WASHINGTON -- November 23 -- Hazardous toys can still be found in stores across the country, according to a nationwide survey released today by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG).

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, 11 children under the age of 15 died from toy related injuries in 2003; 10 of these 11 died by choking on a toy or part of a toy. In addition, there were more than 200,000 people treated for toy-related injuries in hospital emergency rooms. Children under age five accounted for over a third of the injuries.

"Even though most toys now meet current safety requirements, toy related injuries sent 155,400 children to emergency rooms last year," said U.S. PIRG consumer advocate Lindsey Johnson. "We can protect children by keeping dangerous toys out of their hands; but parents and holiday shoppers should be aware that not all toys on store shelves are tested or safe."

The annual U.S. PIRG "Trouble in Toyland" report, available at www.toysafety.net, offers safety guidelines for purchasing toys for small children and provides examples of toys currently on store shelves that pose potential safety hazards. U.S. PIRG's reports have led to more than 120 Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recalls and other enforcement actions; the CPSC took action on 17 toys identified in the 2003 PIRG report. U.S. PIRG has already provided the CPSC with its 2004 list of dangerous toys.

U.S. PIRG's research focused on four categories of toy dangers: toys that pose choking hazards, toys that are dangerously loud, toys that contain toxic chemicals and toys that pose strangulation hazards. Highlights of the report's findings include:

Strangulation Hazards: Several countries, including the United Kingdom, have banned the popular yo-yo water ball because of incidents in which the toy wrapped tightly around children's necks or caused other injuries to the eyes, face and head. As of October 2004, the CPSC had received almost 400 injury reports related to yo-yo water balls. Despite the growing numbers of injuries sustained by children playing with the yo-yo water ball, the CPSC has not taken action. The CPSC is well aware of the dangers posed by this toy.

"In October, CPSC Chairman Stratton testified before Congress that he wouldn't allow the yo-yo water ball in his house," Johnson noted. "We call on the CPSC to protect the rest of America's children and ban sales of all water yo-yo ball products immediately."

Potentially Toxic Toys: U.S. PIRG researchers found many examples of children's nail polish containing xylene, a synthetic chemical produced from petroleum, and dibutyl phthalate, a chemical recently banned in the European Union for use in children's products. Since children are prone to putting their hands in their mouths, nail polish offers a direct route of exposure to these potentially toxic chemicals. U.S. PIRG recommended that parents carefully read product labeling and called on manufacturers to eliminate toxic chemicals from children's cosmetic sets.

Choking Hazards: Choking on small parts, small balls and balloons remains a leading cause of toy-related deaths and injuries. U.S. PIRG researchers found:

- Although most toys on store shelves are safe, PIRG researchers still found toys for children under three with small parts and toys with small parts for children under six without the statutory choke hazard warning;

- Balloons are still manufactured and marketed in shapes and colors attractive to young children and are often sold in unlabeled bins, in violation of the law requiring that they be labeled as unsafe for children younger than eight years old; and

- Toy manufacturers continue to over-label toys by placing choke hazard warnings on items that do not contain small parts or small balls.

Dangerously Loud Toys: Last year, the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) set new, voluntary acoustic standards for toys in order to protect children's hearing. The voluntary standard says that most toys should not produce a sound louder than 90 decibels when measured from a distance of about 10 inches. U.S. PIRG researchers tested several toys and found:

- Several toys currently on toy store shelves may not meet the new ASTM standards for appropriately loud toys;

- Several toys currently on toy store shelves exceed 100 decibels when measured at close range. Prolonged exposure to sounds at 85 decibels or higher can result in hearing damage.

Johnson noted that the toy list in the U.S. PIRG report is only a sampling of the potential hazards on store shelves. "Shoppers should examine all toys carefully for hidden dangers before they make a purchase this holiday season," Johnson added. "While most manufacturers comply with the law, parents should not assume that all toys on store shelves are safe or adequately labeled," concluded Johnson.

U.S. PIRG is the national advocacy office for the state Public Interest Research Groups. State PIRGs are non-profit, non-partisan public interest advocacy groups. (www.uspirg.org).

The full report is available at http://www.toysafety.net/. The short brochure "PIRG's Tips for Toy Safety," is also available for download in both English and Spanish.

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