Originally published December 8 2005
Consumer group releases report on toy safety to prepare parents for holiday shopping
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Researchers for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group have released a toy safety report to steer parents away from the more hazardous toys on the market and promote general safety among young children.
The caution, coming just before the holiday shopping season begins Friday, cited some toys that may violate a federal ban on small parts in toys intended for children under age 3.
Researchers for the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, an offshoot that consumer advocate Ralph Nader helped found, also was critical of the Yo-Yo Water Toy -- essentially a ball on a rubber tether -- which they said could strangle a child.
''Twenty years ago, dangerous toys littered toy-store shelves,'' Megan Stokes, a spokeswoman for Florida's PIRG chapter, said Tuesday at Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale.
Over the past 15 years, 157 children have died after swallowing balloons, marbles, small balls and other toy parts, the group reported.
''Any time a child is injured by an unforeseen hazard, it's heartbreaking,'' said Dr. John White, a pediatrician at Holy Cross.
Alison Cassady, PIRG's research director, advised parents to think about how toys are compatible with their kids before they buy.
``If your little girl always puts things in her mouth, then don't buy toys with small parts.''
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission advises that if a toy or detachable toy part can fit through a cardboard toilet paper tube, then it's too small for toddlers under 3 or kids who put toys in their mouths.
The agency requires warning labels on toys with small parts aimed at children between ages 3 and 6.
PIRG and the safety commission, which will release its own hazardous-toy list next week, disagree on the danger posed by phthalates, a toxic chemical used to soften plastic.
Gary Klein, senior vice president of the Toy Industry Association, which represents toy manufacturers, said none of the toys that PIRG criticized was ``an inherently dangerous toy.''
Herald staff writer Evan S. Benn contributed to this report.
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