AS stores started to showcase various Halloween products in the market, toxic watchdog group BAN Toxics cautioned the public when buying such products that may contain harmful chemicals that are horrible to children’s health and safety.
The group managed to photo documented some stores decorating and selling halloween products which includes scary masks, face paint and make-up, horror blood and fangs, jack-o-lantern baskets, scary battery-operated toys, creepy imitation weapons, skull and bones, and other halloween items for early spooky shopping. The group noticed that most of the products are improperly labeled which make the products unauthorized to sell and use since it does not have the proper Certificate of Product Notification (CPN) from the Food and Drug Administration.
The 10-yr old RA 10620 or the Toy and Game Safety Labeling Act of 2013 was enacted to ensure the protection of children against potential hazards to their health and safety by requiring special labeling of toys and games. The labeling requirements for toy and game should include: 1) LTO number issued by FDA; 2) Age Grading; 3) Cautionary Statements/Warnings; 4) Instructional Literature; 5) Manufacturer’s Marking; and 6) Item, Model, SKU Number.
“Halloween products being sold in the market at this early time should have undergone registration with the FDA and should be in accordance with the labeling requirements under RA 10620,” said Thony Dizon, Toxics Campaigner of BAN Toxics.
“The concern over unregistered and unnotified products such as toys is the presence of toxic chemicals that may pose health-damaging risk to children,” Dizon added.
