Survey Finds Dangerous Toys on Store Shelves

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Shopping Tips, Quiz Can Help Parents Shop Safe

PIRGIM Education Fund

CONTACT:
Eric S Mosher, PIRGIM

Office: 734-662-6597

Cell: 917-745-7792                                                        

Email: [email protected]

Royal Oak,  Nov. 26 – Dangerous or toxic toys can still be found on America’s store shelves, according to the Public Interest Research Group in Michigan’s 28th annual Trouble in Toyland report, released today at Beaumont Children’s Hospital. The survey of hazardous toys found that despite recent progress, consumers must still be wary when shopping this holiday season.

The report reveals the results of laboratory testing on toys for toxic chemicals including lead, cadmium, and phthalates, all of which can have serious adverse health impacts on the development of children. The survey also found small toys that pose a choking hazard, extremely loud toys that threaten children’s hearing, and toy magnets that can cause serious injury if swallowed.

“We should be able to trust that the toys we buy are safe. However, until that’s the case, parents and caregivers need to watch out for common hazards when shopping for toys,” said Eric S Mosher, PIRGIM Advocate.

For 28 years, the PIRGIM Trouble in Toyland report has offered safety guidelines for purchasing toys for small children and provided examples of toys currently on store shelves that pose potential safety hazards. The group also provides a Facebook quiz to help educate parents and others about toy-related hazards.

Key findings from the report include:

    Toys with high levels of toxic substances are still on store shelves. We found several toys with high lead levels including a toddler toy with 29 times the legal limit of lead (2900 ppm), and play jewelry for children with 2 times the legal limit (200 ppm). We also found an infant play mat with high levels of the toxic metal antimony, and a child’s pencil case with high levels of phthalates and cadmium.

    Despite a ban on small parts in toys for children under three, we found toys available in stores that still pose choking hazards.

    We also found toys that are potentially harmful to children’s ears and exceed the noise standards recommended by the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.

    We discovered small powerful magnets that pose a dangerous threat to children if swallowed.

Over the past five years, stronger rules have helped get some of the most dangerous toys and children’s products off the market. Improvements made in 2008’s Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act tightened lead limits and phased out dangerous phthalates. However, not all toys comply with the law, and holes in the toy safety net remain.

“The first years of a child’s life are vitally important to future development,” said Sen. Roger Kahn (R-32nd District). “That’s why it is critical that protections be put in place to ensure that items on store shelves are safe and parents have easy access to information to help them protect their kids.”

“Our leaders and consumer watchdogs need to do more to protect America’s kids from the hazards of unsafe toys – no child should ever be injured, get sick, or die from playing with a toy,” said Mosher. “Standards for toxic chemicals like lead and cadmium remain too weak, and enforcement needs to be beefed up.”

To download PIRGIM’s Toy Tips or the full Trouble in Toyland report, click here.

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PIRGIM, the Public Interest Research Group in Michigan, takes on powerful interests on behalf of its members, working to win concrete results for our health and our well-being. www.pirgim.org

 Safety City U.S.A. is the first nonprofit, injury prevention/safety education center in Michigan. It is a program of the Level I Trauma Center at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak and Beaumont Children’s Hospital. Find out more at http://www.beaumontchildrenshospital.com/safety-city.