Trouble in Toyland – Defective Toys to Avoid

From mid-November to the end of December consumers are bombarded with advertisements of “doorbuster” sales. While all sorts of consumer goods go on sale in the weeks leading to Christmas, many of the sales focus on toys. However, in the frenzy of gift buying during the last few weeks of the year, warning messages about dangerous toys often gets lost. Sadly, each year children are injured or die due to defective toys. There are several reasons that toys pose dangers to children, including high lead levels, small parts that pose choking hazards, and dangerous components such as magnets. Parents should examine toys carefully for potential hazards and not depend on warning labels or product recalls.

Lead Levels

Lead can be so toxic that in 1978 the federal government banned lead paint. Children exposed to lead experience abdominal pain, kidney failure, vomiting and weight loss. In addition to physical maladies, lead paint can also hinder normal cognitive development, resulting in learning and behavior disorders. According to the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), several toys with high lead levels have made it to retail shelves in the past few months. PIRG is particularly concerned with the Captain America Soft Shield toy which is targeted to children who are 2 years old and older. This toy has 29 times the safe level of lead.

Choking Hazard

Toys with small parts or small parts that can be easily detached present a choking hazard to children under the age of 5. Close to 100 children have died since 2001 from choking. Many, many more are injured each year from choking incidents.

PIRG found several toys in stores this year that pose choking to children under the age of 3. These toys do not contain adequate warnings of the hazard. As a result parents may purchase them for young children without realizing the danger they pose. Parents should be particularly cautious of toy food items. Some of the ball-shaped food items pass the small parts test, but can still be dangerous. Furthermore, young children are more likely to try to eat these toys because they do resemble food.

Magnets

Toys made with neodymium iron boron magnets, such as Buckyballs, have injured approximately 1700 children from 2009-2011. Children have swallowed these magnets and as a result suffered intestinal injury. The problem occurs when a child swallows multiple magnets. The magnets then connect to each other inside the gastrointestinal tracts, causing internal injuries such as perforated bowels. Several children required surgery and one child died after swallowing these high-powered magnets. Maxfield & Oberton Holdings LLC, the manufacturer of Buckyballs, has been sued by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The CPSC complains that Buckyballs present a substantial risk to the public. Based on the CPSC’s concerns, many retailers ceased selling Buckyballs. However, there are still some retailers that continue to sell Buckyballs.

A Benton Harbor car accident lawyer notes that manufacturers who distribute defective products and retailers that sell them risk product liability lawsuits from consumers who are injured. Despite this real possibility dangerous toys remain on store shelves. In the frenzy of holiday shopping when consumers are looking for the most popular toys at the best price and retailers are seeking to maximize profits, what is the best way to get the word out to parents that certain product, or certain types of products present significant risk of harm to children?

About the Author:

Andrew Mounier is a passionate member of the End Ecocide movement, an avid legal blogger, Environmental Law Student and writer for Legalnews.tv. He has worked in marketing for over a decade and finds his passion in bringing concepts to life. As a Socialpreneur, he is an agent for positive social change through both his writing and business endeavors.