New ISO Standard For Microbiological Safety Of Toys Containing Aqueous Materials
Published in August 2023 by ISO/TC 181, the new standard ISO 8124-12:2023 “Safety of toys — Part 12: Microbiological safety” specifies acceptable criteria for:
l microbiological cleanliness and
l adequacy of preservation of the specified toy materials.
It is intended that conformity with the requirements of this document will minimize potential hazards associated with toys due to lack of microbiological cleanliness or inadequate preservation, either of which can result in illness or injury resulting from use of the toy in its intended play modes (normal use) as well as unintended play modes (reasonably foreseeable abuse).
Scope
The requirements in this document apply to all toys that contain, or are supplied with:
l aqueous materials with a water activity of ≥ 0.5 (e.g., paste, putty, liquid or gel);
l a cosmetic (including those intended for use on a toy as well as on the child);
l powders and similar substances intended to be mixed with water.
The following are excluded:
l materials that are inaccessible during normal use or reasonably foreseeable abuse;
l powder or powder-like materials intended to show biological phenomena, e.g., shrimp eggs, seeds, soil;
l food.
Requirements
The following requirements are specified in the standard:
l risk assessment
l microbiological cleanliness
l preservation effectiveness
Reference:
