Report released on toys to avoid during holidays
Nov 26, 2013, 6:41 PM
PHOENIX — The U.S. Public Interest Group (PIRG) released Tuesday it’s 28th annual list of toys to avoid giving children for the holiday season.
PIRG is worried about toys that may be too noisy for kids, like the Little Leapfrog phone. When it was played during a press conference Tuesday at Phoenix Children’s Hospital, it didn’t sound that loud. But the toy is intended to be held close to the ear, meaning kids are exposed to sounds as loud as 85 decibels.
“The National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders says that prolonged exposure to 85 decibels and above can cause hearing loss in any age range,” Arizona PIRG’s Shania Shay said. “They advise that close-to-ear toys should not produce continuous noise above 65 decibels.”
The group also said that toys that pose a choking hazard to children under the age of 3 are also available in stores.
Shay said it’s easy to find out if a toy is too small for a young child, and, therefore, a potential choking hazard.
“If a toy or a toy part fits into a toilet paper roll, then it’s too small for a child under three,” she said.
Greenbriar International’s Princess Wand and Hasbro’s Littlest Pet Ship are two toys that PIRG said are choking hazards.
PIRG also said it foun the Captain American soft shield has nearly 30 times the legal amount of lead.
