For those daring enough to brave the frenzy of holiday shoppers out in full force after Thanksgiving, there is much more to consider than what children want.
According to the Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group, buyers should consider what children shouldn’t have.
At a press conference in the daycare center at Lane Community College Tuesday, OSPIRG presented its findings from its 20th annual toy safety survey for parents preparing for the holiday season.
The presentation, called Trouble in Toyland, focused primarily on the dangers posed by common children’s toys, including the risks of chemical poisoning, choking, strangulation and hearing damage.
“This is one way to take a preventative stance,” said Liz Karas, the campus organizer for OSPIRG at LCC. She led the demonstration along with OSPIRG intern Amber Huls.
Karas said young children are particularly susceptible to dangerous chemicals in toys.
Karas focused on phthalates, a family of chemicals that is linked to the early onset of puberty, certain birth defects and cancer.
OSPIRG researched eight toys that claimed to be free of phthalates, and found that six of them still contained the toxic chemicals, Karas said. One of them was a simple rubber duck manufactured by Schylling.
To show the danger of choking, Karas demonstrated a simple plastic cylinder called a choke tube. At 1.75 inches in diameter, anything that could fit inside the tube was deemed a choking hazard for children. Rubber bouncy balls or pieces broken off from larger toys were used as common examples for choking hazards.
Karas said parents may also use an empty toilet paper roll, comparable in diameter, to check for dangerous toys.
Huls said simple balloons or water yo-yos are the most common cause of strangulation. Both were able to stretch to a length of more than four to five feet, easily long enough to wrap around a child’s neck. The water yo-yo was dangerous because the battery could fall out and fit inside the choke tube.
According to the released report, any prolonged exposure to sounds louder than 85 decibels can result in hearing damage. Road Rippers trucks, the example used in the demonstration, had a siren recording on it that measured 97 decibels from a distance of 10 centimeters.
Karas said OSPIRG’s primary intent is not to attack or single out any particular toy company or manufacturer.
“We’re just trying to make it so that children can have a happy holiday and even prevent deaths,” she said. Karas also added that concerned parents should be mindful of what they buy for their kids this holiday season.
“Awareness is the key,” she said.
OSPIRG’s full Trouble in Toyland report can be found at www.toysafety.net.