintained rapid growth.

 

At all times, toy safety should be the top priority, because children explore the world in ways that differ from adults. In addition to playing, looking, and listening, they also sniff toys and often put them in their mouths to chew or even bang them forcefully. Moreover, due to the sensitivity of their skin and a lack of awareness and weak self‑protection skills, children can suffer serious harm to their physical and mental health if they swallow, chew, lick, or inhale potentially hazardous parts or substances from toys. According to reports, China sees thousands of accidents each year in which children are injured or disabled as a result of toy safety issues or improper use, making toy safety a widespread public concern.

 

On December 30, 2005, the State Administration for Quality Supervision and Inspection and the Certification and Accreditation Administration of the People’s Republic of China issued the “Catalogue of Toy Products Subject to Compulsory Product Certification,” stipulating that, effective June 1, 2007, any toy products listed in the catalogue—namely children’s bicycles, electric toys, plastic toys, metal toys, projectile‑type toys, and doll toys—must obtain a compulsory product certification certificate and bear the China Compulsory Certification mark before they may be manufactured, sold, imported, or used in other business activities. Prior to being placed on the market, imported toys must undergo inspection in accordance with the “Inspection Procedures for Import and Export Toys,” with testing conducted by the inspection and quarantine authorities. This includes laboratory testing performed in compliance with the “National Technical Specifications for Toy Safety” or other relevant toy safety standards; only after passing such tests may the toys be released for sale. Below, experts from the Light Industry and Toy Laboratory of the Yiwu Inspection and Quarantine Bureau will explain the numerous hurdles that must be cleared to ensure compliance in toy testing.

 

Level 1: Mechanical and Physical Property Testing

 

Mechanical and physical performance testing assesses whether toys pose potential physical hazards under normal conditions of use and in foreseeable, reasonable misuse scenarios. Among cases of non‑compliant toys, failures related to mechanical and physical properties account for a significant proportion. Examples include non‑conforming small parts, non‑conforming small balls, packaging or plastic bags/films that are too thin, and, for toys intended for children aged 18 months or younger, cords that are excessively long or loops formed by ribbons or straps that are too large.

 

Testing of mechanical and physical properties is relatively straightforward, and there are many criteria that parents can assess themselves when selecting toys. For example, the small‑ball test stipulates that toys intended for children aged 36 months or younger must not be small balls or contain detachable small balls; for toys intended for children aged 36 months or older but under 96 months, if they are small balls or contain detachable small balls, or if small balls become detached after undergoing abuse testing, a warning label must be provided. When choosing a toy, parents can compare the toy’s small balls to table tennis balls: if the toy’s balls are smaller in diameter than table tennis balls, they clearly fall into the “small ball” category. Similarly, regarding cords and elastic cords, parents can measure the cord’s length or check whether any loops formed by the cord could easily slip around a child’s neck. These provisions are relatively simple, but other requirements—such as sound‑level limits and magnetic flux specifications—must be evaluated through professional laboratory testing.

 

Level 2: Combustion Performance Testing

 

Combustion performance testing evaluates the flammability of toys or materials under specified conditions, determining whether a toy is likely to ignite when exposed to a flame source and thereby pose a risk of burns to children. Such tests primarily apply to headgear toys, costume and stage‑wear items, toys that children can enter (such as play tents), and plush toys.

 

During the testing of combustion performance, toys or test specimens must be preconditioned for at least 7 hours under conditions of (20±5)°C temperature and (65±5)% relative humidity. Following preconditioning, the tests are conducted in a test chamber free of air currents, using either a comprehensive combustion tester or a surface combustion tester. The burning rate is calculated by measuring the burn length and burn time.

 

Level 3: Migratable Element Detection

 

Some toy manufacturers reduce costs by using recycled materials, such as reclaimed plastics, in the production process, resulting in excessive levels of migratable elements in their toys. These harmful substances can easily migrate into children’s bodies via saliva, sweat, and gastric juices, posing a serious health risk. Notably, compared with mechanical and physical hazards like sharp edges, these chemical risks are chronic, difficult to detect, and irreversible. Once absorbed, they may lead to symptoms such as weakened immunity, poor mental well‑being, memory impairment, anemia, and hair loss; in severe cases, they can even damage organs like the liver.

 

For the detection of migratable elements, during laboratory testing, the analyst samples and cuts the toy into small pieces, then adds a simulated gastric fluid—prepared as a 0.07 mol/L hydrochloric acid solution—at a volume 50 times the sample mass. The mixture is shaken at 37°C for 1 hour and allowed to stand for another hour. After filtration, an inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer is used to analyze heavy metal content. Finally, the concentration of migratable elements in the toy is calculated from the instrument data, and this value is compared with the limit specified in the National Technical Specification for Toy Safety to determine whether the test item meets the requirements.

 

Level 4: Plasticizer Testing

 

Phthalate ester plasticizers are primarily used in polyvinyl chloride (PVC) materials to transform rigid PVC into flexible, elastic plastics, thereby serving as plasticizers. They are widely employed in a variety of products, including toys, food-contact materials, medical blood bags, and tubing. Phthalate compounds can enter the body through inhalation, ingestion, and dermal contact, posing health risks and exhibiting carcinogenic, mutagenic, and reproductive toxic effects.

 

Due to the harmful effects of phthalates, the newly revised national toy safety standard GB 6675-2014, “Toy Safety,” has imposed restrictions on six common phthalates (DBP, BBP, DEHP, DNOP, DINP, and DIDP), with limit values equivalent to those currently in force in the European Union.

 

Currently, the recommended national standard for detecting phthalate ester plasticizers in toys and children’s products is GB/T 22048-2008, “Determination of Phthalate Esters in Poly(vinyl chloride) Plastics Used in Toys and Children’s Products.” During analysis, the sample is cut into small pieces and placed in a Soxhlet extractor, where it is extracted by reflux with dichloromethane. The extract is concentrated using a rotary evaporator, purified on a solid-phase extraction column, and then brought to volume before being analyzed by GC‑MS. Based on retention times and mass spectra, the various plasticizers are initially identified; their presence is confirmed by comparing the ion abundance ratios in the mass spectrum with those of reference standards. Quantification is ultimately performed using either the external standard method or the internal standard method.

 

Three Tips for Choosing Toys

 

As the nation’s material living standards continue to rise, more and more parents are choosing to purchase imported toys for their children, leading to a sharp increase in domestic demand. At the same time, with the growth of the internet and the logistics industry, cross-border online shopping for imported toys has become increasingly popular among parents. However, these imported toys may not have been specifically designed for the Chinese market, and they might lack any Chinese-language labeling.

 

The labeling of toy products is an essential component of the product’s instruction manual, and compliance with standardized toy labeling is one of the mandatory requirements under China’s national standards. Toy labeling serves as a critical reference for parents to make informed choices; proper labeling helps parents and children use toys correctly and safely, thereby preventing injuries caused by improper use.

 

Toys come in a wide variety, and the criteria for evaluating them differ as well. When choosing among the many types of toys, it’s essential to keep safety top of mind at all times—pay attention to “first, look,” “second, test,” and “third, smell.”

 

First, when purchasing children’s toys, consumers should carefully check the labels or tags on the packaging for information such as the manufacturer, recommended age group, safety warnings, applicable standards, and product certification. When selecting domestically produced toys, be sure to look for the national standard “GB” marking and the 3C certification logo. For imported toys, verify that they bear the 3C certification mark and a certificate of inspection and quarantine compliance. In addition, choose toys that are appropriate for the child’s age group.