April 22, 2010
Following recommendations by the National Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme, the Commonwealth of Australia has imposed an 18-month interim ban on toys, child care articles and eating vessels and utensils that meet the following criteria:
- are intended for use by children up to and including 36 months of age;
- contain or have an accessible component containing more than 1% by weight of DEHP; and
- are products that children up to and including 36 months of age can readily chew and/or suck.
The ban, prescribed by Consumer Protection Notice No. 6 of 2010, came into effect on March 2, 2010.
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Examples of toys which may be subject to this ban |
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Bath toys |
Infant activity centers and infant gyms |
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Bats and balls, such as imitation, miniature or novelty versions of sporting goods |
Musical instruments |
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Dolls, cars, trains, blocks, dress-up items and PVC squeeze toys, such as plastic ducks |
Developmental and educational toys for infants |
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Plastic figures |
Soft books and bath books |
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Inflatable toys and balls other than those for the specific purpose of assisting a supervised child to float or swim in water |
Toys or accessories intended to hang from, or attach to, larger toys and childcare articles |
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Child care articles that are expressly included in the interim ban |
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Dummies |
Rattles |
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Pacifiers |
Bibs |
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Teething rings |
Gum soothers |
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Teething rails |
Comforting objects |
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Eating vessels and utensils that are expressly included in the interim ban |
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Feeding bottles |
Plates |
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Sip/sucking cups |
Cutlery |
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Bowls |
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Products that are expressly excluded from the interim ban |
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Clothing and footwear |
Flotation aids and aquatic toys for the specific purpose of assisting a supervised child to float or swim in water |
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Sporting goods |
Second-hand goods |
For more information about this interim ban, click here.