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South Korea Revises Common Safety Standards for Children’s Products

SafeGuardSToys and Juvenile Products, Electrical & Electronics, Hardgoods, Softlines, SoftlinesMay 21, 2020

South Korea has amended its common safety standards for children’s products. The revised standards will be implemented in phases, starting June 4, 2020.

In December 2019, the South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) published Notice No. 2019-201 (the Notice) to revise its Common Safety Standards for Children’s Products. These standards apply to accessible materials/components in products for children under the age of 13 during normal use, but exclude drugs and quasi-drugs, medical devices, cosmetics, food contact materials and articles, as well as amusement facilities and equipment.

The Notice contains, inter alia, several important changes:

  • Restricting six phthalates in synthetic resins (polymeric/plastic materials, including coatings on textile and leather materials) regardless of whether these are intended to be placed in the mouth
  • Strengthening lead content requirements in substrates from no more than 300 mg/kg to no more than 100 mg/kg
  • Providing certain exemptions for lead and cadmium content
  • A completely new set of requirements for the total content of n-nitrosamines and n-nitrosatable substances in children’s products containing elastomeric materials

According to the Korean Agency for Technology and Standards (KATS), the provisions in the Notice will be enforced starting June 4, 2020.

Highlights of the Notice are summarized in Table 1.

South Korean Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) Notice No. 2019-201
Notice of Revision of Common Safety Standards for Children’s Products
December 3, 2019 
SubstanceRequirementEffective Date
Phthalates: BBP, DBP, DEHP, DIDP, DINP and DnOP
≤ 0.1% (sum) for polymeric/plastic materials
June 4, 2020
Lead
≤ 100 mg/kg for substrates (textiles, metal tips of writing instruments and functional components of electronic products are exempt)December 4, 2020
Cadmium
≤ 75 mg/kg (textiles are exempt)
December 4, 2020
N-nitrosamines¹
≤ 0.01 mg/kg²/≤ 0.05 mg/kg³
December 4, 2020
N-nitrosatable substances¹
≤ 0.1 mg/kg²/≤ 1.0 mg/kg³
December 4, 2020
¹ N-nitrosodimethylamine (CAS 62-75-9), n-nitrosodiethylamine (CAS 55-18-5), n-nitrosodi-n-propylamine (CAS 621-64-7), n-nitrosodi-n-butylamine (CAS 924-16-3), n-nitrosopiperidine (CAS 100-75-4), n-nitrosopyrrolidine (CAS 930-55-2) and n-nitrosomorpholine (CAS 59-89-2)

² Elastomeric-containing products for children under 36 months that are intended to be used in the mouth such as soothers, teats, teethers and toothbrushes

³ Elastomeric-containing products for 1) children under 36 months other than those (²) above, and 2) children over 36 months such as mouthpieces, balloons and similar products

Table 1

Abbreviation

ItemAbbreviationPhthalateCAS Number
1BBPBenzyl butyl phthalate85-68-7
2DBPDibutyl phthalate84-74-2
3DEHPDi-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate117-81-7
4DIDPDiisodecyl phthalate26761-40-0/68515-49-1
5DINPDiisononyl phthalate28553-12-0/68515-48-0
6DnOPDi-n-octyl phthalate117-84-0

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