Local News in Brief : U.S. Seizes Unsafe Toys

Citing successful blitzes against unsafe toy imports in Los Angeles and San Francisco, the U.S. Customs Service and the Consumer Product Safety Commission have announced a permanent working relationship to stop dangerous toys manufactured abroad from entering the country.

In the joint “Operation Toyland,” customs and product safety inspectors in the two ports seized 600,000 toys and other children’s items in 70 shipments worth nearly $2.5 million. Many of the goods were seized because they contained parts small enough for a 3-year-old to choke on.

About half of the 22 toy-related deaths in 1985, the latest year for which data is available, involved choking. Commission Chairman Terrence Scanlon said the program’s deterrent effect on manufacturers will be evaluated in several months.