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Safe partying with carnival products

Christmas and New Year are over but, we never get tired of celebrating. In the Netherlands, preparations for carnival are in full swing. Manufacturers offer all kinds of carnival items. From spectacular costumes to festive accessories. But how safe are these products and what legal obligations apply to them?

Features

Exuberant colors, wide sleeves and voluminous skirts or pants are the minimal features carnival revellers expect from a costume. Accessories such as wigs, boas and feathers are often combined to make outfits even more striking. Excellent decorations on hats, tails and festive glasses are not absent from the typical carnival look. Many of these items are made of textiles and are worn on the body by consumers.

Legal obligations

There is no specific legislation for typical party and carnival articles in the Netherlands and Europe. Carnival articles designed and intended for adults fall within the scope of Directive 2001/95/EC on General Product Safety. This directive requires economic operators to place only safe products on the European market.

Carnival products are not always safe

The crowded environments in which carnivals are celebrated increase the risks when using carnival items. Since many products are made of textiles, fire hazard is one of the biggest risks with a huge impact. No carnival celebrant expects his or her costume or accessory to catch fire easily. Are your products fireproof?
The rate at which textiles catch fire and fire spreads depends on a number of factors:

The shape of the product; 1;
2. The structure of the material; 3;
The composition of the material; 3.

A product with a wide-fitting shape (1) is at greater risk of catching fire than a tight-fitting suit. This is because loose material can come into contact with a heat source more quickly. The same goes for the structure of the material (2). A hairy surface, an open woven or lighter fabric burns faster than a smooth surface, a tightly woven or heavier fabric. Composition (3) plays the most important role. Vegetable fibers such as cotton, linen and silk ignite more easily than animal fibers such as wool or synthetic fibers such as polyester and nylon. Synthetic fibers, on the other hand, do melt faster when in contact with fire. When natural and synthetic fibers are mixed, the danger can increase because the combination of a high burn rate and melting of the fabric can result in severe burns.

In addition to fire hazards, chemical risks should not be underestimated. It is important that your product does not contain substances that have a harmful effect on health. Heavy metals such as nickel, lead and cadmium, as well as formaldehyde and azo dyes, can cause allergic reactions or even be carcinogenic. Products must therefore comply with the restrictions in Annex XVII of the European REACH Regulation EU 1907/2006.

What is important to determine in advance?

Make sure you are familiar with the properties and composition of your product and, if necessary, conduct a risk analysis.
To demonstrate that your product meets fire safety requirements, you can use different standards:

  • EN 1103 Textiles - Clothing textiles - Detailed procedure for determining fire behavior;
  • ASTM D1230 Standard Test Method for Flammability of Apparel Textiles.

These are the most widely used standards worldwide to test and assess the fire safety of clothing textiles.
Based on the nature of the product and the materials used, you can assess which restrictions from Annex XVII of the REACH Regulation apply to your product.

Need support?

Do you sell carnival items on the European market and wonder which legislation is relevant to your product? Précon can support you with:

  • An initial review of your product;
  • Assessing by conducting a risk analysis of your product;
  • Understanding applicable laws and standards.

Contact us at +31 (0)30 - 65 66 010 or info@precongroup.com. We can then help you further. You will then receive our no-obligation quotation.

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