As the year-end holiday shopping season approaches, many parents are looking to buy toys and gifts for their children: LEGO building blocks, stuffed animals, educational toys, and water babies…The market is currently flooded with cheap toys, but are these toys really safe?
On November 19th (Tuesday), the California Public Interest Research Group (CALPIRG) released its annual toy safety report titled “Trouble in Toyland”, warning parents about the influx of a large number of toxic toys into the American market. These toys, sold at very low prices, are mostly uninspected and do not meet U.S. safety standards, posing serious risks of causing children to be severely injured or even killed.
Advocate Fiona Hines from CALPIRG stated during an online press conference on Tuesday, “The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in cooperation with customs confiscated over 1.1 million dangerous or illegal toys in the 2023 fiscal year. CPSC indicates that among these seized toys, over 100,000 exceeded the lead content limit, which can result in brain damage, nervous system, and other health issues.”
Data shows that an average of about 470 children in the United States experience allergies or injuries daily due to substandard toy quality. Many of these harmful toys are manufactured in China.
While browsing online, parents may be attracted to a brightly colored wooden pegboard toy set: the set includes 25 building blocks, each allowing toddlers to play for a while individually, while also helping them learn how to classify and install the blocks onto the pegboard, appearing both fun and educational. The key point is that this toy costs only $4 with free shipping.
CALPIRG pointed out that while many might consider this a great holiday gift, how many people overlook the fact that the toy details list does not specify the manufacturer, and it is shipped directly from overseas to the U.S. Does this toy contain lead or other toxic substances? Could small parts come loose and pose a choking hazard to children? Has it passed U.S. safety testing? All of these are unknown factors.
CALPIRG, which has been dedicated to testing, analyzing, and researching toy safety issues for the past 40 years, warns parents that with the development of online shopping platforms, unscrupulous merchants are starting to exploit legal loopholes, bypass U.S. customs checks, attract consumers through social media for shopping, and ship directly from overseas to buyers in the U.S. Many new types of toxic toys are being transported to the U.S. and then sold through online or physical stores.
Hines specifically stated that in 2023, about 80% of toys sold in the U.S. and Europe were manufactured in China, with the majority of these properly sold toys not posing a danger to children. The real danger to children comes from illegal toys that bypass U.S. inspection and are directly mailed from China to the U.S.
CALPIRG reminds consumers to beware of toys, including: illegal toxic toys, smart toys that infringe on children’s privacy, water bead toys, toys with small parts, balloons, lead-containing finger spinners, hoverboards, and other toys recalled by the U.S.
Included in the annual CALPIRG report are images of dangerous toys that do not meet safety standards.
So, what does a dangerous toy mean for a child? Many children who have long-term exposure to toxic illegal toys may experience allergies, vomiting, injuries, choking, and other symptoms.
The U.S. Congress is working to restrict businesses from selling water beads as toys, as thousands of children have been rushed to emergency rooms due to ingesting water beads, and at least one child has died as a result.
Helen Arbogast, Manager of the Injury Prevention Department at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, said, “Parents should also pay attention to button batteries in toys, they can be sealed with tape or avoid buying toys with such batteries. Because if children swallow these button batteries, it can burn the vocal cords when passing through the throat, causing permanent damage, and may also lead to digestive issues.”
CALPIRG recommends that parents ensure the source and quality assurance of toys when making purchases. ◇