NINE makes of toys available in Cyprus are unsafe and will be recalled from the market, the competition and consumer protection service of the Ministry of Commerce has said.
The ministry is in the process of notifying RAPEX, the European Commission’s rapid alert system for all dangerous consumer products
According to RAPEX’s annual report released on Thursday, the Cypriot authorities notified the RAPEX system of other ten cases during 2007.
The report said there had been a rise in the number of dangerous products that have been removed within the EU, rising by 53 percent in 2007.
“Toys were by far the most notified product category in 2007, confirming that child safety is a top-ranking priority for market surveillance priorities,” states the Annual RAPEX report. Most defected products were found to originate from China.
Motor vehicles, electrical goods and cosmetics also featured prominently in the RAPEX system.
The following toys are unsafe and will be recalled as they do not meet the EU requirements for child safety: ‘Baby Play Thing’, ‘Intelligence Toys’, ‘Mini Musical BB mobile’, ‘Funny Chick Musical BB Mobile’, ‘Toys Baby (No. 848), ‘Baby gift (No. 3126)’. They have all been found to be easily breakable causing a choking hazard and the recommended age that is stated on the package is misleading.
The Toy ‘Wagging Dino’ causes a straggling hazard. The last two toys that are considered unsafe are “Baby with Music & Movement’ and ‘Jungle King’ both causing choking hazard as well. All products mentioned are made in China.
“The people’s Republic China remains the country from which the highest number of products posing a serious risk was detected,” said the report. The EU imports about 80 per cent of all their toys from China.
The number of RAPEX notifications has risen steeply over the last few years and has more than tripled from 468 in 2004 (when a new product safety legislation came into force) to 1,605 in 2007.
The gap between the most frequently notifying countries and those with the lowest number of notifications significantly decreased last year, showing a more even participation in the RAPEX system amongst the countries involved.
The Ministry of Commerce has said all products thought to be unsafe must be reported to the ministry. This includes toys, electrical goods, personal products and food., The ministry will write a full report and if necessary report the product to RAPEX. Any faulty toys should be taken away immediately from children and the store that sold it informed.
