YOUR MONEY
The Detroit News |
Toy tests find few holiday
hazards on store shelves
Consumer group says
most playthings free
of toxins, choke risk
BY JENNIFER C. KERR
Associated Press
Washington — Only a small
fraction of children’s toys tested
for toxic substances and choking
risks has been found to violate
federal safety regulations as holiday shopping shifts into high
gear, consumer advocates said
last week.
“We’re seeing progress, but it’s
not perfection,” said Elizabeth
Hitchcock, public health advocate for U.S. Public Interest Research Group. “There are still
hazards on store shelves that consumers should be aware of.”
PIRG credited a 2008 law that
set stronger limits and standards
for children’s products for helping to make many of the products
on store shelves safer for youngsters. The law was passed in the
wake of a wave of recalls of lead
tainted toys.
PIRG had 260 toys and other
children’s products from major
retailers and dollar stores tested
for toxic substances such as lead
and antimony as well as for the
risk of choking presented by
small parts.
Four of the items tested violated federal safety regulations for
children’s toys.
In its 25th annual “Trouble in
Toyland” report on hazardous
playthings, the organization focused on three hazards: lead or
other metal-tainted toys, soft
plastic toys that contain chemicals called phthalates, and toys
with small parts that can choke
young children.
Higher than permissible levels of lead or antimony were
found in four toys — a stuffed animal, a baby book, plastic toy
handcuffs and a toy gun. The toys
were sold at stores including Toys
Working
“R” Us and Family Dollar. Messages left for both companies
were not returned.
Lead can cause irreversible
brain damage, and antimony has
been linked to fertility problems
in animals.
Overall, though, the toy industry praised the findings.
“Toys on shelves now are safer
than they have ever been before,”
said Stacy Leistner, a vice president at the Toy Industry Association.
While none of the products
tested violated federal limits for
small parts, PIRG said several
toys were still hazardous for children under 3 because the size was
not that much bigger than allowed by law.
In one case, a toy train made
by Haba was singled out after a
Washington, D.C., mother, Jennifer Tapper, contacted the
group.
Tapper said her 1-year-old son,
Jack, nearly choked to death after
swallowing one of the small removable blocks on the train. She
performed the anti-choking
Heimlich maneuver on the boy to
save him.
Haba, in a statement, said the
train meets all current safety
laws. Even so, the company said it
has suspended shipments to its
retailers and that future production runs of the train will have a
block, like the one involved in the
Tapper incident, that is longer —
as an extra measure of safety.
Hitchcock said her group
wants the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which regulates thousands of household
products, to make choking standards more strict.
The toys identified in the
group’s report as potential dangers were:
A stuffed animal monkey
made by Play Pets that contained
lead just slightly above the limit.
The red handle of a baby
book sold at Toys “R’’ Us that con-
How to give safely this season
Bigger is better: Do not buy small
toys or toys with small parts for
children under 3. If a toy or part of
a toy can pass through a toilet
paper tube, don’t buy it for a child
under 3, or any child who still puts
things in his/her mouth.
Read and heed warning labels:
Toys with small parts intended for
children between 3 and 6 are
required by law to include an
explicit choke hazard warning.
Never give young children small
balls or balloons: Small balls,
balloons and pieces of broken
balloons are particularly dangerous, as they can completely block
a child’s airway. Balls for children
under 6 years old must be more
than 1.75 inches in diameter. Never
give latex balls to children younger
than 8 years old.
Toys with powerful magnets:
New, powerful small magnets
used in most magnetic building
toys, toy darts and magnetic
jewelry can fall out of small toys
and look like shiny candy. If a child
swallows more than one magnet,
the magnets can attract each
other in the body (in the stomach
and intestines) and cause lifethreatening complications. If a
child swallows even one magnet,
seek immediate medical attention.
Watch and “button” batteries:
Keep watch or “button” batteries
away from children. If swallowed,
the battery acid can cause fatal
internal injuries.
Noise: Children’s ears are sensitive. If a toy seems too loud for
your ears, it is probably too loud
for a child. Take the batteries out
of loud toys or cover the speakers
with tape.
Mobiles: Keep mobiles out of the
tained antimony that was about
twice the limit.
The surface coating of toy
plastic handcuffs sold at Toys “R’’
Us that had excess antimony,
reach of children in cribs and
remove them before the baby is 5
months old or can push him/
herself up.
Cords: Remove knobs and beads
from cords longer than 1 foot to
prevent the cords from tangling
into a dangerous loop.
Drawstrings: Clothing with
drawstrings on the hood can get
caught on fixed objects like playground equipment and pose a
strangulation hazard.
Toys with PVC plastic: Avoid
toys made of PVC plastic which
could contain toxic phthalates
posing developmental hazards;
choose unpainted wooden or
cloth toys instead.
Lead: The Consumer Product
Safety Commission, the U.S.
Public Interest Research Group
and children’s health groups have
found high levels of lead paint on
toys, as well as high levels of lead
in vinyl lunchboxes and bibs, and
in children’s costume jewelry.
Other chemicals: Read the labels
of play cosmetics and avoid
products with xylene, toluene or
dibutyl phthalate.
Stay informed of recalls: The
CPSC recalls numerous toys and
children’s products each year.
Check www.recalls.gov for an
archive of old recalls and to sign
up to receive e-mail alerts of new
recalls.
Report dangerous toys: The
Consumer Product Safety Commission has the authority to recall
dangerous toys. Call (800) 6382772; email [email protected]; or go
to www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx
Source: U.S. Public Interest Research Group
many times higher than allowed.
The surface coating of a wild
ranger toy gun sold at Family Dollar with slightly higher levels of
antimony than allowed.
O’Connor
Continued from Page 1C
the price is right, pounce.
Tip on out-of-towners:
Order from catalogs or online
for your out-of-town relatives,
and if you can score free or
discounted shipping, you’ll
pay less than buying locally
and taking it all to the post
office or UPS depot, or paying
for an extra suitcase to lug it
on a flight.
Play the waiting game: If
it’s not a must-have gift on your
list, it can pay to wait. According to CouponCraze.com, many
retailers will dramatically cut
prices or up the free shipping
incentives during the second
week of December to hit their
year-end sales goals.
Lay it away: You’ve still got
enough time to take advantage
of layaway offers. Even if the
program charges a fee, it’s
usually less than you’d pay to
finance the purchase on credit.
Just remember each store has
its own rules, so read the fine
print carefully.
Time it right: Most coupons are released at the beginning of each month, so the first
week of each month is the best
time to find coupons and freebies. Likewise, retailers tend to
release many new deals on
Mondays, which means you’ll
find the best prices and selections early in the week, and
early in the month.
Personalize it: A pretty but
inexpensive picture frame gets
a big boost in value if you add a
photo of a favorite grandchild
or the family. Likewise, load up
a bargain-priced digital photo
frame with shots you know the
recipient will cherish.
Splurge on someone: A
friend or relative who’s been
pinching pennies for the last
two years or more is probably
dying for some small indulgence
they no longer can afford. In
that case, a gift certificate for a
manicure, pedicure or concert
tickets will be appreciated well
beyond the price.
Go surfin’: Use a search of
the Web to turn up product
reviews, special offers, merchandise comparisons and
SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT FROM THE DETROIT MEDIA PARTNERSHIP
Monday, November 29, 2010
| 4C
coupons. Some sources: ConsumerSearch.com (reviews),
NexTag.com, PriceGrabber.com, BizRate.com (price comparisons); SurfMyAds.com,
eCoupons.com, ShopAtHome.com, Coupons.com and cashbackmonitor.com (coupons,
discounts, shipping, rebates);
Offers.com, SheFinds.com and
MomFinds.com (specials offers and deals);
Stack it: When shopping
online, look for retailers that
will let you “stack” coupons, by
combining free shipping promotions with other discounts, or
that allow you to add a coupon
on a sale or clearance item.
Skip the holidays. What?
If the big family gift is going to
be a new TV, the best deals are
usually in January, right before
the Super Bowl. So wait a few
weeks. Plus, you won’t ruin
Christmas Day trying to hook
up the darn thing. Likewise, if
your sweetie is on active duty
guarding the port of Bayonne,
N.J., against the Romulans,
buy those presents on the
after-Christmas sales.
It’s not about the money:
Remember the spirit of the
season. Yes, you want a nice
holiday, but your family is
more likely to forget the great
deal you got on Snuggies and
instead remember the pennypinching tantrum you threw
after ForgettableCrap.com
rejected your coupon. Make a
budget, shop within it and let
the money take care of itself.
Don’t let the focus on not
creating big bills get in the way
of creating memorable experiences for your family.
A tip to the tipsters
Advice for these money-saving
strategies came from: Detroit News
research; professional organizer
Karen DeClark of Sterling Heights;
CareOne Services Inc.; Coupon
Craze; American Debt Counseling;
ShopAtHome.com; Offers.com; Lisa
Reynolds, “Mom Saver-in-Chief” of
RedPlum; Michelle Madhok, online
shopping expert and CEO of SheFinds.com; Freedom Debt Relief
LLC, Tempe, Ariz.; LoyaltyOne Consulting; Teri Gault, CEO of www.thegrocerygame.com; SurfMyAds.com;
Jeanette Pavini, savings expert for
Coupons.com; Regina Lewis, AOL
consumer adviser.
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says. “We look for people that
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Seasonal Staff
with the excitement that acteam meetings, where comare excited to work for our
to think outside the ways of
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munication and motivation are
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time employees and will be hirworking for our company a
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