Feb 17, 2009

In its continuing efforts to reflect the latest issues in toy safety and to deal with emerging hazards, ASTM International Committee F15 on Consumer Products has approved revisions to ASTM F963, Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety. Changes made to the standard include revisions to the section on ingestion of magnetic components in toys.

ASTM F963, under the jurisdiction of Subcommittee F15.22 on Toy Safety, includes guidelines and test methods to prevent injuries from choking, sharp edges and other potential hazards. The standard is reviewed and updated on a regular basis by Committee F15, which includes technical experts from academia, consumer groups, industry and government.

Revisions now approved for F963 include the following:

- Magnets—Revisions account for incidents of ingestion due to magnetic components that were small parts of a toy and to reflect the age of children involved in the incidents. The section on magnets now also includes special use and abuse requirements to avoid magnets from detaching from components during play.
- Acoustics—Requirements to this section were changed to provide greater clarity. The revisions to this section also further harmonization between F963 and the European toy standard, EN71-1.
- Yo-Yo Tether Toys—Requirements have been added to address potential strangulation hazards associated with yo-yo elastic tether toys intended for children three years of age or older.
- Impaction hazards—A new section providing impaction hazard requirements for toys intended for children up to the age of 48 months has been added. Diagrams of spherical and hemispherical ends were also added.
- Flammability—Revision establishes the protocol and general criteria for flammability testing of solids and soft toys in conformance with the requirements of 16CFR 1500.3(c)(6)(vi).
- Other revised areas of the standard include sections on jaw entrapment; packaging  film/age requirements as they pertain to use and abuse testing; and folding mechanisms  and hinges.

Requirements for testing of lead in toys have not been changed from the F963-07 version of the standard cited in the Consumer Products Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008. For more information about the CPSIA and compliance with this new law, visit the CPSC Web site, www.cpsc.gov.

ASTM International standards are available for purchase from Customer Service (phone: 610-832-9585; https://www.astm.org/contact/) or at www.astm.org.

For technical Information, contact Joan Lawrence, Toy Industry Association, New York, N.Y. (phone: 646-520-4844; jlawrence@toyassociation.org). Subcommittee F15.22 meets March 3 at ASTM International headquarters in West Conshohocken, Pa.

ASTM International welcomes and encourages participation in the development of its standards. ASTM’s open consensus process, using advanced Internet-based standards development tools, ensures worldwide access for all interested individuals. For more information on becoming an ASTM member, please contact Leonard Morrissey, ASTM International (phone: 610-832-9719; lmorriss@astm.org).

Release #8183/Feb2009