Toys Cited as Hazards for Children
The toys spread out on the table looked innocent enough: soft blocks, multicolored beads, balloons and a small ball with a happy face on it.
But they were among the play things that can pose a danger to young children, according to survey results announced Tuesday by the California Public Interest Research Group.
“Toys should bring pleasure and joy, but too often they bring pain and sometimes even death to children,” CalPIRG spokeswoman Corina McKendry said during the group’s “Trouble in Toyland” presentation at the Irvine Medical Center.
The event, timed to coincide with the launch of the Christmas shopping season, was staged after the group’s 14th annual survey of toy stores nationwide.
As part of the presentation, CalPIRG released a list with a sampling of 34 play items it considers potentially dangerous because of the risk of choking, strangulation or exposure to toxic chemicals. It included what the group said are inadequately labeled jewelry and makeup kits containing small parts, pull toys with long cords and knobs at the end and soft blocks that allegedly contain phthalates, a “probable human carcinogen.”
Just because a toy does not appear on the list does not mean it is safe, McKendry warned.
“The bottom line: Parents just need to be cautious,” she said. “If a toy looks unsafe, don’t buy it.”
During the presentation, McKendry explained how small balls can choke a child and a pull toy cord longer than 12 inches with a knob at the end can strangle a child. She said children younger than 3 years old are especially at risk.
McKendry said she was particularly shocked by the availability of teething toys made with toxic chemicals, such as phthalates, a softening agent used in some toys made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic. Exposure to phthalates can cause kidney and liver damage, she said.
Earlier this month, CalPIRG noted, the European Union put an emergency ban on phthalate-containing toys that are intended for children 3 years old and younger.
While the group’s survey found evidence that toy hazards appear to be declining and most toys now include tough new choke-hazard warnings, CalPIRG said playthings, including such riding toys as tricycles, were involved in the deaths of 14 children last year. In three cases, children rode riding toys into pools and drowned, McKendry said.
Choking on balloons, small balls or small toy parts is the leading cause of toy-related death, CalPIRG said. In 1998, an estimated 153,400 people were treated in hospital emergency rooms for toy-related injuries. About 69,000 of them were under 5 years old.
The consumer group criticized retailers for marketing balloons emblazoned with toddler icons, such as Barney.
The federal 1994 Child Safety Protection Act banned the sale of balls with a diameter of less than 1 3/4 inches for children younger than 3. To test the diameter of a toy, parents can use a toilet paper tube, which is slightly wider than the minimum diameter, to make sure the toy doesn’t fit through it, McKendry said.
CalPIRG conducted the survey and created the list with the help of other public interest research groups nationwide.
For more information, parents can consult CalPIRG’s Website at https://www.pirg.org/toysafety/. Parents also can call the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s hotline at (800) 638-2772 to obtain recall and product safety information or to leave information about unsafe toys.
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Playtime Peril
In its annual Christmas survey of toy stores, a statewide public interest group identified 34 toys as dangerous. Half the toys lacked warnings that small parts on the toys could be choking hazards. Some contained toxic chemicals--mostly phthalate, which is used to make plastic softer.
The full list can be seen on the Web site of the California Public Interest Research Group
https://www.pirg.org/consumer/products/toy/99/
A sampling of toys considered hazardous by PIRG, by category of hazard:
NO WARNING OF CHOKING HAZARD:
*
Toy: Children’s Makeup and Jewelry Tin
Manufacturer, store: Fantasia, Toys R Us
Problem: No ingredients listed, many small parts.
*
Toy: Small Fire Engine
Manufacturer, store: Welly/Made in China, The Party Mart
Problem: Tires easily removed from toy, are small parts.
*
Toy: Fire Bellied Toad Dimensional Puzzle Manufacturer, store: Ark Foundation Preservation Puzzles, Natural Wonders
Problem: Small parts, improperly labeled
*
Toy: Big Crane Construction Site
Manufacturer, store: Li’l Playmates, Zany Brainy
Problem: Labeled for “18 months and up” but has orange traffic cones that can be swallowed by child
*
Toy: Tote Bag full of little girl accessories
Manufacturer, store: Girls World, Toys R Us
Problem: Small parts (flower-shaped magnets)
*
Toy: Posh Koosh Collectibles Key Ring Manufacturer, store: Oddz ON Inc., Toys R Us
Problem: Key comes out of ring, is a small part.
*
Toy: Arthur Balloons
Manufacturer, store: Unique, Toys R Us
Problem: Has proper label, but marketed to children under 8
TOXIC HAZARD:
Toy: Ollie’s Infant Items Water-filled Teether
Manufacturer, store: Nursery Needs, 1-2-3 Dollar
Problem: Contains phthalates, a toxic chemical
*
Toy: Pooh Squeaky Play Book
Manufacturer, store: The First Years, Toys R Us
Problem: Contains phthalates
*
Toy: Baby Soft Bloccks
Manufacturer, store: by Soft Blocks, Mega Bloks, Toys R Us
Problem: Contains phthalates
*
Toy: Stackable Rockin’ Friends Rattle-Blue Penguin
Manufacturer, store: Mega Bloks, KB Toys
Problem: Contains phthalates
*
Toy: Nail Polish in Reusable Tin
Manufacturer, store:Distributed by Capelli of New York, Toys R Us
Problem: Polish contains Toluene, which is flammable, a fire hazards and may cause health effects
STRANGULATION HAZARD
Toy: Wooden Pull-A-Long Duck or Dinosaur with wheels
Manufacturer, store:Handcrafted by Papa Dons Toys, Appalachian Springs
Problem: Wooden knob at end of string should be removed
Source: California Public Interest Research Group
