Comment on Standardization rule
AnyOldName3@lemmy.world 1 day agoIn a lot of the world they’re regulated as novelty items, so free from the regulation that stops harmful chemicals being in things like kitchen utensils and childrens’ toys, despite many of the same potential risks being present. You don’t need to use a corner-cutting regulation-ignoring retailer like Wish to get your fix of toxic plasticisers etc…
mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 hour ago
Yup. Not only are the materials entirely unregulated… So are the labels. A company can stick a “Made with 100% pure medical-grade silicone” on the box, even if they know it’s not true.
That’s why there are independent toy reviewers. The companies send a few toys to the reviewer, who does destructive testing on them. IIRC, most testers require at least three of the same toy for a full test. They’ll do things like light the toy on fire, (the presence/color of smoke and if/how it melts tells the tester if it’s pure silicone, or if there are harmful additives), attempt to break/rip/crush it (to confirm tensile/compressive strength is adequate), etc… And yes, they’ll also use the toy to review how well it works.