It’s that time of year again! Our friends at USPIRG have released the 34th annual Trouble in Toyland Report.
This year’s report highlights a number of potential threats to navigate while shopping for loved ones this holiday season, including toxic amounts of boron in “slime” products and a failure by Amazon to appropriately label choking hazards.
For decades, VPIRG has been proud to share this essential guide with you to keep the children in your life safe and healthy during the holidays.
Click here to check out the full 2019 report on dangerous and toxic toys.
For more than 30 years, Trouble in Toyland has issued toy safety guidelines and has provided examples of toys currently on store shelves that pose potential safety hazards to small children. Key findings from this year’s report include:
- Toxic Jewelry: This year, the Washington Attorney General found cadmium in children’s jewelry above the legal limit of 40 ppm. When consumed by children, cadmium builds up and can lead to certain cancers, osteoporosis, and other health complications as adults.
- Missing Online Choking Warnings: An investigative report from the Wall Street Journal earlier this year found that 64% of Amazon toy listings lacked the proper choking-hazard warning warnings.
- Hazardous Slime: A number of popular ‘slimes’ had toxic levels of boron at up to 75 times the European Union’s limit. According to the EPA, ingesting boron can cause nausea, vomiting, long-term reproductive health issues and can even be fatal.
No caregiver should ever have to wonder about whether or not the toy they buy is dangerous for their child. Toy manufacturers must do better to ensure that every child is safe. And if manufacturers will not voluntarily make their products safer, then we urge the federal government and Vermont’s Department of Health and legislative leaders to take action.
But while we fight for stronger protections, VPIRG will continue to provide consumers with important information like this to help keep their families safe.