Health Canada Issues Notice Regarding Safety of Teething Necklaces Worn by Children Under Three Years of Age

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Vol. 1038 | 16 Aug 2018

On August 13, 2018, Health Canada issued a notice informing manufacturers, importers and retailers that teething necklaces worn by children under three years of age may represent strangulation, choking and aspiration hazards. These hazards could potentially lead to the death of a child.

There are currently no regulations under the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA) that address these hazards for teething necklaces worn by children under three years of age. Hence Health Canada considered performance criteria from existing international safety standards, and from other Canadian regulations in determining hazard posed by such products.

Health Canada has concluded that teething necklaces worn by children under three years of age that do not meet all of the four following performance criteria, or equivalent, may be considered a danger to human health or safety. The products that do not meet the four performance criteria cannot be sold and are subject to compliance and enforcement actions.

Hazard

Related Performance Criteria

Strangulation

  1. Criteria: ASTM F2923-14 Standard Specification for Consumer Product Safety for Children’s Jewelry Section 13.1 - Breakaway Tension Test (apply a 22.2 N (5 lb) force instead of the 66.6 N (15 lb) force)
    Requirement: The necklace loop must separate at a load below 22.2 N

and

  1. Criteria: ASTM F963-17 Standard Consumer Safety Specification for Toy Safety Section 4.14.1.1 - Cords, Straps, and Elastics Containing a Breakaway Feature
    Requirement: The breakaway feature shall be capable of being reattached without altering the characteristics of the attachment, as described in ASTM F963-17 section 4.14.1.1.

Choking and Aspiration

  1. Criteria: Toys Regulations (SOR/2011-17) Section 7 - Small parts
    Requirement: The necklace itself must not fit in the small parts cylinder, and after the reasonable foreseeable use tests it must also not release a part that fits in the small parts cylinder.
    A force of 4.45 N is applied to assess whether the necklace or a separated part can fit in the small parts cylinder illustrated in Schedule 1 of the Toys Regulations.

Labelling

  1. The following warning or its equivalent must appear on the product or its packaging in English and French:

WARNING! Strangulation hazard. Adult supervision required at all times. Always remove for sleep.

MISE EN GARDE! Risque d’étranglement. La supervision d’un adulte est requise en tout temps. Toujours retirer pour dormir.

Importers, manufacturers or retailers of teething necklaces worn by children under three years of age should ensure that their products meet the performance criteria listed above prior to offering them for sale in Canada.

For questions, please contact Laxmi Ravikumar (laxmi.ravikumar@intertek.com, +1-630-209-9265) or Pratik Ichhaporia (pratik.ichhaporia@intertek.com, +1-847-212-8273).

 

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