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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
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;
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 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 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/ 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 http://www.lead.org.au/clp/products/ For large batches of toys, The LEAD Group would refer you for XRF testing by Sampling Technologies (see above).
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