Keeping Your Children Safe this Holiday Season
With the arrival of the holiday season parents, grandparents, and friends have begun to prepare holiday toy shopping lists for their loved ones. Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano reminds residents that safety should be at the top of everyone’s toy list and stronger federal rules are making a positive impact and restoring confidence in the safety of toys.
“Not only should parents follow the age recommendations on the toy package, they should also make sure the toy is being used the way it was intended. Too many times there are injuries from safe toys being used in an unsafe way,” said County Executive Mangano. “I want this holiday season to be as safe and happy as possible for our families and being aware of the latest product safety measures and recall information can prevent potential injuries and possibly save lives.”
The United States (U.S.) Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) new toy safeguards include: establishing the lowest lead content and lead paint limits in the world, setting a stringent limit on the use of certain phthalates, converting the voluntary toy standards into mandatory standards, requiring third party testing and certification of toys designed or intended primarily for children 12 and younger, closing in on new limits for cadmium in toys; and working with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to track shipments in transit from other countries, thereby increasing seizure of dangerous imported toys.
These safeguards, along with safety-conscious steps taken by many toy makers and sellers, have contributed to a continued decline in toy recalls since 2008. There were 34 toy recalls in fiscal year 2011. This is down from 46 toy recalls in fiscal year 2010, 50 recalls in 2009, and 172 recalls in 2008. In 2011, toy recalls related to lead declined to 4, down from 19 in 2008. Toy-related deaths to children younger than 15 increased to 17 fatalities reported in 2010, up from 15 reported in 2009. Nearly half of these toy-related fatalities were attributed to choking on balloons, small balls, and rubber balls.
A new report released by CPSC also notes that about 181,500 children younger than 15 years of age were treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments due to toy-related injuries in 2010. Non-motorized scooters continued to be the category of toys associated with the most injuries. Frequently these injuries involved lacerations, contusions, and abrasions to the child's face and head. Importantly many of the incidents were associated with, but not necessarily caused by, a toy.
Safety Tips to Remember While Shopping:
Safety Tips to Remember Once the Gifts are Open:
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, go online to: www.saferproducts.gov, call CPSC's Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270 for the hearing impaired.