PRODUCT SAFETY

 

General Product Safety Regulations (European Union)

Through thoughtful design, product testing & risk assessment, all our products are already inherently safe & come with risk mitigations. We only use the highest quality materials including the finest EU-made silicone. We are based in Great Britain. As written, the GPSR places a disproportionate burden on us as small-batch makes of wearable sculptural artworks, often made in fewer than 8 copies, which would be exempt anyway. 

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Article 51 of the GPSR (2023/988/EC) clarifies that market surveillance authorities cannot restrict the sale of products placed on the market before 13 December 2024, provided they complied with the relevant regulations at the time they were placed on the market. This is confirmed by the UK's Government Guidance & Germany’s Bitkom Compliance Solutions. Therefore the vast majority of our listings will continue to be available or our customers from the EU/ EEA & NI.

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European Parliament's reply to E-001835/2024(ASW) confirms that "Products that were already placed on the EU market before 13 December 2024 can remain on the market with no new requirements linked to labelling, including for resale as second hand after that date, provided that they complied with the GPSD. (...) Under Article 3 of the GPSR ‘antiques’ means products, such as collectors’ items or works of art, in relation to which consumers cannot reasonably expect that they fulfil state-of-the-art safety standards. In the EU legal framework, works of art are products created solely for artistic purposes usually created by hand."

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While already complying with earlier General Product Safety Directive (2001/95/EC), we made a decision not to implement costly GPSR, as we would have to pass on all administrative costs onto our customers. 

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From 13 December 2024 any EU/ EEA/ NI customers will not be able to purchase directly our newest listings which entered the market after this date. it affects only a small number of listings. The shipping option to the EEA & NI will be turned off for these.

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It's possible to still get them delivered to their European destination via any reputable Parcel Forwarding Service which grants them a temporary UK-based address. We can use it to have relay parcels without our direct involvement. The cost of this is only about 15-20 euros. We ship to UK third party forwarders free of charge.

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We recommended using

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Switzerland remains unaffected at present, until their legislators alight with GPSR at a later date. 

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Our latest listings that can be classed as sculptural artworks may still be available to our EU / EEA/ NI customers until they sell 8 copies, at which point the GPSR exception ends, and the EU / EEA/ NI delivery option will be removed.

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The definition for the “WORKS OF ART, COLLECTORS' ITEMS AND ANTIQUES” is  defined in Annex IX of 2006/12/EC Part "A(1) hand-decorated manufactured articles executed entirely by hand by the artist (CN code 9701); A(2) original sculptures and statuary, in any material, provided that they are executed entirely by the artist, sculpture casts the production of which is limited to eight copies and supervised by the artist (CN code 9703 00 00), B (2) collections and collectors' pieces of anatomical interest (CN code 9705 00 00)". Many of our sculpted masks will fall under this definition & will be further exempted.

 

Apparel

All items from the “Apparel” category are products made for adults. Contact with rough surfaces should be avoided since that can pull out fibres in the fabric. Apparel meets the level requirements for flammability, and lead, cadmium, phthalates, aromatic amines, BPA, cadmium, bisphenols, formaldehyde, azo dyes, and mercury and complies with all EU directives. This applies to all our T-shirts, shorts, Bags, Shoes and other prints, made mostly in Latvia for the EU market. 2 year warranty in EEA and UK applies for Apparel, established by Directive 1999/44/EC. Manufacturer:  KINK OV GEAR, (not for parcel returns) Unit 28838, PO Box 26965, Glasgow, G1 9BW, UK , email: info@kinkovgear.com

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Most our Apparel range is exempt under Article 51 of the GPSR unless otherwise stated directly in the listing, for which:

EU Responsible person:
Name: SINDEN VENTURES LIMITED
Address: Markou Evgenikou 11, Mesa Geitonia 4002 Limassol Cyprus
E-mail: gpsr@sindenventures.com

 9705 00 00).

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Safety First

1. Always ensure sufficient fresh air airflow for the wearer of our gas masks. As a precaution, the silicone side valve has been removed for increased airflow. Please only reinstall it at your own risk, once you can guarantee breathable continous air supply through the central/front mouth opening.

2. Do not use the mask in stuffy spaces with less than 18% oxygen concentration and no fresh air supply.

3. Always ensure the drinking quality, freshness and sterility of the liquid poured into the drinking Funnel or tube for its wearer. As a precaution, a mesh filter has been fitted in to prevent choking on larger particles. Wash and sterilise the Funnel after each use.

4. Only use non-toxic, water-based mouth-safe lubricants with the Flesh-Like Insert. Wash and sterilise it after each use. Refer to the attached original Flesh-Like Insert manufacturer leaflet and packaging for more information.

5. Always ensure mutual consent when playing with our products.

6. Always agree safe words and gestures to stop the play of the product, particularly the the wearer is gagged

7. Always consider all possible risks during play with the product.

8. Stop using the Product if you experience any discomfort.

9. Use a latex protection barrier when you can with the product.

10. Always wash our silicone/TPE inserts with warm soapy water before & after each use.

 

Breathing Safety

All our gas masks are supplied to you with modifications to ensure sufficient air flow designed for inexperienced users.

• All our gas masks have the inlet silicone valve taken out &  attached to the product tag instead. You can clip it back onto the back of the vent if you wish to reinstate it's original function at your own risk. Bear in mind, that combined with a flesh insert cover, these are completely airtight when you re-instate the silicone valve.

• Other mask designs, which do not have a side vent to modify, come with sufficient breathing holes or 2-way vents.

All our vintage masks are striped down and cleaned before the built process to ensure your safety from any age-related particles. Any valves and filters that are beyond their useful, safe life are substituted with our own inserts or cleaned and re-engineered for clean air flow.

 

Our vintage masks from before 1990s will not have the filter supplied, as it is not possible to guarantee material safety with these older products.

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Flesh Insert Safety

We recommend going for our EU-made premium silicone flesh inserts. The material has been proven to be non-toxic over 50 years of use &  research. The EU-made products conform to strict material control regulations & are the most body-safe option. They are phthalate-free.

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Our TPE inserts also have a considerable safety track record, albeit shorter. Thermoplastic Elastomer is formed through the heat moulding of elastic thermoplastic rubber and other additives. TPE is free of phthalates & heavy metals; it is skin-safe, reusable, and meets manufacturing standards. It is non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and does not contain nitrites or carcinogenic substances. 

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By purchasing a flesh insert of your choice, you agree to use it at your own risk close to your mouth.

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Increasing ventilation

If you would like to wear the gas mask for longer, and to reduce condensation on the lenses, we recommend you increase the airflow within the mask. This can be done cold, with a steel leather puncher and a hammer, by punching regular holes around the lenses and nose. Air vents can also be created using a hot method, by heating up a large nail on a stove/oven, and carefully puncturing the masks in desired locations. Adding air vents is irreversible, and would stop the gas mask from being airtight or usable for breath play. Alternatively, you can add a mesh/honeycomb/crate barrier of own choosing to any of the seals around the face, to temporarily increase airflow

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