China made toy foam mats recalled in Belgium, France
Beijing, Dec 21
Chinese toys, which in the recent past had raised safety concerns, were in the news again as Belgium and France have ordered a total recall of popular China-made foam puzzle mats for children after tests indicated they carry dangerous levels of a chemical.
This has raised fresh concerns from parents over the safety of toys produced in China, the world's largest toy producer and exporter, in the lead up to the holiday season.
Around 70 per cent of the world's toys are made in China, netting an annual output worth 100 billion yuan (USD 14.7 billion), according to reports in the media here.
Belgium ordered all foam puzzle mats imported from China to be taken off the shelves on December 10, citing a health department report that they emitted harmful particles, specifically form amide, an industrial chemical that has been linked to cancer, the official media reported here.
Three days later, France also announced a three-month sale ban on the products.
The French secretary of consumer affairs, Frederic Lefebvre, is also trying to determine "the toxicity of carpet puzzles for children and sale on the French market," and asked his Belgian counterpart to communicate the results of a scientific analysis made about these toys, state-run Global Times said.
Beijing, Dec 21
Chinese toys, which in the recent past had raised safety concerns, were in the news again as Belgium and France have ordered a total recall of popular China-made foam puzzle mats for children after tests indicated they carry dangerous levels of a chemical.
This has raised fresh concerns from parents over the safety of toys produced in China, the world's largest toy producer and exporter, in the lead up to the holiday season.
Around 70 per cent of the world's toys are made in China, netting an annual output worth 100 billion yuan (USD 14.7 billion), according to reports in the media here.
Belgium ordered all foam puzzle mats imported from China to be taken off the shelves on December 10, citing a health department report that they emitted harmful particles, specifically form amide, an industrial chemical that has been linked to cancer, the official media reported here.
Three days later, France also announced a three-month sale ban on the products.
The French secretary of consumer affairs, Frederic Lefebvre, is also trying to determine "the toxicity of carpet puzzles for children and sale on the French market," and asked his Belgian counterpart to communicate the results of a scientific analysis made about these toys, state-run Global Times said.
