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NYPIRG NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release:	Contact:
Tuesday, November 20, 2007	Tracy Shelton (212) 349-6460 www.toysafety.net; www.nypirg.org

CONSUMER GROUP ALERTS SHOPPERS TO HIDDEN TOY HAZARDS NYPIRG CALLS PASSAGE OF STRONG REFORMS “BEST HOLIDAY GIFT FOR AMERICA'S LITTLEST CONSUMERS”

Hazardous toys are still sold in stores across the country, according to the 22nd annual toy safety report, Trouble in Toyland, released today by the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG) at a news conference held in Manhattan with Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-Westchester/Rockland).

"While we have seen progress after more than two decades of advocacy on behalf of America's littlest consumers, researchers still found trouble in toyland on store shelves throughout New York this month," said Tracy Shelton, Consumer Attorney with NYPIRG. "But recent high profile product recalls have given us a chance to urge Congress to pass strong product safety reforms, and give kids the best holiday gift of all."

According to the most recent data from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), toy-related injuries sent almost 73,000 children under the age of five to emergency rooms in 2005. Twenty children died from toy-related injuries that year. For 22 years, the NYPIRG Trouble in Toyland report has offered safety guidelines for purchasing toys for small children and provides examples of toys currently on store shelves that pose potential safety hazards.

"As the holiday shopping season begins, it is critical that parents have the resources they need to protect their children from dangerous toys," said Lowey. "I commend NYPIRG for their 22nd annual report on this important topic, and I will continue to work in Congress to ensure that the federal government is doing its job to inform parents of potential choking hazards and keeping unsafe products off the shelves."

The 2007 research focused on several categories of toy dangers: toys that pose choking hazards, toys with powerful magnets, and toys that contain lead.

Among the findings of the 2007 Trouble In Toyland report:

Lead in Toys and Children's Jewelry: Children exposed to lead can suffer lowered IQ, delayed mental and physical development and even death. In 2006, a four year old died of lead poisoning after he swallowed a bracelet charm that contained 99% lead. NYPIRG researchers went to just a few stores and easily found four children's toys or jewelry containing high, actionable levels of lead. One piece of jewelry we found was 65% lead by weight, or over one thousand times current CPSC action levels.

Magnetic Toys: Toymakers have started using powerful magnets in building toys, magnetic jewelry and children's playsets. If a child swallows more than one magnet, they can attract each other in the body and cause a bowel obstruction or life-threatening perforation. A 22-month old boy died in 2005 and many others have needed life-saving surgery after swallowing magnets. This year, the CPSC has recalled popular Mattel toys, including Barbie and Polly Pockets, for poorly designed magnets that fall out. Listed in the report are several examples of sloppily-designed or poorly-labeled magnetic toys found by NYPIRG researchers this fall.

Choking Hazards: In 1979, the CPSC banned the sale of toys for children younger than three if they contain small parts. The 1994 Child Safety Protection Act required an explicit choke hazard warning on toys with small parts for children aged between three and six.

NYPIRG called on Congress to pass the strongest possible product safety reforms under consideration:

• Congress should ban lead except at trace amounts. The SAFE Consumer Product Act, HR 3691, introduced by Rep. DeLauro (Conn.) with over 150 co-sponsors including Rep. Lowey, would reduce all lead levels ã in paint or in the product ã to the level recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics: 40 parts per million (ppm) which is 15 times less than the current allowable level of 600 ppm.
• Congress should increase the budget and staffing of CPSC as much as possible. CPSC has only one toy tester and a tiny force of 15 inspectors to check millions of toys at hundreds of ports of entry.
• Congress should require companies to guarantee that their products have been subject to independent third party testing before they put them on toy store shelves. Congress should also give CPSC more tools to punish companies that break the law.