PRODUCT SAFETY

Toy Safety

In view of recent concerns regarding manufactured toys, Consultox offers a comprehensive approach to product safety in this industry. Our concept involves pro-active involvement in upstream toy manufacturing. When a toy is being manufactured either in-house or at an outside vender’s facility, Dr. Parent, our board-certified toxicologist, would first evaluate existing QA/QC programs to assess their adequacy in controlling hazardous materials and impurities; then, if appropriate, he would travel to the facility for a detailed inspection. Appropriate raw materials specifications would be reviewed, and, if necessary, samples would be taken to be analyzed for potential harmful ingredients or contaminants. The reliability of the sources of raw materials also would be investigated for possible variability in the quality of the individual raw materials. Quality control measures would be recommended to maintain a vigilance and to set up criteria for accepting raw materials. For example, paints would be examined for possible toxic metals including lead, cadmium, chromium, and others, used in the formation of pigments. Plastics would be analyzed for residual monomers, catalysts, heavy metals, solvents, and plasticizers. Other raw materials would be equally scrutinized. Dr. Parent would not only identify potential hazardous components in the toy being produced, but he also would investigate exposure scenarios that could result in adverse health effects and provide risk assessments relating to those potentially toxic components. Dr. Parent’s extensive training in analytical and organic chemistry coupled with his 30+ years of experience in the discipline of toxicology and risk assessment, provide him with the unique qualifications necessary to address the multidisciplinary task proposed herein. Dr. Parent has designed and conducted toy safety programs and has conducted inspections of manufacturing facilities where contaminations of manufactured products have been suspected.

While the proposed program is quite comprehensive, it will provide you with some assurance that your toys are safe. Obviously, the recommended guidelines for toy safety currently in effect in the European Community (ED 88/378/EEC; CE marking, ISO guidelines, and EU EN-71-1 to 9 with amendments) as well as those guidelines operational in the United States (16CFR part 1000 to end; CPSC regulations, LHAMA requirements and ASTM F-963-03) will also be addressed with your staff as part of a comprehensive Toy Safety Program.

Dr. Parent and our staff will provide you with an independent assessment of the safety of your toys in a pro-active manner. Dr. Parent’s qualifications are well suited for this task. He has a doctorate in organic/analytical chemistry with 10 years of research in the chemical industry and over 30 years of practice in the discipline of toxicology. He is board certified by the American Board of Toxicology, The Academy of Toxicological Sciences, the Regulatory Affairs Certification Board, and he is a recognized expert in France and the European Community.