Product Code: ILSC2011_704

LED Safety in Toys
Authors:
Michael Higlett, Health Protection Agency; Didcot Great Britain
Marina Khazova, Health Protection Agency; Didcot Great Britain
John O'Hagan, Health Protection Agency; Didcot Great Britain
Presented at ILSC 2011

The use of LEDs in consumer products, including toys, is rapidly increasing. The LEDs bring a visual appeal to the toy. Choosing the appropriate LED is important to avoid the risk of injury to the child, especially with the development of more efficient, higher power LEDs. This has led to the need of an easy to follow assessment that may be adopted by toy manufacturers when evaluating the suitability of an LED. A suggested assessment protocol based on the LED datasheet information potentially avoids the need for complex and often expensive measurements. Theoretical modelling has been used for different worst case exposure scenarios of use and foreseeable misuse of an LED. Measurements of LED components and toys under different conditions have been carried out to confirm agreement with modelling and to verify the assessment protocol. Details of the suggested approach and results of measurements will be presented.