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PDF of this file Fact sheet for Australian toy importers and traders

A fact sheet for Australian toy importers and traders

By Ellie Li and Elizabeth O’Brien, Global Lead Advice & Support Service (GLASS), Australia, written for the Toy Fair, Melbourne 21st & 22nd March 2009; updated by Martin Bagnall 1st April 2011

  • I don’t want to poison Aussie kids with heavy metals in toys”    AGREE    DISAGREE

  • I don’t want to pay a million dollar fine if ACCC happens to buy my toys off the shelf in 2010 and they fail the toy tox tests at NMI”     AGREE    DISAGREE

EOB & StormtrooperToy Fair 2009
Photo by Michael Nayda, Thermo Scientific.

If you AGREE with both the above statements, then this factsheet is for you! It was created for distribution by Elizabeth O’Brien (pictured wearing “Shut the Door on Lead Poisoning” t-shirt, alongside Star Wars Stormtrooper) stand on Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd March 2009, at the Australian Toy Hobby and Nursery Fair in Melbourne, run by the Australian Toy Association (ATA).

The ATA’s Exhibitor Bulletin, Day 3 - Sunday 22nd March 2009, noted:

“Yesterday you would have received an ACCC Product safety bulletin [March 2009]. One of the articles therein referred to lead in children’s toys and the new mandatory standard effective from 1 January 2010.

“Today international lead expert Elizabeth O’Brien of The LEAD Group will be at the Thermo Scientific stand (i17) to answer all your queries about lead. A free toy ‘tox’ screen will also be available.”

WHAT TO DO IF YOUR TOYS FAIL THE XRF TEST

How can I be sure about the concentration of leachable heavy metals in my toys?

XRF technology is a rapid and convenient tool that enables instant detection of all the 8 heavy metals in the Australian Toy Standard AS/NZS ISO 8124.3:2003, allowing many toys to be tested compared to the time and cost that a lab would take to test toys.

Savings are significant in both time and money, as XRF identifies only those toys that need be referred to the lab for tox tests.

XRF identifies the “total amount” of presence of heavy metals in a toy sample, which is not the same as the leachable, or migratory properties of a heavy metal.

For example; if a toy, or toy component, screened using XRF is identified as high in “total amount” of a heavy metal(s), then you will need to send it to a qualified laboratory for the toy tox test for that particular heavy metal. This will determine exactly how much of the metal leaches(migratory properties) from the toy and whether it exceeds the Australian Toy Standard.

In other words, a toy can fail the XRF test but pass the lab test, so confirmatory lab testing is essential on those toys/parts that fail the XRF test.

XRF technology is widely used and accepted by Australian state and federal government regulators, as a means of rapid screening for the identification of the presence of heavy metals in toys.

Once a toy has been identified by XRF technology as high in a heavy metal and in order to fully comply with Australian standards, ACCC (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) stipulates that toy testing can be done at any suitably qualified laboratory. This can be either through a lab that is NATA (National Association of Testing Authorities)-accredited for the particular test, or a lab that is NATA-accredited for related tests and which offers toy testing according to the toy standard methodology. The following is a list of relevant lab contacts for your information.

If your toys are in Australia, XRF testing services are conducted by;

  SamplingTech_Logo                                       Sampling Technologies Pty Ltd

www.sampletech.com.au

Contact: Mr Martin Bagnall

PH: 1800 453 394

FX: 03 8668 1303

Email: info@sampletech.com.au

PO Box 1178, Kensington,

Victoria, 3031

Sampling Technologies service is a portable service, providing testing on site with trained staff and XRF equipment at any facility around Australia and New Zealand.

For toy tox test labs in Australia, visit www.nata.asn.au - eg:

1. National Measurement Institute (NMI) www.measurement.gov.au

Contact: Ms Emma Tiberi

Phone: (03) 9644 4888, Fax:(03) 9644 4999

  Mobile: 0413 947 990

  1/153 Bertie Street

PORT MELBOURNE VIC 3207

Facilities: Public testing service ACCREDITED by NATA for Analysis of toys

Analysis by ICP- AES techniques by the methods of - AS/NZS ISO 8124.3 for the following determinations - soluble elements: Antimony; arsenic; barium; cadmium; chromium; lead; mercury; selenium.

2. Sydney West Area Health Service

DAL Public Health

Contact: Mr R Angulo

Phone:(02) 9646 0222

Division of Analytical Laboratories

  Joseph Street and  Weeroona Road

LIDCOMBE NSW 2141

Facilities: Conditionally available for public testing

ACCREDITED by NATA for Analysis of paint from children's toys and from buildings; Analysis by  AAS (flame) techniques by in-house method TM118B; for Lead.

3. Sydney Analytical Laboratories Pty Ltd, Watertest

Contact: Mr L Smith

Phone:(02) 9838 8903

Sydney Chemical Testing Laboratory

1/4 Abbott Road

SEVEN HILLS NSW 2147

Facilities: Public testing service

ACCREDITED by NATA for Paints and related surface coatings; Chemical tests: Analysis of paint scrapings; Analysis by  AAS techniques by in-house method A8; for Lead.

If your toys are still at the factory overseas, you can organise testing in one of the SGS labs overseas,  accredited for the toy tox test, by contacting:

Nathan Temple
SGS Australia Pty Ltd

  480 Princes Highway, Noble Park, VIC 3174, Australia

Phone: (03) 9790-3479. Fax: (03) 9701-0988

Mobile: 0410-505-381

Email: nathan.temple@sgs.com

Website: www.au.sgs.com/

Eg, CNAS’s (China National Accreditation Service for Conformity Assessment) Directory of Accredited Laboratories at http://219.238.178.49/AccSearchEN.asp?Class=L lists:

SGS-CSTC Standards Technical Services Co., Ltd. Shenzhen Branch Toys Lab, Futian District, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China; ACCREDITED by CNAS for AS/NZS ISO8124.3:2003; ISO8124-3: 1997; GB 6675-2003 clause 4.3 - Safety of toys - Migration of certain elements.

See “Product safety bulletin October 2007: Banned lead in children's toys” at http://www.accc.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/800643 regarding the current ban.

Look out for the suppliers’ guide published on the ACCC website prior to the start of the mandatory toy standard in January 2010. See http://www.accc.gov.au/Li Toy Fair 2009

Don’t put off testing your toys any longer!!

Ask about The LEAD Group’s charity rates for bulk toy testing through Sydney Analytical Laboratories or by XRF, using Sampling Technologies (www.sampletech.com.au ). We also have our DIY-sampling lead safe test kits available for sale to parents, day care centre managers, retailers, etc, who wish to test the concentration of lead and other heavy metals around their house/ centre/ /workplace and within their toys. See Do It Yourself Lead Safe Test Kits Ad.html

For large batches of toys, The LEAD Group would refer you for XRF testing by Sampling Technologies (see above).

The LEAD Group Inc. Fact Sheet Index

NSW Lead Reference Centre and NSW Government Publications On this site

  1. About the Global Lead Advice and Support Service (GLASS)

  2. Main Sources of Lead

  3. How Would You Know If You or Your Child Was lead poisoned?

  4. Lead aware housekeeping

  5. Ceiling dust & lead poisoning

  6. Is your yard lead safe?
    你的院子是铅安全的吗

  7. Health Impacts of lead poisoning

  8. Rotary Questionnaire

  9. Lead poisoned Pets and Your Family

  10. Childhood Lead Poisoning Risk Factor Questionnaire

  11. Is Your Child Safe From Lead? - What Can You Do About Lead?

  12. Lead in Drinking Water in Australia

  13. Have We Really Resolved The Lead Issue?

  14. The Importance of the Availability of "Spot Tests" for Lead in Paint

  15. Pregnant or Planning a Pregnancy

  16. Breastfeeding and Lead

  17. Lead in breast milk

  18. Beware The Lead In Lead Lighting

  19. Renting and Lead

  20. What to do if you have too much lead in your tank water

  21. Lead Contamination in Stormwater

  22. Contamination At Shooting Ranges

  23. Banned: Leaded Wick Candles

  24. Lead, Ageing and Death
    铅,衰老和死亡

  25. Metal miniatures: How to minimise the risks of lead poisoning and contamination

  26. 7 Point Plan for the MANAGEMENT OF LEAD by Australian parents and carers

  27. Countries where Leaded Petrol is Possibly Still Sold for Road Use, As at 17th June 2011

  28. Lead Poisoning And The Brain - Cognitive Deficits And Mental Illness

  29. Facts and Firsts of Lead

  30. Lead mining royalties by state and territory

  31. Lead Mining Stewardship - Grey Lead and the Role of The LEAD Group

  32. Preventative Strategies of The LEAD Group

  33. What do Doctors need to do about Lead?

  34. A Naturopath's Experience Of Lead & People With Diagnosed Mental Illness

  35. Case File: Helping Manage Australian Lead in Petrol - How GLASS Works

  36. Glass Web & Service-Users, Experts & Volunteers, by Country; Countries with Leaded Petrol for Road Use & Worst Pollution

  37. Lead in ceiling dust

  38. Lead paint & ceiling dust management - how to do it lead-safely

  39. Esperance parliamentary inquiry follow-up factsheet: Where to from Here??
    埃斯佩兰斯议会调查后续情况说明书:从这里去哪里??

  40. Broken Hill lead miners factsheet 1893 with Note 20081015

  41. Helping a Doctor Help 35,000 Lead-Poisoned People Around the Lead Smelter at La Oroya in Peru
    Ayuda a un doctor que ayuda 35,000 personas envenenadas por plomo alrededor de la fundidora de plomo en la Oroya-Peru
    案例档案:帮助一个医生救助在秘鲁的拉奥罗亚的铅冶炼厂周围的35000铅中毒的人民全球铅咨询和支持的服务机构是怎末工作的

  42. Fact sheet for Australian toy importers and traders

  43. Iron Nutrition & Lead Toxicity
    Informe de Acciones – Hierro y Plomo en la Nutrición
    情况说明书铁的营养和铅的毒性

  44. Sanitarium-Are You getting Enough Iron

  45. Do-It-Yourself-Lead-Safe-Test-Kits-flyer

  46. Blood lead testing: who to test, when, and how to respond to the result

  47. Dangers of a blood lead level above 2 µg/dL and below 10 µg/dL to both adults and children
    血铅水平高于
    2微克/分升和低于10微克/分升对予成人和儿童的危险。

  48. Lead Exposure & Alzheimer’s Disease: Is There A Link?

  49. In CHINA - Blood lead testing: who to test, when, and how to respond to the result
    在中国血铅测试:谁应该去检查,什么时候,如何对待不同的测试结果

  50. Why you should have your ceiling dust removed before you take advantage of the Australian government's Energy Efficient Homes Package: Insulation Program

  51. Alperstein et al Lead Alert - A Guide For Health Professionals 1994

  52. Ceiling Dust WorkCover Guide Lee Schreiber Final Nov 1999

  53. What can I do about climate change AND lead?

  54. The Need for Expert Clinical Assessments in Diagnosis Of Heavy Metal Poisoning

  55. Why you should have your ceiling dust removed before you have insulation installed

  56. Thirty Thought-Starters on Ceiling Void Dust in Homes

  57. Pectin: Panacea for both lead poisoning and lead contamination

  58. Nutrients that reduce lead poisoning June 2010

  59. Lead poisoning and menopause

  60. Fact sheet For Schoolkids From Professor Knowlead About Lead

  61. Prevention of Exposure to Lead at Work in Indonesia

  62. Mencegah kontak dengan timbal di tempat kerja di Indonesia

  63. How to Protect Your Family from Lead in Indonesia

  64. Bagaimana melindungi keluargamu dari timbal di Indonesia

  65. Cigarette Smoking & Lead Toxicity
     صحيفة معلومات: التدخين والتسمم بالرصاص

  66. Medical Evaluation Questionnaire For Occupational Lead Exposure

  67. Dangers of a blood lead level above 2 µg/dL and below 10 µg/dL to children

  68. Dangers of a blood lead level above 2 µg/dL and below 10 µg/dL to adults

  69. Biosolids used as fertilizer in China and other countries
    在中国和其他国家生物固体作肥料

  70. What are the lead poisoning risks of a lead pellet, bullet or shot lodged in the body?

  71. Alcohol’s link to higher lead and iron levels

  72. USA Case Definition of Adult (including Occupational) & Child Elevated Blood Lead Levels (EBLL)

  73. Low Level Lead Exposure Harms Children - A Renewed Call for Primary Prevention

  74. Occupational Health & Safety Fact Sheet Dangers of lead for roofers

  75. Let’s Make Leaded Petrol History - Let’s Make Leaded Gasoline History

  76. Lead, Your Health & the Environment. Available in Arabic, Chinese, English, Korean, Macedonian, Spanish, Turkish and Vietnamese 

  77. Lead Safe Housekeeping

  78. Old Lead Paint

  79. Working safely with lead

  80. A Renovator's Guide To The Dangers Of Lead (Brochure 30 pages)

  81. A Guide For Health Care Professionals (Brochure 34 pages)

  82. A Guide To Keeping Your Family Safe From Lead (Brochure 20 pages)

  83. Lead Hazard Management In Children's Services (Brochure 15 pages)

  84. A Guide To Dealing With Soil That Might Be Lead-Contaminated

  85. Exposure Assessment: Lead Neurotoxicity - Is the Center for Disease Control's goal to reduce lead below 10 µg/dl blood in all children younger than 72 months by 2010, good enough?

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