Strict market access and a classification system will be introduced to Beijing's toy market in an attempt to keep unsafe and potentially life-threatening products out of the hands of children. The new requirements are scheduled to be applied in all of the city's toy markets before October 1, when a national compulsory safety requirement for toys will go into effect, according to the Beijing Youth Daily.

The industry and commerce authority started experimenting with the system over the weekend at Hongqiao's Tianle Market, Beijing's biggest toy market.

"We will record information about all of the toys available at the Tianle Market, especially the toys for children below three years of age," said Bao Wenjun, director of the Hongqiao Industry and Commerce Office in Beijing's Chongwen District.

Bao is responsible for inspecting the Tianle Market. "Some toys used when getting kids to sleep, plastic jigsaw puzzles and painted toy blocks, which are not suitable for babies, topped the agenda for supervision," he said.

Bao said it would be forbidden to sell such toys.

"Toy safety is no less important than food safety when it comes to children," Bao said.

Under the National Technical Safety Requirements for Toys, which will come into effect in October, toys will be classified according to their suitability for children of different ages. Warning notices will be attached.

Special safety requirements for small components will be added for toys used by children under three years of age, who often put items in their mouths. Small components could cause choking.

A parental supervision notice will also be required for model vehicles or aircraft that are powered by batteries.

Meanwhile, all materials used to make toys will have to pass inspections. The existing regulation only requires heavy metal content inspections. If any material, including metal, paint, wood or plastic, fails to meet national standards, the toy may not be sold.

According to an inspection conducted by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine in March, 25 percent of the 139 different categories of toys were not up to scratch. Eleven products had small components that could easily detach. Most of the toys had no information regarding use, age group recommendations or safety warnings. Plastic bags used on three products were found to be dangerous.

Inspections conducted by local authorities sometimes showed even worse results. Almost half of the toys sold in Xi'an, provincial capital of northwest China's Shaanxi Province, failed to meet national standards.

(China Daily May 31, 2004)