Plastic packaging: a European standard to minimize the risk of suffocation for children

AFNOR has just published, as part of the French standards collection, a European technical report setting out safety guidelines for flexible plastic packaging, such as plastic bags, in order to minimize the risk of suffocation for children.

Plastic packaging should be kept out of reach of babies and children. To them, a plastic bag can look like a toy and pique their curiosity. The risk of suffocation is significant and must be minimized as much as possible to prevent serious brain damage or death.

Following a request from ANEC (the association representing consumers at the European level in standardization work), the European technical committee CEN/TC 261 “Packaging” has developed a draft European technical report proposing guidelines aimed at minimizing the risk of suffocation for children posed by flexible plastic packaging.

This technical report has just been included as a reference document in the collection of French standards.

Assessment of the risk of suffocation, safety of single-use or reusable flexible plastic packaging, testing methodology… the standard covers the safety of flexible plastic packaging that may be accessible to children and pose a choking hazard. It is the first standard on this subject, aimed at protecting young children.

For example, plastic sheets and soft plastic bags must be thick enough not to conform to a child’s face and cover their nose and mouth, or they must include ventilation holes. A warning must be printed on these materials if, due to their size and composition, they are likely to pose a risk of obstructing a child’s airways and/or contain air with a low oxygen concentration.

Single-use or reusable flexible plastic packaging must be perforated to reduce the risk of suffocation.

This document is intended for packaging manufacturers, providing them with common specifications for the design of flexible plastic packaging.