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Group warns of toys to avoid this Christmas
By Marc Kovac
COLUMBUS
A consumer advocacy group is warning parents about a purple pony, an orange shark, a pretend superhero shield and other potentially dangerous toys being sold at retailers across the state.
A total of 20 specific toys plus several broader categories of playthings are included in this year’s edition of Trouble in Toyland, released by the Ohio Public Interest Research Group to draw attention to toys containing toxic chemicals, that can be easily swallowed or that present other dangers for youngsters.
The group has compiled the report for more than 25 years, often releasing it before Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving and the traditional start of the holiday shopping season.
“We should be able to trust that the toys we buy are safe,” Bryan Stewart, an advocate at Ohio PIRG, said in a released statement. “However, until that’s the case, parents need to watch out for common hazards when shopping for toys.”
The report offers a sampling of dangerous toys in several categories, including:
Choking Hazards
Ohio PIRG found 11 toys that contained small parts that posed choking hazards for youngsters, including bead kits sold at dollar stores, “Littlest Pet Shop” animals, play food sets and a Gobble Gobble Guppies toy, all purchased at big-box retailers.
Additionally, one part of a Fisher Price “Loving Family Outdoor Barbecue” looked “like something that should be eaten” and could lodge in a child’s throat.
Stewart recommended that parents pay attention to age ranges included on packages and check toys using a cardboard toilet paper roll to ensure they can’t be swallowed.
Lead and Toxic Chemicals
Though federal law bans the use of lead in toys and children’s products, Ohio PIRG found traces of the element in two toys: a Captain America Soft Shield and jewelry set.
Several other toys contained high levels of other dangerous chemicals, including a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pencil case with cadmium and phthalates and a doll wig from the “Monsters High” line of toys and Lamaze Take and Tidy Activity Mat that both had dangerous levels of Antimony.
Noisy Toys
The group found three toys that could cause hearing damage: a Chat & Count Smart Phone and Lil’ Phone Pal, both sold under the Leap Frog brand, and a Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Remote.
“Research has shown that one in five children in the U.S. will have some degree of hearing loss by the age of 12,” Stewart said. “And this may be in part due to many children using toys and other products like music players that emit loud sounds.”
Magnets
Ohio PIRG continues to warn parents about magnet toys, including two oblong-shaped high-powered magnets sold at dollar stores under the name Sizzlers.
“More than 70 percent of cases where kids end up in the emergency room are because of one of these sort of things being swallowed,” Stewart said. “Between 2009 and 2011, there were 1,700 emergency room cases connected to these sort of magnets.”
Stewart said the Trouble in Toyland report offers only a sample of specific dangerous toys. The report also draws attention to the danger of balloons, rubber balls and other mainstays.
Advocates also warned of magnets strong enough to rip through internal organs and button batteries that can burn holes through tissue in a matter of hours if accidentally swallowed.
The Toy Industry Association released its own statement on Ohio PIRG’s findings, saying it works to ensure toys are safe throughout the year, and only small fraction of the 3 billion toys sold in the country annually have been subject to recall.
Joan Lawrence, the association’s vice president of standards and government affairs, disputed some of Ohio PIRG’s findings, saying all toys being sold at retailers are required to be checked in advance to ensure they meet federally mandated safety standards.
“Consumers should know that when they see a toy on a store shelf, by law it’s been tested and certified for compliance with [strict safety standards],” she said. “They should be confident that what they’re seeing on store shelves are safe for consumers.”