MassPIRG warns tiny tots about the island of misfit toys

LYNN – Preschoolers in the Head Start program at North Shore Community College may not have understood the scientific explanations of why some toys can be harmful, but they clearly grasped what it means to swallow small plastic parts, ingest a magnet, or suffer brain damage from exposure to lead paint.Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group (MassPIRG) representative Jacqui Tolbert delivered a presentation Tuesday to the Head Start class on what she described as trouble in toy land. The event marked the release of the organization’s 22nd annual toy safety survey.”Most toys are sold between Thanksgiving and Christmas,” said Rep. Steve Walsh, a Lynn Democrat who attended the presentation.Addressing the children, Walsh highlighted the three most prevalent dangers related to unsafe toys. “The first one is choking, which can happen because the toy is made from small parts. The second is magnetic pieces, which can hurt your insides if you swallow them. And the third is lead, which is in the paint on the toy,” he said, adding that the state Legislature is attempting to pass a bill that would stop the sale of unsafe toys.”We would make it illegal,” he said.The “Trouble in Toyland” survey noted that until 2007, toys were becoming safer, but that trend ended when millions of playthings like Barbie dolls, Tickle Me Elmo and Thomas the Tank Engine figures imported from China were recalled due to lead paint.Lead paint is a known carcinogen that can cause neurological problems. The recalled toys contain excessive lead levels, which can be toxic. Some of the toys were made with small parts or magnets that can easily separate and pose a swallowing risk.”These troubling events have reminded Americans that no government agency tests toys before they are put on the shelves,” said Tolbert, urging parents to remain vigilant when inspecting toys for hazards.The recalls spurred intense scrutiny from policymakers of the problems with the long-neglected Consumer Product Safety Commission, she said.”It is the nation’s smallest safety agency, yet it’s responsible for 15,000 different products from chainsaws to escalators, and from kitchen appliances to toys,” Tolbert said, emphasizing that the agency’s current $63 million budget is less than half of what its 1974 startup budget would be worth in today’s dollars.”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.”MassPIRG annually advises parents to determine whether a toy is a choking hazard by putting it inside a cardboard toilet paper roll cylinder. If it fits, it’s small enough to cut off a child’s airway or be ingested. Balloons fall into this category, as does most costume jewelry, which is often easily disassembled and presents a choking danger.The report also warns that noise-making toys can harm a child’s hearing, and that the damage can be caused during a single incident. Nearly 15 percent of children ages 6 to 17 show signs of hearing loss, according to MassPIRG.Pull cords and elastics can pose a danger for children less than 18 months old, as can drawstrings on clothing. Toys that include a projectile are also on the watch list.Among the toys on the 2007 list are pacifiers, balloons, marbles, and any toy set packaged with small parts.Excessively loud toys included the Power Gear Max 10 Fazer, the Elite Operations Astro Blaster, the Special Ops Force 45 Cal. Electronic Sound Pistol, and the Boom Blaster Sax.Toxic toys included Curious George in models such as Fireman, Sweet Dreams and Birthday.The problem of unsafe toys can be deadly, Tolbert said.In 2005, 166 children died as a result of unsafe toys. Sixty-nine died as a result of choking on balloons. Another 47 met a similar fate from ingesting balls, while five deaths were attributed to swallowing marbles. Forty-five children died after swallowing a toy or small toy part.Riding toys such as scooters, and toy chests, we