belgium recently banned all foam puzzle mats as most of the mats tested contain formamide (cas no. 75-12-7), an allergenic and carcinogenic substance used as a softener. formamide, classified as a cmr, will be banned anyway in july 2013 under the new toy safety directive 2009/48/ec.
foam puzzle mats shall conform with the new belgian rules before being placed on the market. this includes not only demonstrating the absence of formamide, but acetophenone and 2-phenyl-2-propanol as well.
almost immediately, france also decided to withdraw all foam puzzle mats from the market for a period of three months. in fact, a number of major european retailers have withdrawn such mats from their shelves as well last year. the ban on these mats are expected to spread to other eu member states and retailers.
