Market Surveillance Agency of BiH and competent inspection bodies of the Federation of BiH, Republic of Srpska and Brčko District of BiH completed joint market surveillance focused on the presence of phthalates in toys and childcare articles.
According to the Decision on the
restriction of placing toys and childcare articles containing phthalates on the
market (Official Gazette of BiH, 04/10), phthalates DEHP, DBP and BBP are
prohibited in all toys and childcare articles (in concentrations greater than
0.1% by mass of plasticised material), while phthalates DINP, DIDP and DNOP are
prohibited in toys and childcare articles that can be placed in a child's mouth.
During the market surveillance, 32 samples of children's toys were taken from the market of BiH and tested
in the laboratory. Laboratory tests showed that 14 samples (44%) of toys contained
phthalates in a concentration greater than 0.1% by mass of plasticised
material, which does not comply with the
Decision on the restriction of placing toys and childcare articles containing
phthalates on the market.
In accordance with the results of the laboratory analysis, competent
inspections ordered the measures of withdrawal from the market and destruction
of the unsafe toys. In total, 1112 toys were withdrawn from the market of BiH and
destroyed. Surveillance activities focused on toys will be carried out continuously.