Wooden toys are considered durable and particularly valuable for children in educational terms. The beautiful wooden parts are often placed in the hands and mouth during play. They should therefore be safe and free from pollutants. However, the material and workmanship can be a cause for concern due to possible exposure to harmful substances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Strict criteria apply to toys<\/em>. They must meet the high safety requirements<\/em> for the youngest children. To ensure children’s safety<\/em>, no small parts should come loose that could cause them to choke or suffocate. In addition, the toy should be free of pollutants<\/em>, as health effects usually only become apparent later. Unlike plastic toys, which often smell of suspiciously toxic substances, pollutants are hardly noticeable in wooden toys. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n When children play with wooden toys<\/em>, they have particularly intensive contact <\/em>with the parts. Small children are particularly at risk. They touch the wooden parts more often and put them in their mouths to nibble and suck on them. As a result, they are more likely to inhale harmful substances<\/em> and absorb pollutants through their skin<\/em> by touching them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The material<\/em> and its treated surface<\/em> can have a significant impact on the level of harmful substances<\/em> in a toy. Possible pollutants include, for example, formaldehyde<\/em>, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)<\/em>, nickel<\/em>, nitrosatable substances <\/em>and organotin compounds<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n In its December 2023 issue, Stiftung Warentest <\/em>reported on its extensive test of wooden toys for one to three-year-olds<\/em> and subjected them to specific safety tests and pollutant analyses<\/em>. It examined 15 toys, including building blocks, wooden trains, motor activity toys, pull-along figures, puzzles and push-along figures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The testers tested whether these wooden parts pose a danger to small children. They therefore investigated whether small parts could possibly come loose from the toy and be swallowed. They also tested whether the toy parts were highly flammable or contained pollutants<\/em>. For this product test, they carried out over 200 stress tests and 1000 chemical tests on the wooden toys. <\/p>\n\n\n\n After the stress tests and chemical analyses of the 15 wooden toys<\/em>, Stiftung Warentest<\/em> advised against<\/em> using<\/em> and therefore playing with<\/em> a third of<\/em> them, as they failed the test. They found critical levels of pollutants from paint<\/em>, plywood<\/em> or textiles<\/em> in five toys. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Among the colorants<\/em>, they found substances suspected of causing cancer such as dimethoxybenzidine<\/em> and nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPE)<\/em>, aniline<\/em>, strong evaporations of formaldehyde<\/em>, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH)<\/em> and the plasticizer DINP<\/em> above the permitted level. The testers warned that these harmful substances can enter the body through the skin or by nibbling and sucking and cause damage to health. Numerous PAHs<\/em> are considered potentially toxic. They are carcinogenic<\/em>, can be harmful to reproduction <\/em>and mutagenic<\/em>. Formaldehyde<\/em> outgassing is particularly common in wooden toys made from plywood<\/em>. Formaldehyde can cause respiratory tract irritation <\/em>and can cause cancer<\/em> in the long term. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Wooden toys made from untreated solid<\/em> wood<\/em> are ideal<\/em> for<\/em> children as they are free from pollutants<\/em>. On the other hand, wood-based materials<\/em> such as plywood<\/em> or chipboard<\/em> can often be contaminated with harmful formaldehyde<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Wooden toys that have only been treated with oil, colored with water-based paints or treated with vegetable dyes are also non-toxic for children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n To buy toys made of wood that are as free from pollutants as possible, it is helpful to pay attention to certain test marks<\/em> and seals<\/em>, provided that these products are labeled with them. For some of these marks, however, the test criteria, especially for the tests for pollutants, are not clearly known. The “Blauer Engel<\/a>” environmental seal <\/strong>on wooden toys means that this product meets stricter requirements<\/em> compared to others, which exceed the European toy guidelines<\/em>. The Blauer Engel is considered to be the safest seal, as in some cases stricter limit values<\/em> are set for testing for pollutants, which often exceed the legal requirements. To date, only a few toy manufacturers have voluntarily had their products tested and labeled with the “Blauer Engel” eco-label for toys. The CE mark<\/em> (= Communaut\u00e9 europ\u00e9enne) is mandatory in Europe for manufacturers<\/em> who wish to market their products in the EU. As a rule, they mark these products themselves and thus confirm that they comply with the legal requirements of the EU<\/em>. It is therefore not a seal of approval. Whether a toy is not contaminated with harmful substances <\/em> cannot therefore be determined with certainty from a CE marking<\/em>, as no further independent tests are usually carried out by a control body. Only around 10 to 15 % of CE declarations are checked externally by an officially recognized body. In this case, the label also bears an identification number in addition to the CE mark. The state seal GS<\/em> for “Tested Safety<\/em>” guarantees that toys comply with the legal requirements regarding safety <\/em>and pollutants<\/em>. The GS seal is provided with the details of an independent certified testing institution with a test number such as T\u00dcV Rheinland or T\u00dcV S\u00dcD. The CE seal can be used in addition to the obligatory CE mark. With the LGA quality certificate<\/em>, the safety tests comply with the applicable laws for toys. These are tested<\/em> for certain aspects<\/em> such as resilience, flammability, pollutant content and cleanability and awarded the neutral “LGA tested<\/em>” test mark. This certificate provides guidance when purchasing toys. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n The T\u00dcV companies, T\u00dcV Rheinland<\/em> and T\u00dcV S\u00fcd<\/em>, test the toys in accordance with the European safety regulations<\/em> that apply here. Manufacturers or importers can undergo this test voluntarily. With the T\u00dcV mark, it is certain which pollutants <\/em>the toys have been tested for and whether limit values<\/em> exceed the legal regulations. They also have their own criteria<\/em> and use them to test critical substances, even if they are not banned. In the case of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), the test criteria of the T\u00dcV seal are lower than the GS seal. In comparison to the CE mark, the T\u00dcV mark checks the legal requirements. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n If formaldehyde is suspected<\/strong> in indoor air<\/strong>, which can be released into the air<\/em> from plywood furniture<\/em> or floors<\/em>, for example, it makes sense to take samples using a specially suitable measuring device such as the SG350ex<\/a>. The GSA measuring devices<\/strong> SG350ex<\/a> can be used for stationary and personal sampling. As cheap wood-based materials such as chipboard are often used for furnishings, this also increases the risk of ingesting harmful substances such as formaldehyde over a longer period of time and becoming ill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you need an all-round service including sampling, advice and evaluation without wanting to buy your own measuring devices, you can also commission our sister company GSA Schadstoffanalytik<\/a> to do this for you. Simply use the contact form<\/a>. Sources: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Image source: 123rf.com \u00a9 dekazigzag, image no. 188057018<\/p>\n\n\n\n www.aok.de\/pk\/magazin\/familie\/baby-kleinkind\/schadstofffreies-spielzeug-beim-kauf-erkennen\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n www.bam.de\/Content\/DE\/Paper-des-Monats\/2021\/Umwelt\/2021-05-01-paper-des-monats-umwelt.html<\/p>\n\n\n\n www.bund.net\/themen\/chemie\/toxfox\/spielzeugsiegel\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n www.familie.de\/kleinkind\/holzspielzeug-im-fokus-stiftung-warentest-schlaegt-alarm-bei-diesen-5-produkten–01HG0G57B4E21MBCST7M73FH80<\/p>\n\n\n\n www.oekotest.de\/kinder-familie\/Gutes-Spielzeug-Diesen-Guetezeichen-Siegeln-koennen-Sie-vertrauen_105597_1.html<\/p>\n\n\n\n www.test.de\/Holzspielzeug-Die-Haelfte-birgt-Gefahren-4633745-0\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n www.t-online.de\/leben\/testberichte\/id_100289386\/stiftung-warentest-dieses-holzspielzeug-ist-mit-schadstoffen-belastet.html<\/p>\n\n\n\n www.utopia.de\/ratgeber\/holzspielzeug-bei-stiftung-warentest-jedes-dritte-ist-schadstoffbelastet_610411\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n www.vis.bayern.de\/produkte_energie\/marktueberwachung\/spielzeug_gesetz_vorgaben.htm<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Wooden toys are considered durable and particularly valuable for children in educational terms. The beautiful wooden parts are often placed in the hands and mouth during play. They should therefore be safe and free from pollutants. However, the material and workmanship can be a cause for concern due to possible exposure to harmful substances.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":15790,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1089,1074],"tags":[1235,3557,1263,3556,3563,1166,3559,3561,3558,3560,3562,3555],"class_list":["post-15784","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-measuring-devices","category-pollutants","tag-blauer-engel-en","tag-ce-marking","tag-formaldehyde","tag-gs-seal","tag-lga-quality-certificate","tag-pahs","tag-plywood","tag-solid-wood","tag-stiftung-warentest","tag-tuev-mark","tag-wood-based-materials","tag-wooden-toys"],"yoast_head":"\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nPollutants in wooden toys<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nWooden toys put to the test – Stiftung Warentest test<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nTest result <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nPurchase of safe wooden toys<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nObserve test marks and seals on toys<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nBlauer Engel<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nCE marking<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nTested safety: GS mark<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/p>\n\n\n\nLGA quality certificate<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nT\u00dcV Rheinland \/ T\u00dcV S\u00fcd EN 71<\/strong> certified toy<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
<\/p>\n\n\n\nGSA measuring devices SG350ex for measuring formaldehyde
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