Arizona PIRG Education Fund’s Annual Trouble in Toyland Report Finds Dangerous Toys on Shelves During Holiday Shopping Season

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Aaron Kane

Arizona PIRG Education Fund

The Arizona PIRG Education Fund’s annual Trouble in Toyland report once again found potentially hazardous toys on store shelves and online.

According to Aaron Kane, Field Associate with the Arizona PIRG Education Fund, “No one should worry about whether or not the toy they’re buying is dangerous. Toy manufacturers must do better to ensure their products are safe before they end up in children’s hands and mouths.”

For more than 30 years, the PIRG’s Trouble in Toyland report has issued toy safety guidelines and has provided examples of toys currently on store shelves that pose potential safety hazards to small children. Key findings from this year’s report include:

●      Hazardous Slime: A number of popular ‘slimes’ had toxic levels of boron, likely in the form of borax. According to the EPA, ingesting boron can cause nausea, vomiting, long-term reproductive health issues and can even be fatal.

●      Missing Online Choking Warnings: In a survey of five search pages for balloons      sold on Amazon, the Arizona PIRG Education Fund found no choking hazard labels on 87 percent of the latex balloons marketed to parents of children under 2 years-old, an apparent violation of the law. Among children’s products, balloons are the leading cause of suffocation death.

In addition to identifying dangerous toys already on store shelves, the Arizona PIRG Education Fund provides a guide on how parents, grandparents and other caretakers can ensure toys are safe and stay updated on recalled toys at www.ToySafetyTips.org.