On 21 December 2016, the European Committee forStandardisation (CEN) updates EN 71-12:2016 N-nitrosamines and N-nitrosatable substances,which will be transposed to standards of Member States before June 2017 at thelatest. By the time, the new version will supersede EN 71-12:2013 and cancelconflicting standards.

Major amendments in EN71-12:2016

1. Revise the definition for “finger paint” so that itis in line with that in the European Standard Finger paints - Requirements andtest methods;

2. Revise the definition of “elastomers” by citing thatfrom the ISO standard Plastics- Vocabulary

3. Allow the use of porous graphitic carbon (PGC)reversed phase (C18) high performance liquid chromatography (HLPC) columns asan additional option for analysis

4. Add a new extraction procedure for toys and partsthereof other than balloons

5. Include multiple reaction monitoring-transitions(MRM-transitions) for quantification and identification.

The scope falling under EN 71 part 12 include:

 toys and parts of toys made from elastomers andintended for use by children under 36 months;

 toys and parts of toys made from elastomers andintended to be placed in the mouth;

 finger paints for children under 36 months.

In the updated standard, the limits for N-nitrosaminesand N-nitrosatable substances remain unchanged. However, it details thecategories of toys made of elastomers with new limits. In general, morestringent requirements are posed for toys and parts of toys made fromelastomers and intended for use by children under 36 months.

See the table below for more details.

For more information,please visit:

https://standards.cen.eu/dyn/www/f?p=204:110:0::::FSP_PROJECT,FSP_ORG_ID:40180,6036&cs=1BAA786E123D8C784122CEB9E57104C56

SST Kindly remind childrenproducts enterprises, it is important for them to keep track of the latestregulatory requirements and make timely adjustment to their market strategy tostay competitive in the marketplace.