Hidden Dangers in Christmas Toys

For a child, brand new toys are probably the best gifts he or she can receive this Christmas. But parents should be mindful that there are a lot of hidden dangers in children’s toys such as:

• Small parts of toys that are choking hazards
• Cords or strings from pull toys that pose strangulation hazards
• Laceration hazards from edges that are too sharp
• Toxic chemicals in toys like lead and phthalates

Despite the health hazards posed by chemicals such as phthalates (can cause asthma and harm reproductive development, especially in boys) and lead (harm brain development), choking hazards still remain to be the leading toy-related danger for children. Children who choke on small toy parts, small balls and balloons is the leading cause of toy-related deaths and injuries. Around 198 children have died after choking or asphyxiating on a toy from 1990 to 2009.

The passage of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) in August 2008 did little to keep dangerous toys away from kids as millions of dangerous toys are have reached the market and have had to be recalled.

According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), more than half a million toys and children’s products were recalled for violations of the lead paint standard this year alone. Approximately 5.8 million toys and other children’s products have been recalled in the US and Canada due to choking hazards.

So getting the toy your child wants isn’t going to be easy this Christmas, especially if you don’t know if it is safe or chemical free. Fortunately, aside from federal agencies such as the CPSC who keeps a list of recalled toys, groups such as the California Public Interest Research Group (CalPIRG) identify dangerous toys.

In its recent annual survey, CalPirg cited Fischer Price toys, Monkey in a Banana toy with excessive lead levels, and even a Dora the Explorer backpack with phthalates.

The market is saturated with toys this season so parents should take every precaution they can when buying gifts for their children. Toys are meant to bring joy, not pain and in the event that your child was hurt by a defective or dangerous toy, you may file a case against the manufacturer.

Under the law, toy manufacturers whose products caused injury can be held liable for damages.