With the start of the Holiday Shopping season just hours away, the latest “Trouble in Toyland” investigation finds potentially deadly, recalled toys still selling all over the internet. The study 31st Annual Survey Finds Recalled Toys in Online Stores and Consumers should watch out for recalled toys still in homes.
Washington, DC – Some toys that have been recalled for lead, powerful magnets or other hazards may still be available for sale in online stores, according to U.S. Public Interest Research Group Education Fund’s 31st annual Trouble in Toyland report. Consumers may also have previously recalled toys in their homes. The survey of potentially hazardous toys found that consumers should be wary when shopping this holiday season.
The report lists 44 toys totaling 35 million units recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) from January 2015 to October 2016 with the message to consumers that some of these recalled toys may still be available online or still in homes.
“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 Mike Litt, Consumer Program Advocate with U.S. PIRG.
For over 30 years, the U.S. PIRG “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.
“Ideally, manufacturers would use the same resources to recall a product as they use to market the product,” said Rachel Weintraub, Legislative Director and General Counsel of Consumer Federation of America. “This includes making sure that the consumers who need to know- those who own or purchased the product- find out about the recall, but unlike durable nursery products, such as cribs, which are required to provide a way to register the product so that the manufacturer can contact the purchaser or owner in case of a recall, that’s not the case with cheaper toy recalls where product registration is not required,” Weintraub stated.
Some of the recalled toys that our researchers found may still be 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 and 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.”
