At present, a report was issued that heavy metals of Christmas product exceed the limits of standard. That alerts us to be aware of the safety of Christmas product. We will talk about the safety requirement of Christmas product for US and European Union. Since Christmas product have such many categories, this article discusses the physical and flammability properties on Christmas tree and color spray only

(1) Christmas Tree.

(a) For US, There is no any special test standard or regulation to address the hazards caused by Christmas tree, however we can refer to the toys standards ASTM F963 and CPSC regulation to prevent consumer from the hazards of falling, laceration, puncture.

1) Small parts requirement（16CFR1501）  Removable components or decorations, which fully fit into the small part cylinder with diameter 1in of opening, can presents the hazard of chocking when it is swallowed by children, therefore, there should be no small part can be accessible by children under 3 years of age.

2) Sharp points and edges (16CFR1500.48&49).  Accessible sharp points or edges can present hazards of puncture or laceration. Therefore, It should be without sharp points and edges before or after assembly.

3) Stability requirement (ASTM F963-11 Sec 4.15.4). In order to avoid the hazard of crushing by falling of Christmas tree, it shall not tip when placed on a 10° incline.

4) Flammability requirement (16CFR 1500.44). The burning rate should not be more than 0.1in/s when perform solids flammability test so that prevent the hazard of fire and burn.

(b) EU. France issued the decree on Christmas tree, such as French decree 91-1175+2003：1123（modify）Artificial Christmas trees and NF S 54-200 protection of the metal ends(Artificial Christmas trees). These decrees consider safety on sharp point, sharp edge, stability and fire warning.

(2) Color spray, Snow-made spray

The container of these sprays are vacuum self-pressurized and the content of spray are polymer resin compounds, so it‘s easy to burn and explode when touch the heat source. So we must take consideration of flammability and warning label.

(a) US, The United States has the requirement of self-pressurized container.

1) Flammability requirement (16CFR1500.45). Through the test method of 16CFR 1500.45, we can decide if the content of container is extremely flammable or flammable.

2) Labeling requirement (16CFR1500.130). Any self-pressurized container should add a warning label to address the potential hazards on the product: WARNING—CONTENTS UNDER PRESSURE：Do not puncture or incinerate container. Do not expose to heat or store at temperatures above 120 °F. Keep out of the reach of children.

(b) Canada. Canada also has the regulation in relate to self-pressurized container: SOR/2001-269 Canadian consumer chemicals and containers regulation. It states the flashpoint requirement and labeling requirement.

In additional, EU has no the requirement of self-pressurized container, so we can refer to the general requirement of EN 71-2 about flammable liquid and gas.

According to above mentioned, Below suggestions are provided to keep the safety of Christmas decorations:

(1) Place live Christmas trees away from heat sources, and keep trees close to the extinguisher and water.

(2) Look for a label that reads “fire resistant” when purchasing an artificial tree.

(3) Place lighted candles away from items that can catch fire, such as trees, other evergreens, decorations, curtains and furniture.

(4) Keep burning candles in sight and away from places where kids and pets can knock them over

(5) Examine new and old light sets for damage. Discard sets with cracked or broken sockets, frayed or exposed wires, and loose connections

(6) Purchase only holiday light sets that bear the marking of a safety testing laboratory

(7) Place decorations with small removable parts that can pose a choking hazard to young children out of reach

(8) Avoid trimmings that resemble food or candy that may tempt a child to mouth or swallow them

(9) Take special care with sharp, edge, or breakable decorations

(10) Keep away from fire when play color spray, and do not spray toward the other people, especially skins or eyes. If eyes are splashed, wash it with water immediately. If the spray release a pungent smell, please play it outdoor as possible as you can.