Trouble in Toyland, 22nd Annual Toy Safety Report
Executive Summary
For several years, we have reported that toys are safer than ever
before, thanks to decades of work by product safety advocates and
parents and the leadership of Congress, state legislatures and the
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Yet, as many have noted,
2007 has been described as the “year of the recall.” Millions of toys,
including famous playthings like Thomas the Tank Engine and Barbie,
have been recalled in 2007. Many of these toys have been from leading
manufacturers like Mattel, and most were imported from China.
Most of the recalls have been for hazards previously identified in this
report—excessive levels of toxic lead, dangerous small magnets, and
choking dangers. These troubling events have reminded Americans that
no government agency tests toys before they are put on the shelves.
These events provide a warning that as parents and other toygivers
venture into crowded malls this holiday season, they should remain
vigilant about often hidden hazards posed by toys on store shelves.The
dramatic wave of toy, food and other consumer product recalls has
spurred intense attention from policymakers to the problems of consumer
safety generally and the limits of the long-neglected Consumer Product
Safety Commission specifically. The CPSC is the nation’s
smallest safety agency, yet it is responsible for 15,000 different
products—from chain saws to escalators and from kitchen appliances to
toys. Its current actual budget ($63 million) is less than half of what
its 1974 startup budget ($34 million) would be today if merely
corrected for inflation ($140 million). It has only one toy tester at
its decrepit Maryland
laboratory; worse, only 15 of 400 total staff (down from a 1980 peak of
978) are on duty full-time as port inspectors. That problem is
exasperated because since the tragedies of September 11, customs
inspectors and others that had buttressed this tiny force have been
re-tasked. In addition to expanding the agency’s budget,
policymakers are planning to give the CPSC more tools to hold corporate
wrongdoers accountable and speed recalls, to ban toxic lead except in
trace amounts and to greatly improve import surveillance. The holes in
the product safety net can, and must be, repaired to restore the
confidence of parents and other toygivers that the gifts that they
purchase will bring pleasure, not worry. The 2007 Trouble in Toyland
report is the 22nd annual Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) survey
of toy safety. This report provides safety guidelines for parents when
purchasing toys for small children and provides examples of toys
currently on store shelves that may pose potential safety hazards. We
visited numerous toy stores and other retailers to find potentially
dangerous toys and identify trends in toy safety. This year, we focused
on four categories of toys: toys that may pose choking hazards, magnetic
toys, toys that are excessively loud, and toys that contain lead and
other potentially toxic chemicals. In the next section, we identify our
key findings. - CHOKING HAZARDS - Choking on small parts,
small balls and balloons remains a leading cause of toyrelated deaths
and injuries. Between 1990 and 2005, at least 166 children died after
choking or asphyxiating on a toy or toy part; nine children died in
2005 alone. The law bans small parts in toys for children under three
and requires a warning label on toys with small parts for children
between theages of three and six. Although most toys on
store shelves are safe, we still found some toys that may pose choking
hazards. Specifically: ô€‚ We found toys for children
under three with small parts and toys with small parts for children
under six without the required choke hazard warning label. Balloons,
which cause the most choking deaths, are still marketed inappropriately
for young children. ô€‚ Some toys may pose a choking or suffocation
hazard even if they meet the letter of the law. Last year, two small
children suffocated when oversized, plastic toy nails sold with a play
tool bench became forcefully lodged in their throats.We
recommend making the test for small parts more protective of children
under three. CPSC also should consider, at minimum, special labeling
for toys shaped like corks or the toy nails, which pose special
suffocation risks because of their shape.- MAGNETIC TOYS - Over
the last two years, one child died and many others were gravely injured
after swallowing tiny but powerful magnets now commonly used in
magnetic building toys, other toys and magnetic jewelry. If a child
swallows more than one of these magnets, the magnets can attract to
each other and cause intestinal perforation or blockage. CPSC should
adopt and enforce strong mandatory guidelines for labeling magnetic
toys to ensure parents know to seek immediate medical attention if a
child swallows magnets. -- LOUD TOYS - Almost 15
percent of children ages 6 to 17 show signs of hearing loss. In
November 2003, the American Society for Testing and Materials adopted a
voluntary acoustics standard for toys, setting the loudness threshold
for most toys at 90 decibels. We found that several toys currently on
store shelves may not meet the standards for appropriately loud toys;
in fact, several toys we tested exceed 100 decibels when measured at
close range. CPSC should enforce the acoustics standards for loud toys
and consider strengthening them to be more protective of children’s
hearing. - LEAD IN TOYS - Some toys can pose hidden
hazards, exposing children to lead, a dangerous and bioaccumulative
linked to lowered IQ, other serious health problems or even death in
children exposed to this heavy metal. We found: ô€‚ Some
children’s toys and jewelry may contain high levels of lead In one
case, we found a piece of jewelry that contained 65% lead by weight. We
also found toys that exceeded lead paint standards by 50-500%. CPSC has
recalled more than 150 million pieces of lead-laden children’s jewelry
since 2004. In 2007, millions of plastic and wooden toys were also
recalled for excessive levels of lead paint. Lead has no business in
children’s products, whether on paint or coatings or in metal toys,
jewelry or other children’s products (vinyl bibs, lunchboxes, etc).
Under current CPSC regulations, lead paint is banned at levels greater
than 600 parts per million (ppm). When lead is otherwise found in
jewelry or toys or children’s products, however, can only be determined
to be a “banned hazardous substance” subject to recall if the lead is
at high enough levels is also found to be “accessible.” Regulations
should simply ban lead except at trace amounts (90-100 ppm), whether in
paint, coatings or any toys, jewelry or other products for use by
children under12 years old. - TOXIC CHEMICALS IN TOYS - ô€‚
Manufacturers are selling play cosmetic sets that include nail polish
containing toxic chemicals, such as toluene and xylene. Since children
often put their hands in their mouths, nail polish offers a direct
route of exposure. CPSC should team up with the Food and Drug
Administration to require manufacturers to stop using toxic chemicals
in cosmetics marketed for children. ô€‚ This year, we found two
toys with phthalate levels that, while less than 1% by weight, contain
levels of phthalates that exceed limits allowed by a new California
law scheduled to take effect in 2009. CPSC should ban phthalates in
toys and other products intended for children under five and work with
the Federal Trade Commission to ensure that toys labeled
“phthalate-free” do not contain phthalates. - RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CONSUMERS - Be vigilant this holiday season, and remember: ô€‚ The CPSC does not test all toys, and not all toys on store shelves meet CPSC standards. ô€‚
Our report includes only a sample of potentially hazardous toys.
Examine toys carefully for potential dangers before you make a
purchase. ô€‚ Report unsafe toys or toy-related injuries to the CPSC.
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 Download the full report.
Download the full report.
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