Alert For Grandparents
to Hidden Toy Hazards 2003
Nov. 25, 2003 - Hazardous toys can still
be found on store shelves across the country despite passage of the 1994
Child Safety Protection Act, according to a survey released today by the
U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG).
More than 212,000 people, including
72,000 children younger than five, sought treatment in hospital
emergency rooms in 2002 for toy-related injuries. Thirteen children died
from toy related injuries in 2002.
"Even one toy-related death is too many,
because these deaths are preventable," said U.S. PIRG Research Director
Alison Cassady, author of the report.
The annual PIRG
Trouble
in Toyland report, available at
www.toysafety.net, offers safety guidelines for
purchasing toys for small children and provides examples of toys
currently on store shelves that pose potential safety hazards.
PIRG's research focused on four
categories of toy dangers: choking hazards, dangerously loud toys,
strangulation hazards or dangerous projectiles, and toxic chemical
hazards.
Highlights of the report's findings
include:
Choking Hazards: Choking on small parts,
small balls and balloons remains a leading cause of toy-related deaths
and injuries. PIRG researchers found:
Manufacturers and retailers continue
to sell toys that have small parts but are not labeled with the choke
hazard warning required by law;
Balloons are still manufactured and
marketed in shapes and colors attractive to young children and are often
sold in unlabeled bins, in violation of the law requiring that they be
labeled as unsafe for children younger than eight years old; and
Toy manufacturers are over-labeling
toys by placing choke hazard warnings on items that do not contain small
parts or small balls.
Dangerously Loud Toys: Just this month,
the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) set a new
acoustics standard for toys in order to protect children's hearing. The
new standard says that most toys should not produce a sound louder than
90 decibels when measured from a distance of 25 centimeters.
Close-to-the-ear toys, like toy cell phones, should not exceed 70
decibels when measured from a distance of 25 centimeters. PIRG
researchers tested several toys and found:
Several toys currently on toy store
shelves may not meet the new ASTM standards for appropriately loud toys;
and
Several toys currently on toy store
shelves exceed 100 decibels when measured at close range. Prolonged
exposure to sounds at 85 decibels or higher can result in hearing
damage.
Toxic Hazards: PIRG researchers surveyed
more than 40 toy manufacturers about their use of phthalates in
children's toys and other products. Of those who responded, most
reported that they have stopped using phthalates in teethers, mouthing
toys and other toys and products intended for children under three,
although several acknowledged that toys for older children may contain
these chemicals.
PIRG researchers found small plastic
bath toys made up of two-thirds phthalates by weight and popular brands
of polymer modeling clay containing high concentrations of phthalates.
PIRG also identified several children's cosmetic sets containing xylene
and other toxic chemicals.
"The good news is that most
manufacturers have responded to the concerns of parents and scientists
by phasing out phthalates in plastic toys intended for children under
three," noted Cassady. "The bad news is that we still found plastic toys
on store shelves that contain phthalates as well as other children's
products with toxic ingredients."
PIRG attributed the drop in phthalate
use to bans by consumer agencies abroad and reiterated its call for the
CPSC to follow suit.
Strangulation Hazards: Several
countries, including the United Kingdom, have banned the popular yo-yo
water ball because of incidents in which the toy wrapped tightly around
children's necks or caused other injuries to the eyes, face and head. In
September 2003, CPSC announced that it would not recall the product.
Instead, the agency advised parents to supervise use of the toy, cut its
cord, or throw it away.
"CPSC should do more to alert parents to
the very real and documented hazards that this toy poses to children
under eight," said Cassady.
U.S. PIRG called on CPSC to recall the
yo-yo water ball and issue a moratorium on sales until manufacturers
properly label the toys by warning that improper use can lead to
strangulation and other bodily injury and that the toy is not suitable
for children under eight years old.
Cassady noted that the toy list in the
U.S. PIRG report is only a sampling of the potential hazards on store
shelves. "Shoppers should examine all toys carefully for hidden dangers
before they make a purchase this holiday season," added Cassady. "While
most manufacturers comply with the law, parents should not assume that
all toys on store shelves are safe or adequately labeled," concluded
Cassady.
U.S. PIRG is the
national association of the state Public Interest Research Groups. State
PIRGs are non-profit, non-partisan public interest advocacy
organizations. The full report and PIRG's Tips For Toy Safety are
available at http://www.toysafety.net/.
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