Toys That Can Kill: This Year's Most Dangerous Toys

The Public Interest Research Group’s Education Fund says its “Trouble in Toyland” report, now in its 30th year, has led to more than 150 toy recalls and other enforcement actions over the years, according to a news release.

This year, the report found that some of the most dangerous toys are:

• A Fun Bubbles jump rope from Dollar Tree with 10 times the legal limit of the banned phthalate DEHP, as well as high levels of the toxic phthalate DIBP, which may soon join the list of banned substances.
• A fairy wand, also available at Dollar Tree, with small parts that break off and can cause choking hazards, despite a ban on small parts in toys for children under the age of 3. The product was not labeled as a choking hazard, PIRG said.
• Disney Pixar Cars Riplash Racers and Disney Planes from Marshalls, G2 Air Mini Football and a Disney Finding Nemo Dory figurine from Five Below, and a Nickelodeon mermaid Dora the Explorer from Target that did not have adequate warning labels of choking hazards.

• Magic Towels packaged a small baseball and a small football at Dollar Tree which did not have the appropriate small ball warning label.
• Balloon Animal Kit, Mega Value Pack 16 Latex Punch Balloons, and Mega Value Pack 12 Water Bomb Packs from Party City included a choking hazard warning label, but also a second, confusing label indicating the sets are for children 3 and older
• Vtech Go! Go! Smart Wheels, Vtech Go! Go! Smart Animals, Vtech Spin & Learn Color Flashlight, Fisher Price Click n Learn Remote, and Leap Frog Fridge Phonics Magnetic Letter Set from Target are extremely loud and may damage children’s hearing, though the noise level does not violate federal standards.
• Sizzlers noise magnets from Family Dollar and Singing magnets from Dollar Tree don’t violate federal standards, PIRG said, but are small enough to be swallowed and can cause severe internal damage.

The PIRG said stronger rules over the past seven years have gotten some of the most dangerous children’s toys and products off the market, including the 2008 Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act that tightened lead limits and phased out dangerous phthalates. Earlier this year, small, powerful toy magnets were banned.

However, as the “Trouble in Toyland” report showed, not all toy manufacturers are in compliance, the PIRG said.

• Get Patch’s daily newsletter and real-time news alerts.