On 3 May 2017, European Commission (EC) newly added a migration limit as well as a content limit for phenol in specific toys by amending the Appendix C of Annex II, which lists requirements for toys used by children under 36 months or toys intended to be placed in the mouth, to Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC. The restriction will become effective on 4 November 2018.
The new restriction is aimed to protect the children against risks caused by hazardous chemical substances in toys. Phenol is classified by Regulation (EC) No. 1272/2008 as mutagenic category 2. It is used as a monomer for phenolic resin in the manufacture of resin-bonded wood for toys. The degradation of phenolic antioxidants in polymers can also be a further source of phenol in toys. Phenol is also used as preservative in water-based liquid toys such as bubble-blowing products or water-based liquid inks.
Following are the summary about the migration limit and content limit of Phenol in toy materials:
| Substance | CAS No. | Requirement |
| Phenol | 108-95-2 | – 5 mg/l (migration limit) in polymeric materials in accordance with the methods laid down in EN 71-10:2005 and EN 71-11:2005.- 10 mg/kg (content limit) as a preservative in accordance with the methods laid down in EN 71-10:2005 and EN 71-11:2005. |
Source: Official Journal of the European Union: http://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32017L0774&from=EN
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