Toys Can Be Deadly Consumer Group Urges Caution

When Lucinda Sikes shops for holiday toys for her two young children, she tries to pull them apart, checks the labels for small parts and peruses the age guidelines.

“I really check all the toys to make sure that they’re safe,” said Sikes, the mother of 2-year-old Kirby and 3-month-old Camden.

A consumer advocacy group says all parents should follow the same strategy to keep their children safe.

“We encourage parents and other care givers to be careful when purchasing toys,” said Janice Shields, author of a study on dangerous toys that the U.S. Public Interest Research Group released Tuesday.

The annual report highlighted 21 toys that PIRG said had small pieces children could choke on, sharp edges that could cut them or long cords that could strangle them.

Some of the toys on PIRG’s list had no labels warning parents about choking hazards. The 1994 Child Safety Protection Act requires choking hazard warning labels on all toys made after 1995 that contain small parts and are intended for children ages 3 to 6. Some of the toys were made in foreign countries and their manufacturer was not listed.

PIRG sent a copy of the study to the government’s Consumer Product Safety Commission, which works to keep unsafe toys off the shelves, Shields said.

Kathleen Begala, CPSC’s director of public affairs, said the commission’s compliance office was “going to take a look at everything” on the list.

The commission received 21 reports of toy-related deaths in 1995, and 19 of the victims were under five years of age. Choking was reported in 12 of the deaths.

At a news conference Tuesday attended by Sikes and several other parents, Shields demonstrated how some of the toys on the list could hurt children.

She wrapped the 27-inch pull cord attached to Fisher Price’s Little Snoopy toy around her neck, illustrating, she said, how a child could easily choke himself. No laws regulate cords on toys, she said.

Fisher Price spokeswoman Laurie Strong said Fisher Price has been making the pull toy for 30 years and has never had a report of a serious injury.

“Safety is of utmost concern to us,” she said, adding that the toy complies with all federal and industry standards for pull toys. She called it “just amazing” that the toy would be on the list.

Shields also contended that toys with projectiles, such as the D&L Company’s Stomp Rocket, can injure children. The toy is an air-fired rocket that shoots up to 400 feet in the air.

Fred Ramirez, vice president of D&L, said he was “outraged” that the company’s toy was cited.

“We have very good instructions on the box on how the toy should be played with,” he said.

“It’s a safe product.” Ramirez said his company has never received any reports of serious injuries from the toy, which is labeled for children 6 and older.

Gregorio Conales said he “doesn’t really bother with the fine print” on toys but uses common sense when buying for his 6-month-old daughter, Carolina. “We try to avoid small objects, because she could put them in her mouth, and things with sharp edges,” he said.

Parents should also remember to supervise their children while they are playing and realize that toys that pass all existing regulatory safety tests may still pose hazards, PIRG said.

MEMO: For a free copy of a guide to toy safety put out by the National Safe Kids Coalition, call 800-607-6446.

This sidebar appeared with the story: GOOD ADVICE Before purchasing a toy for a child, parents are encouraged to ask themselves several questions: Does the child put things in his or her mouth? Is the child old enough for the toy? What is the child going to do with the toy? Can it be used in an unsafe manner?