PIRG Issues Dangerous Toys List

Boston product-liability attorney Edward Swartz gets all the attention--and from the toy industry, all the heat--for his annual 10 Most Dangerous toys list.

There’s a lesser-known--and less controversial--list published annually by a reputable nonprofit consumer organization, Washington-based Public Interest Research Group (PIRG).

In compiling its 1997 Hazardous Toys list, PIRG notes that choking is the most common cause of death by toys, with balloons accounting for seven of the 13 toy-related deaths in the U.S. last year.

The most dangerous are the big, decorative balloons usually given on a child’s 1st, 2nd or 3rd birthday, the group says. These balloons come with the proper labels warning parents to keep them away from children under 8. But people buy them as gifts anyway.

Most other balloons, however, come with no warning label.

To obtain a complete copy of the 1997 list, call PIRG at (202) 546-9797.

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Russ Stanton covers retail businesses and restaurants for The Times. He can be reached at (714) 966-5609 and at russ.stanton@latimes.com