Shoppers should avoid toys with small parts that come off -- checking for them by hand before buying -- because children could choke on them, consumer advocates said in an annual warning on toy safety.
Last year, 11 children under age 15 died of toy-related injuries -- all but one caused by choking on small balls, balloons, game pieces or toy beads, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Megan Blanck-Weiss, of the Washington State Public Interest Research Group, show how a "yo-yo water ball" toy can stretch and pose injury.
(Ted S. Warren -- AP)
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The U.S. Public Interest Research Group, in its 19th annual survey on toy safety released yesterday, again warned that the greatest danger to children comes in the form of small balls, uninflated or pieces of balloons and toys with parts small enough to choke on. Such toys remain widely available and often are not labeled as hazardous, the group said.
"Parents should not assume that all toys on store shelves are safe or adequately labeled," said Lindsey Johnson, a consumer advocate for U.S. PIRG's Education Fund and author of the "Trouble in Toyland" report.
The Toy Industry Association, whose more than 300 members account for 85 percent of sales, says on its Web site that government reviews of toys on consumer groups' watch lists have found that nearly all meet U.S. product safety standards.
The association also says it has taken a lead role in making sure toys are safe by developing standards and educating members and consumers. "This is addressed continuously throughout the year -- not just in the busy holiday buying season," the statement said. A spokeswoman was not available to comment on PIRG's toy safety report.
One toy of particular concern, Johnson said, is the "yo-yo water ball" -- a water-filled ball on a cord that can be bounced, squeezed or twirled overhead like a lasso. The toy has caused nearly 400 injury reports to the CPSC, said agency spokesman Ken Giles. U.S. PIRG said suffocation injuries accounted for almost 75 percent of the reports after the cords wrapped around a child's neck, with other reported injuries to the eyes, face and head.
U.S. PIRG's Johnson said the toy should be banned from sale in the United States, but the CPSC does not agree.
"It's just a matter of time before a child dies," Johnson said.
In September 2003, the federal agency warned of a "low but potential risk" of strangulation when playing with yo-yo water balls, but stopped short of banning them -- an assessment that has not changed, Giles said.
Johnson said that parents should know that the CPSC does not test all toys and that they shouldn't consider a toy to be safe because it's for sale. Even toys that meet federal requirements may still pose dangers, she said.
