Popular party essential recalled due to ‘safety risk’
Warning issued as one brand of a party essential is recalled (Image: Getty Images)
A popular party product is being recalled as it “does not comply with the requirements of the Toy Safety Directive”. The party essential has been withdrawn over safety concerns through Safety Gate, the EU rapid alert system for hazardous non-food products.
Measures “ordered by public authorities” to the manufacturer request the removal of this product listing by the online marketplace. The risk type is described as chemical and relates to a particular type of party balloon. The balloon brand in question is Brand LOCKII (also spelt Lockii), with its country of origin listed as Germany, although the balloons have been accessible to online shoppers through retailers such as Amazon.com as toys or celebratory items.
READ MORE: Warning issued to anyone with grey squirrels in garden in April
READ MORE: Brits issued rat warning as worst-hit UK areas named
Safety Gate described the balloons as a product sold online, specifically via Amazon, adding a code for reference – (ASIN: B0F48Y5KYB).
Safety Gate reported the risk description on their website, stating: “The rubber of the balloons releases an excessive amount of nitrosatable substances (measured total value: 7.25 mg/kg)”.
“Nitrosatable substances can be absorbed through the skin and mouth while playing and generate nitrosamines. Nitrosamines may cause cancer.
“Legal provisions (at EU level) and European standards against which the product was tested and did not comply.
“The product does not comply with the requirements of the Toy Safety Directive.” Some LOCKII balloons listed on Amazon’s website are showing as “Currently unavailable”, with the online retailer’s information stating “We don’t know when or if this item will be back in stock”.
However, a small selection of this brand of balloon remains available to purchase via Amazon.co.uk (at the time of writing).
Stock photo of birthday banner and balloons hanging up (Image: Chris Griffiths via Getty Images)
Measures ordered by public authorities to the manufacturer are the “recall of the product from end users” and the “removal of this product listing by the online marketplace”.
Last year, in December 2025, Which?, UK’s consumer champion, reported on “dangerous balloons found for sale on online marketplaces” via their own website.
Which? reported that “balloons with up to six times the safe level of cancer-causing chemicals were available from AliExpress, Debenhams, eBay, Shein and The Range”.
Having tested 21 balloons from numerous retailers, Which? found that “8 out of the 21 balloons contained concentrations of potentially carcinogenic chemicals far above the UK permitted limit and can’t be sold in the UK legally”.
The consumer champion explained that “the balloons failing our tests were bought from sellers on AliExpress, Debenhams, eBay and Shein and directly from The Range.
“We also tested balloons from sellers on Amazon and Temu that passed our tests and are safe to buy”, Which? added in an online report about balloon safety in December 2025. When purchasing “safe” balloons for children, experts advise seeking out official safety marks. In the UK, this is the UKCA mark, while the CE mark applies across the EU.
These marks confirm that the balloons comply with health and safety requirements, including toy safety regulations, while also satisfying essential environmental standards.
