Deirdre Cummings
Legislative Director, MASSPIRG
617-747-4319
[email protected]
31st Annual Survey Finds Recalled Toys in Online Stores
Media Contacts
MASSPIRG EDUCATION FUND
Boston– Some toys that have been recalled for lead, powerful magnets, or other hazards can still be available for sale in online stores, according to Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group Education Fund’s 31st annual Trouble in Toyland report. The survey of potentially hazardous toys found that consumers should be wary when shopping this holiday season.
The report lists toys recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) from January 2015 to October 2016 with the message to consumers that these recalled toys may still be in homes. For large items such as cars, when they get recalled, owners will usually be contacted immediately through VIN numbers. However, that’s not the case with toy recalls.
“We should be able to trust that the toys we buy are safe. However, until that’s the case, consumers should understand two things: first, not all recalls may be well-publicized so you should check your house for previously recalled toys and second, some toys that are recalled may still be available online,” said Tehya Saylor, organizer with MASSPIRG.
For over 30 years, the MASSPIRG Trouble in Toyland report has offered safety guidelines for purchasing toys for small children. Over the years, our reports have led to over 150 recalls and other enforcement actions.
“I want to thank MASSPIRG for its diligence informing the public annually of dangerous toys. The holiday season is such a joyful time, the last thing that anyone wants is to buy a toy for a child that is going to hurt them in any way and, with MASSPIRG’s report, parents are now armed with the accurate information regarding what to avoid,” said Jay Livingstone State Representative, 8th Suffolk District.
Some of the recalled toys that our researchers found were still available for sale at online stores include:
- A toy glockenspiel, which was recalled in February 2016 due to high levels of lead in the paint. If the paint is scraped off and ingested lead can cause adverse health effects.
- A remote-controlled flying toy, which was recalled in June 2016. The toy’s USB charging cord can overheat, posing a hazard.
- A pencil case which contains two magnets that hold the case lid closed can detach, posing an ingestion hazard. If these two magnets are swallowed, they can link together inside a child’s intestines and result in serious internal injuries.
Read our full report which includes a full list of recalled toys, those that we found available for sale online, as well as specific information including manufacturers’ names, pictures, and remedies for what consumers should do if they have the recalled toys in their homes.
It is illegal to sell a recalled product under CPSC rules. We have notified the CPSC about these potentially illegal sales and have asked them to investigate these toys further and take appropriate action.
The CPSC should improve recall effectiveness by:
- Engaging in efforts to increase consumer and researcher awareness of the public hazard database SaferProducts.gov.
- Aggressively seeking to increase recall effectiveness by making sellers agree to conduct more effective outreach campaigns that stress the real hazard posed, rather than simply promoting the purported good will of the firm.
- Performing regular online sweeps checking for the availability of previously-recalled toys.
- Holding companies reselling recalled products accountable, which will also send a message to others.
Parents and caregivers can also take steps to protect children from potential hazards. We recommend that parents:
- Subscribe to email recall updates from the CPSC and other U.S. government safety agencies available at www.recalls.gov.
- Shop with U.S. PIRG Education Fund’s Toy Safety Tips, available at toysafetytips.org.
- Examine toys carefully for hazards before purchase – and don’t trust that they are safe just because they are on a store shelf. Check the CPSC recall database at CPSC.gov before buying toys online.
- Report unsafe toys or toy-related injuries to the CPSC at Saferproducts.gov.
- Remember, toys on our list are presented as examples of previously recalled toys only. Other hazards may exist.
- Review the recalled toys list in this report and compare it to toys in your children’s toy boxes.
- Put small parts, or toys broken into small parts, out of reach. Regularly check that toys appropriate for your older children are not left within reach of children who still put things in their mouths.
Over the past eight years, stronger rules have helped get some of the most dangerous toys and children’s products off the market. Rules put in place by the 2008 Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act tightened lead limits and phased out dangerous phthalates.
To download our full Trouble in Toyland report, go to our website at www.masspirgedfund.org .
Similar events also held in Springfield, Pittsfield, Salem, Lowell, and Dartmouth.
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MASSPIRG (Public Interest Research Group) Education Fund, is an independent, non-partisan group that works for consumers and the public interest. Through research, public education and outreach, we serve as counterweights to the influence of powerful special interests that threaten our health, safety, or well-being.