Toronto, ON, June 12th, 2020
Last month, Health Canada announced the recall of hundreds of imported playsets for children that were sold throughout Canada. The recall occurred after the playset’s surface coating and applied surface coating components were found to contain barium (Ba) in excess of Canada’s allowable limit.
Back in January of this year, the same agency announced the recall of over 26,000 imported retractable safety gates. The surface coating applied on the metal tube of the gates was found to contain barium in excess of allowable limits again.
The Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry (ATSDR) describes barium as a silvery-white metal which exists in nature only in ores containing mixtures of elements. It combines with other chemicals such as sulfur (S) or carbon (C) and oxygen (O) to form barium compounds. Barium compounds are used by the oil and gas industries to make drilling muds and are also used to make paint, bricks, ceramics, glass and rubber.
“In Canada, children’s toys and related products that have a surface coating material applied to them cannot have a compound of antimony, arsenic, cadmium, selenium or barium if more than 0.1% of the compound dissolves in 5% hydrochloric acid after being stirred for 10 minutes at 20°C,” said Joe Frasca, Senior Vice President, Marketing at EMSL Analytical, Inc. “In Canada and the United States, there are also occupational exposure limits for barium to protect workers that could come in contact with it. Typical occupational exposure routes include inhalation, ingestion, skin and eye contact.”
EMSL’s network of laboratories throughout Canada and the United States offer barium analysis as well as other metals. To learn more about barium or other consumer product, industrial hygiene, environmental, health and safety testing services, please visit www.emsl.com, call (888) 831-0722 or email info@EMSL.com.
About EMSL Analytical, Inc.
EMSL Analytical is one of the leading testing laboratories with 46 locations throughout the United States and Canada. EMSL is a nationally recognized and locally focused provider specializing in fast laboratory results for mold, bacteria,
Legionella, USP <797>, pathogens, asbestos, lead, soot, char & ash from fires, VOC’s, odors, radon, formaldehyde, indoor air quality, microbiology, environmental, industrial hygiene, radiological, food, beverage & consumer products and material testing services for the identification of unknown substances. EMSL services both professionals and the general public. EMSL maintains an extensive list of accreditations from leading organizations as well as state and federal regulating bodies including, but not limited to A2LA, AIHA-LAP, LLC (AIHA-LAP, LLC EMLAP, AIHA-LAP, LLC IHLAP, AIHA-LAP, LLC ELLAP), NVLAP, CDC ELITE, CPSC, CA ELAP, NY ELAP, TX DOH, NJDEP and multiple other state accrediting agencies. Please visit our website at
www.EMSL.com for a complete listing of accreditations. In addition, EMSL carries a wide range of Sampling Equipment and Investigative Products for environmental professionals.