Teddy bear torture at the technical inspection lab

Exhausted test candidate: Teddy Bear Benoit passed the safety test.

Are children´s toys safe or not? The law stipulates that they are the second most monitored product in existence, beyond only foodstuffs. Is that really true? We wanted to know how safety tests are conducted and accompanied one candidate live.

Nine thirty a.m. in Nuremberg. Benoit the Bear doesn´t yet know about the challenges this day holds for him, and grins for the world to see. That laugh may not endure what lies ahead. The 41 centimeter Nicotoy soft toy from the Simba Dickie Group is a test candidate at a toy safety inspection. He needs to survive it to be allowed onto the European toy market.

The procedure to which Benoit is about to be subjected is stipulated by EU guideline 88/378/EEC. This ensures that toys do not pose health or injury hazards. The technical details for checking are prescribed in the EN71 series of standards: physical and mechanical characteristics, flame resistance, chemical and electrical characteristics, hygiene, and radioactivity. There are five tests for teddy bears; RC cars are subjected to up to ten.

Turning in the heat

We get started with the flame resistance testing. The teddy is stretched out on a stand until his rear end is hanging out at the same level as a kind of Bunsen burner. The distance between them is exactly 20 millimeters, confirmed by a calliper measurement. The device then automatically moves forward until it is sending a flame ten millimeters deep into the bear´s fur, and holds it there for three seconds. Simone Trümper, an engineer for clothing technology, stands with a stopwatch measuring how much of the plush lights up during the three seconds. This pro- duces a "rate of flame spread". Each plush animal will burn at some point. The key thing here is "that the bear, should not go up in flames all at once, so that a child has time to save him- or herself," the tester explains. Benoit passes the test, his bottom still smoldering a bit.

Hopefully the eyes will

He can breathe again, but he´ll still need his strength for the pull test. The test for choking hazards is initially simple. Small parts are stuck into a cylinder of a size corresponding to a toddler´s windpipe. Anything that fits in there requires the "Not for children under 3" product label. If a plush animal has swallowable parts like button eyes, they need to be absolutely secure.

Benoit´s lower body is now clamped into the pulling machine. Test engineer Heiko Kampf seizes an eye, screws it into a clamp and hooks it into a device above. A computer then initiates the process of pulling the bear apart. It applies a load of 90 newtons, or roughly nine kilograms. "The eye has to hold for ten seconds," the expert explains. Ten seconds can be an eternity. Heiko Kampf watches dispassionately. "Testing toys is certainly more fun than mattresses or rubber boots," he says. The eye holds, and hence represents no threat to children.

In Europe the toys must be save

The strict safety requirements are intended to protect children´s health or safety against risks during intended or foreseeable use, accounting for the typical behaviour of children. The manufacturer must also account for potential misuse.

40,000 toy inspections and certifications are conducted by LGA QualiTest GmbH Nürnberg, a subsidiary of Cologne-based TÜV Rheinland, each year. At more than 100,000 tests annually, it is one of the world´s leading toy inspectors, and the largest in Europe. If the manufacturer requests it, the toy inspection can incorporate the entire production and supplier chain, including a view toward renewable resource usage, working conditions, and social standards. TÜV Rheinland employs some 12,500 employees at 360 locations in 62 countries around the globe.

The CE symbol is mandatory

Each toy must bear the CE symbol as an external mark. This is the guarantee by the manufacturer, its vicarious agents or importers that the product fully corresponds to European standards and that a prototype test was conducted with a positive result. The name and address must also be provided. There is also a GS ("Tested Safety") seal of quality, although the short life span of many product lines makes this somewhat unusual for toys. It represents a kind of long-term agreement. Once the test is passed, the product is then stored by TÜV. The testers inspect the production sites. They make annual test purchases to ensure that the attested quality has remained constant. Should a toy found on the store shelves not be identical to the "tested model" they´ve kept, then the manufacturer is informed and must react.

"After the recall actions in the last few years the demand for independent testing has been growing constantly," says Rainer Weiskirchen, a business management specialist and corporate spokesman for LGA Nürnberg. In particular, the number of chemical tests has increased. German manufacturers want to be certain that no hazardous materials like insecticides have crept into the products over the course of the supply chain.

Plush animals in full resolution

The chemical tests (based on EN 71 Section 3) for migration of heavy metals and saliva-resistance are the endurance tests. Benoit is brought into a big laboratory. A friendly young woman takes him by the arm. Before he can react, she cuts off his left ear in cold blood. Lab chemist Bianca Holzmann requires a gram of fur for the chemical analysis. The ear is mixed into artificial gastric acid and agitated overnight in a heating cabinet set to 37 degrees. This simulates a child swallowing the ear and it landing in the stomach. The following day the sample is subjected to analytic instrumental testing. This can turn up elements like formaldehyde and other solvents, but the search is particularly focused on heavy metals like lead and cadmium.

Benoit´s fur is completely OK. Test passed. He doesn´t need to stay for the hygienic and microbiological test (microorganic susceptibility and resistance to bacteria and fungus). If he could growl, speak, or sing songs, as many of his colleagues are able to do nowadays – in other words, if there were electronic chips or batteries in his belly – then he´d have to go through the electromagnetic compatibility test (EMC as per guideline 2004/108/EU and 73/23/EEC), which checks emitted interference and immunity, and the electric safety check stipulated in EN 62115. And if his arms were screwed on and not sewn, then the screwed parts would be subjected to a torque test as well. He gets off easy on these counts. Benoit smiles with exhaustion.