The Loom Bands case has motivated a query to the European Commission

Dita Charanzová has sent the European Commission a formal request for protection of the market against health damaging products. "In the request for an answer to my questions I point to the recent detection of defectiveness of some counterfeited sets for production of so-called Loom Band bracelets," Dita Charanzová says. The market was literally flooded with imitations of the original, and as it turned out, some of the counterfeits exceed by many hundred times the amount of allowed phthalates, which is a highly toxic substance. "These products are designed for even the smallest children, who not only produce bracelets and wear them, but they play with them, chew them, put them into their mouths and in this way the extent of absorption of harmful substances naturally grows,” Dita Charanzová explains.

The European Commission should therefore, according to the submitted query, explain in particular what measures can be taken to enhance the protection of the single market in order to prevent the import of such counterfeits, and what to do in the current situation, whether it would be possible to withdraw products from the market. "I suppose the answer I am going to receive will not be too satisfactory. Probably, it will be something like that both the Commission and national authorities are able to do only very little in these cases. Once products reach the market, it is very difficult to get rid of them," Dita Charanzová notes.

According to Ms Charanzová it is therefore essential to adopt a new directive on market surveillance as soon as possible. The European market should be protected against defective and counterfeited products before they enter it.

Finally, it should be noted that the original manufacturer of the rubber bands Loom Bands respects all health standards.  On the contrary, the company is damaged by the current scandal. The same situation occurs with a number of European products, which are falsified outside the EU and subsequently imported and sold here...