The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
‘Trouble in Toyland’
As shopping season starts, consumer group issues warnings
This week launches the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season, and, no doubt, legions of parents will mobilize in the coming days, seeking toys for their children.
However, a national consumer group said there are some items they need to steer clear of for the safety of their little ones.
On Tuesday, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund — an independent, nonpartisan consumer group — released its annual “Trouble in Toyland” report, detailing potentially hazardous toys on sale this season.
“Unfortunately, kids are still getting injured and, in the worst cases, dying, from dangerous toys,” said Dev Gowda, toxics advocate with the fund. “We want to educate people and hold toy companies accountable.”
In 2015, the most recent year for which data was available, there were 11 toy-related deaths of children younger than 15. In 2014, there were 16 such deaths and there were 12 in 2013.
One of the toys that landed on this year’s naughty lists are party balloons sold at Dollar City Plus stores that are labeled appropriate for children ages 3 and older. Gowda said the balloons are a choking hazard for children younger than 8.
The report also called out two fidget spinners made by Bulls i Toy and sold by Target which have higher-than-allowable lead levels.
Federal law requires all children’s products contain no more than 100 parts per million of total lead content in all accessible parts. The center circle of one of the fidget spinners tested positive for 33,000 parts per million lead and the arm tested for 22,000 parts per million. The other fidget spinner had a center circle that tested for 1,300 parts per million of lead and the arm tested for 520 parts per million.
Gowda said because the spinners are labeled for use by those 14 and older, they can’t technically be classified as toys and held to the federal lead standards. But, he said, the fund believes the toy is intended for children 12 and younger.
One surprising inclusion on the list is My Friend Cayla, a doll produced by Genesis and sold at a variety of stores, including Kohl’s and Walmart. The dolls are interactive datacollecting toys that connect to the internet. Gowda said the toy has been banned in Germany for privacy violations, and that information a child shares with the doll can be potentially accessed by strangers.
Reports like these are a valuable resource for parents wanting to keep their kids safe, said Dr. Harris Jacobs, chairman of pediatrics at Bridgeport Hospital.
“Despite the recommendations out there for what constitutes a safe toy, toy manufacturers often either willfully or inadvertently ignore them,” he said. “And someone needs to let parents know.”