Intertek French Lab Achieves Accreditation for EN 71-3:2013 Testing
02 Oct 2013
Heudebouville, France - Intertek, a leading provider of quality and safety services to a wide range of industries around the world, today announced that its testing laboratory located Heudebouville, France (Normandy) is one of the first French laboratories to be accredited by the French Accreditation Committee COFRAC* for testing according to the new EN 71-3:2013 standard (EN 71-3).
The EN 71-3 standard regulates the migration of certain elements in toys placed on the market in the European Union (EU) after July 20, 2013, in accordance with the provisions of the EU Toy Safety Directive 2009/48/EC. EN 71-3 was harmonized in the Official Journal of the European Union on June 29, 2013, and establishes the presumption of conformity with the requirements of the EU Toy Safety Directive.
EN 71-3:2013 specifies requirements and test methods for the migration of toxic elements such as aluminum, antimony, arsenic, barium, boron, cadmium, chromium (III), chromium (V), cobalt, copper, lead, manganese, mercury, nickel, selenium, strontium, tin, organotin compounds and zinc from the materials and component parts of toys. It contains new requirements for migration of certain elements from the following three categories of toy materials:
- Category I: dry, brittle, powder-like or pliable materials
- Category II: liquid or sticky materials
- Category III: scraped-off materials
According to Valerie Lozingo, Intertek Technical Director and Toys Expert, "Because children under three years of age tend to mouth their toys, it is important to ensure that the migration levels of these materials comply with current regulations to mitigate hazards associated with ingestion. With this accreditation, Intertek testing experts are able get a set of robust data on the migration of the materials to ensure EN71-3 compliance of their products."
In addition to Intertek's lab in Heudebouville, France, our laboratory in Leicester, UK, received accreditation to test to EN 71-3 standards in July 2013, while the accreditation approval process is underway at laboratories in China, Germany, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey and Vietnam.
*Lab accreditation n 1-1296, scope available on www.cofrac.fr
About Intertek:
Intertek is the leading quality solutions provider to industries worldwide. From auditing and inspection, to testing, training, advisory, quality assurance and certification, Intertek adds value to customers' products, processes and assets. With a network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices and over 36,000 people in more than 100 countries, Intertek supports companies' success in a global marketplace. Intertek helps its customers to meet end users' expectations for safety, sustainability, performance, integrity and desirability in virtually any market worldwide. Visit www.intertek.com.
Intertek Business Contact:
Daoudi Aït Hssain, Sales and Business Development Manager, Intertek France
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E: daoudi.ait.hssain@intertek.com
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