Seized 14 thousand toys killer "Hazardous to the health of children" - Il Tirreno

Enquiry Customs: this is the so-called “smash water ball,” gelatinous balls from China and destined for the Italian market

Frederick Lazzotti

Livorno. They have a name that sounds nice “smash water ball”, the external appearance is that of the face of a pink pig and if the launch is squashed to the ground and then return to its original shape. But according to the Ministry of Health, these toys are dangerous, even toxic, because “it can not resist the bite of a child,” and within them contain substances that when ingested can have serious consequences on health.

On the ship that was carrying 14,400 pieces from China to the port of Livorno were divided into twelve packs within a forty-foot container from where they were crammed into hundreds of boxes full of trinkets Chinese.

served a lot of time to men of the Customs to identify the goods illegally, go back to the importer and the consignee, a Chinese businessman who works in central Italy, and that would have placed on the market these objects. Both now face a big fine and some legal trouble.

“The kidnapping was carried out by the Customs explain – for violation of the rules of Article 112 of Legislative Decree number 206 of 2005 of the Code of Consumption.” And especially for the violation of Article 517 of the Penal Code for “sale of industrial products with misleading signs” regarding the application of the CE mark on products not supported by any evidence.

Explain

Louis Garruto, the Customs officer who was in charge of the investigation: “The most dangerous aspect of these products when they go on the market is that they are almost always sold individually. But the instructions and hazards are reported only on the packaging of twelve that almost no one ever looks at. Among these warnings there is a prohibition to use them under three years. “

Specifically

in alerting the Ministry of Health, which for six years has banned toys are two aspects. «The first – explain – is that this ball does not stand the test of its bite children who have the habit to small bite of anything, are likely to be in the mouth the material it is made of the toy. “

And here we come to the second fear: “From the tests that were performed on the ball came out that the composition is a mix of gelatinous substances that can have serious consequences on the health of children.”

public gelatinous balls are usually sold at a price ranging between two and three Euros. So the material seized would have earned almost 50 thousand euro retail revenue in the face of the protection of Health.

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February 19, 2014