Trouble in Toyland: Recalled toys to avoid

From January 2015 to October 2016, the CPSC has recalled 44 toys over safety reasons, but CO-PIRG has found 16 of those 44 products still being sold online.

Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group (MASSPIRG) released a report Tuesday that details more than a dozen potentially risky toys. They were sold at a number of retailers. “We must protect our youngest consumers from recalled toys and children’s products”, said Abe Scarr, Illinois PIRG.

The Trouble in Toyland report was released Tuesday morning at American Family Children’s Hospital in Madison.

A few of the toys found online were recalled for choking hazards, high head levels and for USB chargers overheating. If the coating is scraped off and ingested, its lead content can cause adverse health effects.

Gadget Pencil Cases (importer Disney Stores USA LLC of Pasadena, Calif.) that have magnets that can detach and pose an ingestion hazard.

The survey has resulted in the recall of more than 150 toys, but recalls aren’t always effective. The company that makes the strong magnetic toy was the subject of a four-year-long legal process to get them off the shelves and prevent more of them from going into kids’ intestines.

The watchdog group advises parents to check their homes for this kind of toys and replace them, or pay more attention to their online shopping in the future.

Report unsafe toys or toy-related injuries to the CPSC at SaferProducts.gov.

MassPIRG also called for an overhaul of the US toxic chemicals policy, because lead and other chemicals are still winding up in toys.

Consumers can also check Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s 2016 Safe Shopping Guide for information on hazardous toys, children’s products and household items that were recalled over the past year.

“Sometimes (small parts) can be hard to find”, he said. Regularly check that toys appropriate for your older children are not left within reach of children who still put things in their mouths. A common place that toys that are choking hazards and/or contain risky chemicals are found are at discount stores like the Dollar Store, where some of our most vulnerable families are looking for affordable toys.