Keelung yellow duck toys found to exceed plasticizer limits

(Taiwan Business News) The yellow duck has whipped up a frenzy in Taiwan. The Ministry of Economic Affairs randomly tested twelve duck-shaped children's toys in Keelung, and the results showed that three had plasticizer levels exceeding the limit, one failed a physical test, and another eight had labeling violations.

The yellow duck will be exhibited at Keelung Port for fifty days starting on the 21st, with the exhibition period spanning the Lunar New Year and Gregorian New Year holidays. Related children's toy merchandise is expected to sell well, so the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection under the Ministry of Economic Affairs has tightened controls in advance, randomly purchasing twelve "yellow duck"-shaped children's toys in the Keelung area for testing.

The Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection pointed out that this inspection used a series of national standards including CNS 4797 "Toy Safety" as the testing criteria. The results showed that the "flame resistance," "heavy metal content" and "electrically driven" parts all fully met national standard requirements.

However, three of them had plasticizer content test values ranging from 0.54% to 15.2%, exceeding the limit of 0.1% stipulated in national standard CNS 4797; one failed the "physical" pull test, breaking apart to produce small parts.

In addition, eight items failed the labeling review. Among them, two toys had names and material labels that did not match the actual samples, one lacked a commodity inspection mark and had Chinese labeling that did not comply with regulations, and five had labeling content that did not conform to current toy commodity inspection operating regulations.

The Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection stated that for toy commodities whose quality testing does not meet inspection standard requirements and whose labeling is incomplete, businesses should recall and correct them within a specified period. Those exceeding the deadline will be fined no less than NT$100,000 and no more than NT$1 million.

Failure to attach a "commodity inspection mark" may involve evasion of inspection. If it is verified that inspection was evaded, a fine of no less than NT$200,000 and no more than NT$2 million will be imposed in accordance with the law.