The Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS) has established a common safety standard for all products designed for children. According to the legislation, infant and children’s textile and leather products are regulated under the Special Act on Safety Management of Children’s Products by Enactment of the Common Safety Standards of Children’s Products, Safety Confirmation Act and Suppliers’ Declaration of Conformity Act. The new regulation will become effective after 4th June 2016.
(A) Safety Confirmation Act
All textile products for infants are regulated under the Special Act on Safety Management of Children’s Products – Enactment of Common Safety Standards of Children’s Products and Safety Confirmation Act Annex 1 (Textile Products for Infants). Products must be tested and certified by local authorized Korean testing and inspection institutions, an approval Korea Certification Mark (KC Mark) must be attached on the products before distribution to the Korean market.
Product scope for infant textile products includes outerwear, innerwear, sleeping gear, shoes, socks, gloves, headgear, bags and baby goods.
Table 1 – Consolidated Requirements for Infant Textile Products
| ITEMS | REQUIREMENTS - Infant (< 36 months) | |
|---|---|---|
| Formaldehyde | 20 mg/kg | |
| Organotin Compounds | Dibutyltin (DBT) | 1.0 mg/kg |
| Tributyltin (TBT) | 0.5 mg/kg | |
| Azo Dyes (24 items) | 30 mg/kg (each) | |
| Phthalates (DEHP, BBP, DBP, DINP, DNOP, DIDP) | 0.1% (total) | |
| Flame Retardants (TDBPP, PentaBDE, OctaBDE) | Prohibited | |
| Dimethylfumarate (DMFu) | 0.1 mg/kg | |
| Total Lead | Coating / Painting / Other Substrates: 90 mg/kg Metal: 300 mg/kg | |
| Total Cadmium | 75 mg/kg | |
| Nickel Release (all metal components) | 0.5 µg/cm2/week | |
| Allergenic Disperse Dyes (22 items) | Prohibited | |
| pH Value | 4.0 – 7.5 | |
Soluble Heavy Metals
| Sb: 60 mg/kg, As: 25 mg/kg, Ba: 1,000 mg/kg, Cd: 75 mg/kg, Cr: 60 mg/kg, Pb: 90 mg/kg, Hg: 60 mg/kg, Se: 500 mg/kg | |
| Cords and Drawstrings | Compliance | |
| Small Parts | No small part after tension test | |
| Magnet | FAIL if >50 kG2mm2 and incompliance in small part test | |
| Sharp Point / Sharp Edge | No sharp point / No sharp edge | |
(B) Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity Act
Infant and children’s leather products and children’s textile products are regulated under the Special Act on Safety Management of Children’s Products – Enactment of Common Safety Standards of Children’s Products and Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity Act Annex 1 (Leather Products) and Annex 15 (Textile Products). Manufacturer or importer shall confirm the satisfaction by self-test or test conducted by a third party service provider (ISO 17025 accredited labs) for existence of any hazardous substances. Inspection agency shall verify the standard compliance according to the Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity Act.
Product scope for infant leather products is the same as those listed for infant textile products. Product scope for children’s textile and leather products includes innerwear and midwear with direct skin contact, outerwear without direct skin contact, bedding and others (e.g. bags)
(Note: Natural or synthetic leather or fur material with more than 60% surface area on shell are considered as leather items.)
Table 2 – Consolidated Requirements for Infant and Children’s Leather Products
| ITEMS | REQUIREMENTS | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| | Infants (<36 months) | Children (≥ 36 months to ≤ 13 yrs) | |
| Formaldehyde | 20 mg/kg | 75 mg/kg | |
| Chlorinated Phenols (PCP) | 0.5 mg/kg | 5.0 mg/kg | |
| Chromium (VI) | 0.5 mg/kg | 3.0 mg/kg | |
| Azo Dyes (24 items) | 30 mg/kg (each) | ||
| Dimethylfumarate (DMFu) | 0.1 mg/kg | ||
| Phthalates (DEHP, BBP, DBP, DINP, DNOP, DIDP) | 0.1% (total) | ** 0.1% (total) | |
| Organotin Compounds | Dibutyltin (DBT) | 1.0 mg/kg | -- |
| Tributyltin (TBT) | 0.5 mg/kg | 1.0 mg/kg | |
| Total Lead | Coating / Painting: 90 mg/kg | ||
| Total Cadmium | 75 mg/kg | ||
| Nickel Release (all metal components) | 0.5 µg/cm2/week | ||
Soluble Heavy Metals
| Sb: 60 mg/kg, As: 25 mg/kg, Ba: 1,000 mg/kg, Cd: 75 mg/kg, Cr: 60 mg/kg, Pb: 90 mg/kg, Hg: 60 mg/kg, Se: 500 mg/kg | ||
| Magnet | FAIL if > 50 kG2mm2 and incompliance in small part test | ||
| Small Parts* | No small part after tension test | ||
| Cords and Drawstrings | Compliance | ||
| Sharp Point / Sharp Edge* | No sharp point / No sharp edge | ||
Note: * Labeling Requirement for Children Products
** DEHP+BBP+DBP: 1000 mg/kg for children products not intended to be placed in mouth
DEHP+BBP+DBP+DIDP+DNOP+DINP: 1000 mg/kg for children products intended to be
placed in mouth
Table 3 – Consolidated Requirements for Children’s Textile Products
| ITEMS | REQUIREMENTS - Children (≥ 36 months to ≤ 13 yrs) |
|---|---|
| Formaldehyde | 75 mg/kg |
| pH Value | 4.0 – 7.5 |
| Azo Dyes (24 items) | 30 mg/kg (each) |
| Organotin - Tributyltin (TBT) | 1.0 mg/kg |
| Dimethylfumarate (DMFu) | 0.1 mg/kg |
| Phthalates (DEHP, DBP, BBP, DINP, DIDP, DNOP) | ** 0.1% (total) |
| Total Lead | Coating / Painting / Other Substrates: 90 mg/kg Metal: 300 mg/kg |
| Total Cadmium | 75 mg/kg |
| Nickel Release (all metal components) | 0.5 µg/cm2/week |
| Flame Retardants (TDBPP, PentaBDE, OctaBDE) | Prohibited |
| Allergenic Disperse Dyes (22 items) | Prohibited |
Soluble Heavy Metals
| Sb: 60 mg/kg, As: 25 mg/kg, Ba: 1,000 mg/kg, Cd: 75 mg/kg, Cr: 60 mg/kg, Pb: 90 mg/kg, Hg: 60 mg/kg, Se: 500 mg/kg |
| Cords and Drawstrings | Compliance |
| Magnet | FAIL if > 50 kG2mm2 and incompliance in small part test |
| Small Parts* | No small part after tension test |
| Sharp Point / Sharp Edge* | No sharp point / No sharp edge |
Note: * Labeling Requirement for Children Products
** DEHP+BBP+DBP: 1000 mg/kg for children products not intended to be placed in mouth
DEHP+BBP+DBP+DIDP+DNOP+DINP: 1000 mg/kg for children products intended to be placed in mouth
Reference:
Enactment of Common Safety Standards of Children’s Products: [1]
Safety Confirmation Act: [2]
Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity Act: [3]
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