Lansing - This toy story might be more of a horror story.
Public Interest Research Group In Michigan released a report Tuesday highlighting various toys that can be considered harmful and fatal for children.
The report focused on possible choking hazards and toys made with toxic chemicals.
Chemicals such as nail polish with toluene in teething toys are harmful for children younger than 3-years-old. Other soft polyvinyl chloride (PVC) toys, including teething toys, can contain known carcinogens that are linked to liver and kidney damage.
Morgan Sheets, citizen outreach director for the organization, said one of the major problems is age-inappropriate toys for children.
“Some warning labels are being inappropriately labeled,” she said.
Toys that can choke children, Sheets said, are the most common toy safety hazard. Small parts and balls are often hazardous for toddlers.
“(U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission) really should change the small ball rule,” she said. “(But) we really commend the CPSC for what they have done.”
Parents, she said, can test toys by taking the tube from a roll of paper towel with them shopping to use as a testing device. If the toy easily fits in the tube, it is too small for young children.
“The biggest message we have is be more cautious, use the choke test, contact the manufacturer and read the labels,” she said.
The study also showed many toys manufactured by Internet companies don’t show warning labels or have incorrectly labeled the age appropriateness for children.
“We are really looking for a federal standard for manufacturers to comply to,” she said.
Sheets said there is a bill being developed to protect consumers when shopping online for toys.
U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers, R.-Brighton, said the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has been working with the federal government to make certain toys are manufactured more safely.
“There is no greater joy than seeing the child open that gift and there is no greater pain than a parent knowing they have done something unwittingly to harm a child,” he said.
Rogers said manufacturers have been complying with many of the recalls that have been made.
“They have been pretty good about it, especially some of the fast-food folks,” he said.
One part of the legislation Rogers is working on is making certain secondhand stores have knowledge of certain recalled toys that might be on store shelves.
“Studies show that secondhand stores do well in a slower economy, and sometimes they unknowingly put a product on recall on the shelf,” he said.
But some area families and day cares have been working to stay aware of possible dangers from toys.
East Lansing resident Christine Brown said when her children were younger she made certain playtime was safe.
Brown said possible choking hazards were not allowed in her house.
“I looked for the age group and would see if they fit that age category,” she said.
Dan Blakey, owner of Good Days Nursery and Preschool in East Lansing, said many small children come through the doors.
“We carefully monitor anything we buy, of course, and carefully monitor anything they bring,” he said.
