December 26, 2007
This month, across the country (and around the world) new
toys are filling homes. For some, this will bring joy. For
others, each new toy brings with it safety concerns that
began months ago.
"[August 1, 2007] Toy-maker Fisher-Price is recalling 83
types of toys -- including the popular Big Bird, Elmo, Dora
and Diego characters -- because their paint contains
excessive amounts of lead. The worldwide recall being
announced Thursday involves 967,000 plastic preschool toys
made by a Chinese vendor and sold in the United States
between May and August. It is the latest in a wave of
recalls that has heightened global concern about the safety
of Chinese-made products."
Lead paint on toys will periodically make the news when
toys are recalled, but this is not the main source of lead
poisoning for children in the United States.
"'There are now seven peer-reviewed articles in the medical
literature that indicate the major loss of IQ occurs in
children at blood-lead levels of less than 7.5
micrograms/dL [of lead],' Rosen says. ... The CDC says
about 310,000 American kids (1 to 5 years old) have
blood-lead levels over 10 micrograms/dL. A U.S. child's
main risk of lead poisoning comes from the lead-based house
paints in near-universal use before 1950. The paints were
banned for housing use in 1978. An estimated 24 million
U.S. housing units -- which some 4 million young children
call home -- have deteriorated lead paint contributing to
lead-contaminated house dust."
While lead paint on toys is a problem -- and it has brought
attention to both lead paint and toy safety issues -- there
are far more children who get lead poisoning from their
homes and are injured by their toys in other ways.
"At least 16 children ages 9 and under died in 2004 from
Approximately 161,100 children, ages 14 and under, were
treated at hospital emergency rooms for toy-related
injuries in 2004. Almost half of the children treated for
these injuries (45 percent) were ages 4 and under. ... In
2004, children under age 5 accounted for 35 percent of all
Almost half the toy-related injuries that required an
emergency room visit involved children ages 4 and under,
and just over a third of all toy-related injuries involved
children ages 5 and under.
"Although toys intended for young children should be free
of small parts that could easily cause a choking incident,
toys intended for older children may find their way into
the hands of younger children. Reminder: Be sure to keep
ALL small items out of the hands of children who mouth
objects, especially children under the age of three. Remind
three and four year olds to keep such items out of their
mouths. Instruct older children to keep these items out of
reach of younger children."
"Reminder: Be sure to keep ALL small items out of the hands
of children who mouth objects..." Toys intended for
children over the age of three are not intended to be in
the mouth. Older children who put toys in their mouths
(even occasionally) should be warned of the danger and
taught that their toys are not intended for such a purpose.
"In the United States, the toy goes by the name Aqua Dots,
a highly popular holiday toy distributed by Toronto-based
Spin Master Toys. They are called Bindeez in Australia,
where they were named toy of the year at an industry
function earlier this year. ... Scientists say a chemical
coating on the beads, when ingested, metabolizes into the
so-called date rape drug gamma hydroxy butyrate. When
eaten, the compound - made from common and easily available
ingredients - can induce unconsciousness, seizures,
drowsiness, coma and death. ... The two U.S. children who
swallowed Aqua Dot beads went into nonresponsive comas,
commission spokesman Scott Wolfson said Wednesday
afternoon. In Australia, the toys were ordered off store
shelves on Tuesday when officials learned that a 2-year-old
boy and a 10-year-old girl were hospitalized after
swallowing the beads. A 19-month-old toddler also was being
treated. ... [Aqua Dots] had appeared on many toy experts'
list of must-have holiday toys."
One could argue that the 2-year-old and the 19-month-old
should not have been allowed access to the toy. It probably
belonged to an older sibling.
While it is easy to blame the toymakers (and no one is
saying that such a hazardous substance should be on a
child's toy), older children who are given toys designed
for their age ranges are also given the responsibility to
play with them safely. This is not always easy.
Toymakers know this is a daunting task, but it is also very
difficult to make toys that appeal to older children yet
are safe for ALL ages. For this reason, there are warnings
on many toys designed for older children. These toys were
never intended to be safe in the hands of those under the
age of 3 -- or in the hands of anyone who still puts toys
in their mouth.
Does this take all responsibility away from the toymakers?
Absolutely not. Toymakers are still expected to make safe
"The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged
with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of
serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of
consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths,
injuries and property damage from consumer product
incidents cost the nation more than $800 billion annually.
The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families
from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or
mechanical hazard." To see current Toy Safety Publications
from the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, you can
That said, children's product safety is more than just toy
"Of all children's products, balloons are the leading cause
of suffocation death, according to CPSC [Consumer Product
Safety Commission] injury data. Since 1973, more than 110
children have died as a result of suffocation involving
uninflated balloons or pieces of balloons. Most of the
victims were under six years of age, but the CPSC does know
of several older children who have suffocated on balloons.
... Some children have sucked uninflated balloons into
their mouths, often while attempting to inflate them. This
can occur when a child who is blowing up the balloon
inhales or takes a breath to prepare for the next blow, and
draws the balloon back into the mouth and throat. Some
deaths may have resulted when children swallowed uninflated
balloons they were sucking or chewing on. The CPSC knows of
one case in which a child was chewing on an uninflated
balloon when she fell from a swing. The child hit the
ground and, in a reflex action, inhaled sharply. She
suffocated on the balloon. The second kind of accident
involves balloon pieces. Children have drawn pieces of
broken balloons that they were playing with into their
throats. If a balloon breaks and is not discarded, for
example, some children may continue to play with it,
chewing on pieces of the balloon or attempting to stretch
it across their mouths and suck or blow bubbles in it.
These balloon pieces are easily sucked into the throat and
lungs. Balloons mold to the throat and lungs and can
completely block breathing."
Questions of the Week:
Who is responsible for making sure that toys are safe
before they arrive in toy stores? Who is responsible for
determining if a toy will be safe for the child it is
purchased for? How can a parent (or someone else buying a
gift for a child) know which toys will be safe and
appropriate for the age and stage of development of the
child for which they are buying? Once the toys are in the
home, how can parents and older siblings help younger
children learn to safely and responsibly enjoy the toys
they have been given? What is the best way to help older
siblings understand what safe choices are (and the
importance of making them) when playing with their toys in
an area that is accessible to younger siblings?
Please email me with any ideas or suggestions.
Note: Due to increasing amounts of SPAM sent to this account, please include "QOW" in the subject line when sending me email.
I look forward to reading what you have to say.
Health Community Coordinator
Access Excellence @ the National Health Museum