Trouble in Toyland: Toy Safety Debate

Toy Safety Alert For Parents, What To Do At Home

While children just want to play with their favorite toys, some grownups are fighting over toys as we kick off the holiday season. The Public Interest Research Group, known as PIRG, just released its annual "Trouble in Toyland" report.

This year's report is the 30th annual list of potential toy dangers. Safety advocates from Beaumont Children's Hospital gathered to talk about the report and sound the alarm on November 24th.

"As a doctor and a mother, I know there are certain toys that are dangerous," said Dr. Jaime Hope, from Beaumont's Pediatric Emergency Center.

However, the toy industry takes a different view. "As a parent, I know these reports can be scary. So, we find that they unnecessarily alarm parents," said Rebecca Mond of the Toy Industry Association.

The two sides in this toy safety debate are very far apart. The Toy Industry Association says it's analyzed the last seven annual reports from PIRG, and not a single toy has been recalled because of the group's safety warnings.

On the other hand, PIRG says there have been 150 consumer actions, including recalls, over the years, triggered by its reports. Help Me Hank checked with the U.S. Product Safety Commission. A spokesperson said the agency couldn't confirm the 150 figure, but said it takes the reports very seriously and will collect samples of the toys on this year's list.

The Toy Industry Association represents 800 members involved in the manufacture, marketing, and sales of toys. They take issue with the testing methods used by PIRG and say some of the items called toys aren't really marketed to children.

The Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) maintains that it has found dangerous toys on story shelves each year for the past 30 years. It's main areas of concern in 2015 are toxic chemicals, loud toys, choking hazards, and powerful magnets.

What Can Parents Do?

Emergency center doctor, Dr. Jaime King, says she doesn't work for PIRG or the toy industry. She wants to put big business and politics aside. "Our job is to teach parents how to look at what is there on the market and how to use it in the safest way possible so their kids can have a fun holiday."

The team of experts had these fast tips for parents who want to be sure their children are safe.

Toxic Chemicals: Pay attention to the materials used to make your children's toys. If you can find toys made of natural substances, you can limit exposure to potentially dangerous chemicals. If you have any questions about the materials in the toys, pay special attention to what your children might do with the toys.

"I think you should think twice if they're at an age where they put them in their mouth," said Erica Surman, RN, manager Pediatric Trauma Program, Beaumont Children's Hospital.

Loud Toys: Pay attention to the noise levels emitted by the toys you might buy for your children. If they hurt your ears, they're too loud for children. Again, pay attention to how your children are playing with their toys. If they are putting a toy that seems loud next to their ears, you might want to rethink that toy. Loud noises can do damage to your children's ears that won't show up for years, and can cause serious damage to learning and language development, according to Dr. King.

Choking Hazards: Pay very close attention to safety labeling on toys that might have small parts. The Toy Industry Association says its research shows that nearly a third of parents ignore age-related warnings.

"This is really important safety information," said Rebecca Mund of the Toy Industry Association, "It doesn't just relate to the behavior characteristics of whether your child is going to enjoy the toy, but safety information as well."

That was the one area where the toy industry and the safety advocates at Beaumont found common ground, both urging parents to read those labels, make sure they make sense, and follow the cautions.

The safety advocates have long been pushing an easy way to determine if a toy is a choking hazard. They suggest parents use the cardboard tube from roll of toilet paper and see if a toy can slip through.

"If you're under the age of three, if it fits through this toilet paper roll, then it's too small for a child under the age of three," said Surman.

The Toy Industry Association is critical of that test saying the toilet paper tube doesn't match up to the small parts tester used by safety labs. However,
if the toilet paper tube gives you peace of mind, it might be a good way to determine if the toys your child plays with should be monitored more closely.

Magnets: Whether magnets are truly toys can be a subject of debate, but the advocates from Beaumont say all parents need to be very aware of the dangers if there are any magnets are in the home that are small enough to swallow. The damage that can be done to a child's body if two magnets are swallowed is substantial. If the magnets are swallowed separately, they can attract inside the body causing internal damage.

"It can actually erode through and perforate in the abdomen which is a surgical emergency," said Dr. Jaime Hope, from Beaumont's Pediatric Emergency Center.

Be Aware, Do A Safety Check

The bottom line for parents, this report should inspire you to be on the lookout for possible toy safety concerns. You don't have to panic, but think about the toys in your home, and the new toys coming into your home during the holiday season. Use common sense, get more information, and make deliberate decisions about the toys you have in your home.

Finally, don't forget toys can have a long life, hanging around in your child's toy box for years. The safety experts at Beaumont say you should do occasional
safety checks.

"This is a really good time to purge. Go through your kids toy box. Look for things that might have gotten bent, have sharp edges, cracked and sharp edges," said Donna Bucciarelli, RN, program manager Safety City U.S.A.

Related links:
http://www.uspirgedfund.org/issues/usf/we-found-22-potentially-hazardous-toys
http://www.playsafe.org/
http://www.cpsc.gov/


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