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The Government will publish in the Gazette this Friday (July 12) the Toys and Children's Products Safety (Amendment) Bill 2013, which seeks to expand the coverage of "children's products" under the Toys and Children's Products Safety Ordinance (Cap 424), so as to enable regulations to be made to control six types of phthalates (namely DEHP, DBP, BBP, DINP, DIDP and DNOP) in certain toys and children's products for better protection of children's safety and preventing Hong Kong from becoming the dumping ground for non-compliant products.
The Ordinance currently regulates toys and 12 children's products. The Bill proposes to cover other products that are intended to facilitate the feeding, hygiene, relaxation, sleep, sucking or teething of a child under 4 years of age and that contain plasticised material under the Ordinance.
Upon passage of the Bill by the Legislative Council, regulations will be made to control the maximum amount of the above six types of phthalates used in certain toys and children's products that are intended to facilitate the feeding, hygiene, relaxation, sleep, sucking or teething of a child under 4 years of age.
Similar controls have already been implemented in other advanced economies such as the European Union, the United States, Canada and Singapore.
The Bill will be introduced into the Legislative Council on July 17.
Ends/Wednesday, July 10, 2013
Issued at HKT 15:00
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