Group: Dangerous Toys Still On U.S. Shelves

[OhioChick]

Source: Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. /AP

Consumer Organization Issues Yearly Safety List

POSTED: 1:46 pm EST November 25, 2008
UPDATED: 4:28 pm EST November 25, 2008

BOSTON -- If the toy fits inside the tube from a toilet roll, it's too small for the tiny tots, consumer advocates warned Tuesday.

U.S. Public Interest Research Group said parents shopping for holiday toys should look out for hazards such as small parts, soft plastics and lead contamination.

"While the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act is a major step forward, many of its protections don't take effect until 2009, so it's still 'buyer beware' for this shopping season," U.S. PIRG Public Health Advocate Liz Hitchcock said in a release. "Worse, last week the CPSC told companies that they could keep selling toys with toxic phthalate chemicals until they ran out of them, despite the law's clear prohibition against selling them after Feb. 10."

In its 23rd annual "Trouble in Toyland" report on hazardous playthings, the organization focused on three hazards: small parts that can choke children who are younger than 3 years old, lead-tainted toys and soft plastic toys that contain chemicals called phthalates.

"The agency fully enforces the laws that protect children, and we will continue to do that," said CPSC spokeswoman Julie Vallese. "When it comes to safety, the CPSC does not look for loopholes."

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