If most parents could believe that some products outperformed toys in danger we were wrong, a report prepared by the European Union determines that toys are the most dangerous consumer product in Europe, even surpasses electrical appliances.
The RAPEX (Rapid Alert System for Non-Food Consumer Products) report indicates this. Thanks to RAPEX, each national authority of the countries that make up the EU can notify the Products Commission of any problem related to a product as long as it is not food-related, for which other competencies are already commissioned.
The information is processed and distributed by the rest of the countries so that the appropriate measures are taken, prohibiting the product and vetoing the commercialization. Well, apparently the star product in the notification of incidents have been toys, reaching a total of 221 notifications, a volume that represents 24% of the total. They are followed by electrical appliances with 19%, motor vehicles with 14%, etc. It seems that the country that is most aware of the safety of consumer products is Germany, since a total of 924 notifications made by all countries, 144 belong to this country, followed by Hungary, Greece, United Kingdom and Spain. A truly alarming fact that should put us all on notice, carefully monitoring the toys we acquire for our children, is what is reflected in the statistics. We have gone from 388 hazard notifications in 2004 to no less than 924 in 2006, no doubt two things may have happened, or the consumers and competent bodies of each country, take the issue of security much more seriously of the products or more irresponsibilities are commented on the part of the manufacturers.
We opt for the first option, in fact, in our circles of friendship we see greater concern for what is bought in all its aspects, especially if these products are intended for the use of children.
The risks can be varied, by the composition of the toy, by its functions, etc. Now we must talk about the country that takes the palm as far as claims are concerned, up to 48% of all notifications refer to products that arrive from China (remember the large number of Chinese toys that exist in Spain).
This is one of the reasons why the European Union closely monitors all the products that arrive from that country, it is not our intention at all to veto the Chinese products, surely there are competent manufacturers that ensure the safety of the users of their products, but it is necessary to make a request to all parents and to supervise as far as possible the toys that are for their children, especially when they have a dubious origin or do not incorporate the EU seal that guarantees their safety.
