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Unsafe toys once again on store shelves, group warns By JOHN DARLING for the Mail Tribune With the holiday shopping season officially kicking off Friday, the Oregon Public Interest Research Group launched its annual campaign against marketing of potentially hazardous toys that pose threats of choking, toxicity or loudness. Two types of the popular Push 'n Pop toys have been recalled under the Child Safety Protection Act. The "tongue" can detach, causing a choking hazard to children under 3. Choking is the leading cause of death from toys, according to OSPIRG's national organization. Fifty-seven toys cited by OSPIRG and its national Public Interest Research Group include: Small parts, attractive to children under 6, with no warning label: beads, building bricks, key chains, paint sets, tea sets, bath sets, rings and beauty sets. Balloon sets that can be swallowed by children under 8. Toys found in bins with no choke warning, such as erasers, spider and eyeball rings, whistles and lip gloss. Small balls that can choke children under 6 and have no warning label. Near-small toys, just above the legal limit but still posing a choking hazard, such as play food and tea sets. Toxic toys that contain polyvinyl chloride and phthalates, which are carcinogens associated with liver and kidney cancer. These substances keep plastics soft and are found in teething rattles, plastic books, blocks and rubber ducks. A flammable chemical called toluene is found in glitter and nail polish sets. Dangerously loud toys, over 85 decibels, which, if used over one to two hours, can cause hearing loss. These are keyboards, fire engines, phones and blaster guns. This is the first year PIRG has included noisy toys in its campaign. Consumers can find the toys' names, prices and manufacturers on the PIRG Web site, www.toysafety.net. The group's research has led to the recall of more than 100 toys during the 15 years of its unsafe-toy campaign, said Sean Vormwald, OSPIRG's campus organizer at Southern Oregon University, who held a news conference announcing the list Tuesday in Medford. "Overall, quite a lot has improved. We find a lot fewer toys with small parts being marketed to children under 3. Bin toys are big offenders because there are just unlabeled piles of them, where kids can reach in," Vormwald said. Almost all toys on the list were "common and easy to get" during visits to Rogue Valley stores by OSPIRG consumer Project Leader Amy Gervais, a SOU student, he said. "Just because a toy is on the list does not mean it's off the shelves," said Vormwald. "Parents still have to be vigilant about purchases and supervision of play. We've done a lot to educate parents over the years, but deaths and injuries are still happening and they are preventable." The injury and death rate from toys has remained constant over the 15 years of PIRG's campaign, he said, but its efforts are having an effect because the rates are keeping steady despite an increasing population. The scooter fad has boosted rates in the last two years, causing 140,000 emergency room visits annually and 11 deaths so far in 2001, he added. PIRG is working to remind scooter users that helmets and pads should be considered a must. On the net: www.toysafety.net. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.