‘Trouble In Toyland’: ConnPIRG Highlights Hazards Posed by Magnets, Lead

HARTFORD — Hazardous toys are still sold in stores in Connecticut and across the country, according to the 21st annual toy safety survey, called Trouble in Toyland, released this week by the Connecticut Public Interest Research Group (ConnPIRG).

“While we can report substantial progress after more than two decades of advocacy for the safety of America’s children, ConnPIRG still found Trouble in Toyland,” said ConnPIRG Advocate, Christopher Phelps.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), 73,000 children under the age of 5 were treated in emergency rooms for toy-related injuries in 2004. Sixteen children died from toy related injuries that same year.

“The holidays should be a time of joy and wonder, not tragedy caused by an unsafe toy,” said Dr. M.C. “Cub” Culbertson, director of the emergency department at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. “Choking injuries and ingesting magnets are among the serious problems we see in the emergency room and they can have a lifetime of consequences.”

“Manufacturers of blatant toy hazards put children at risk, violating a sacred trust,” Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said. “Choking dangers and toxic substances have no place in stores or stockings. The culprits are not child play — chemicals in children’s jewelry and makeup sets, and small parts that can easily lodge in children’s throats. Parent vigilance is key, but toy makers and retailers have an irrefutable responsibility to provide safe products. Happy holiday times can be turned into tragedies by toxic toys.”

Karen Brock, director, Safe Kids Connecticut, added, “Many injuries occur when parents overestimate the abilities of their children. Buy age-appropriate toys for your child. Recommendations are often found on packaging of toys, and should be followed. When buying toys such as bikes, skates, or scooters, be sure to also buy the proper protective gear. Injuries from these toys accounted for over 300,000 emergency room visits and 225 deaths in children under the age of 15.” Protective gear should fit the child properly and not be bought for the child to “grow in to.”

Safe Kids Connecticut is a program of Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.

The 21st annual ConnPIRG Trouble in Toyland report offers safety guidelines for purchasing toys for small children and provides examples of toys currently on store shelves that pose potential safety hazards. ConnPIRG’s research focused on several categories of toy dangers: toys that pose choking hazards, toys with powerful magnets, toys that contain lead, and toys that contain toxic chemicals.

Choking Hazards

In 1979, the CPSC banned the sale of toys for children under 3 if they contain small parts. The 1994 Child Safety Protection Act mandated an explicit choke hazard warning on toys with small parts for children between 3 and 6.

*ConnPIRG researchers found toys for children under 3 with small parts and toys with small parts for children under 6 without the required choke hazard warning.

*Children continue to choke on toys that meet the letter of the law. In September, Playskool recalled the Team Talkin’ Tool Bench after two children suffocated when the toy’s oversized plastic nails became lodged in their throats. ConnPIRG found several toys on store shelves that are shaped like corks or these toy nails that could pose similar suffocation hazards.

“Toddlers put everything in their mouths,” said Mr Phelps. “CPSC should make the small parts test more protective of children under 3 and consider warning labels for toys shaped like corks or the toy nails that caused two children to suffocate.”

Magnetic Toys

Toymakers have started using powerful magnets in building toys and magnetic jewelry. If a child swallows more than one magnet, they can attract each other in the body and cause a bowel obstruction or life-threatening perforation. A little boy died last Thanksgiving and many others have had life-saving surgery after swallowing magnets from MEGA Brands’ Magnetix toys.

“Swallowing a magnet can be very dangerous. Powerful magnets can wreak havoc inside the body,” cautioned Mr Phelps

MEGA Brands has modified the design of Magnetix and placed a label on the toy’s packaging warning parents about the dangers of magnets. ConnPIRG called on CPSC to require a warning label on all magnetic toys that tells parents to seek immediate medical attention if a child swallows magnets.

Lead In Jewelry

Children exposed to lead can suffer delayed mental and physical development or even death. In February, a 4-year-old died of lead poisoning after he swallowed a bracelet charm that contained 99 percent lead. ConnPIRG researchers went to just a few stores and easily found four items of children’s jewelry that contain high levels of lead, ranging from 1.8 percent lead to 34 percent lead by weight.

“We’ve known for decades that lead poses serious health risks to children, so it is unacceptable that consumers can still find lead-laden children’s jewelry on store shelves,” continued Mr Phelps.

ConnPIRG called on CPSC to enact and enforce mandatory requirements for jewelry manufacturers, retailers, and suppliers to ensure their products do not contain lead.

Phthalates

Phthalates, a class of chemicals used to soften plastic toys and teethers, have been linked to a range of health effects, including reproductive defects and early onset puberty. Some manufacturers have started labeling their products as “phthalate-free.” ConnPIRG commissioned an independent laboratory to test ten children’s toys and child care articles with this label. Two of these products tested positive for phthalates.

ConnPIRG urged the Federal Trade Commission to investigate manufacturers that may be misleading consumers with the “phthalate-free” label and renewed its call for the CPSC to ban phthalates in all products intended for children under age 5.

“Children’s products simply should not contain toxic chemicals,” said Mr Phelps.

Mr Phelps reminded parents that the toy list in the ConnPIRG 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,” he added.