2009's Most Dangerous Toys | Dallas, Texas Personal Injury Attorney Blog

Two consumer watchdog groups have released their lists of dangerous toys. The World Against Toys Causing Harm (W.A.T.C.H.), released is annual list of the 10 worst children’s toys, while the Center for Environmental Health released its list of toys they believe have dangerous levels of lead paint.

WATCH’s list of toys typically have a choking hazard for small children, a risk of head injury or a risk of eye injuries. “A lot of the same hazards we see, year after year, are still appearing on the shelves,” said James Swartz, an attorney and director of group that has produced the list each year since 1972. In previous years, the group has had some success in getting some toys pulled from the shelves. The need for safe toys is obvious when you consider that the Consumer Products Safety Commission reports that in 2008 at least 19 toy-related deaths occurred in the United States alone, and that there were also about 235,300 toy-related injuries treated in hospital emergency rooms.

WATCH’S 2009 List of Toys they considered dangerous included:

  1. DISNEY-PIXAR WALL-E FOAM ROCKET LAUNCHER
  2. MOON BOARD POGO BOARD
  3. CURIOUS BABY CURIOUS GEORGE COUNTING – MY FIRST BOOK OF NUMBERS
  4. THE DARK KNIGHT BATMAN FIGURE
  5. X-MEN ORIGINS SLASHIN’ ACTION WOLVERINE. The group said the Wolverine has pointed plastic claws protruding some 1.5 inches from each fist. The right claw pops out and retracts upon impact, while the left stays rigid upon contact.
  6. LOTS TO LOVE BABIES – “mini nursery
  7. JUST KIDZ JUNIOR MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS
  8. CAT rugged mini. A Play School “Caterpillar” dump truck has a wheel that with a hard tug can be pulled off, potentially leaving a child as young as 18 months – the suggested age group for the toy – holding a 3-inch metal spike.
  9. PUCCI PUPS MALTESE, and
  10. SPY GEAR VIPER-BLASTER

Warnings on packaging for a pogo board said that an elastic cord, if pulled taut and then released, “could spring back and cause injury,” and that inexperienced users should wear safety gear

Although many of these products have warning labels. The WATCH group recognizes that children will often ignore those warnings, and those the children will be exposed to the specific hazard that the manufacturer is warning against. “When you see all kinds of warnings about where to use the product, when to use the product, how to use the product – it’s best to stay away from the product,” said Swartz.

Toys With High Lead Levels

The Center for Environmental Health tested 250 children’s products being sold this year and reports that it found Children’s toys carrying the Barbie and Disney logos have turned up with high levels of lead in them, according to a California-based advocacy group — a finding that may give consumers pause as they shop for the holiday season.

The Center for Environmental Health tested about 250 children’s products bought at major retailers and found lead levels that exceeded federal limits in seven of them. Lead is known to be dangerous because it can cause irreversible brain damage.

The toys making the list for high lead levels were:

  1. Barbie Bike Flair Accessory Kit
  2. Disney Tinkerbell Water Lily necklace.
  3. Dora the Explorer Activity Tote,
  4. two pairs of children’s shoes,
  5. a boy’s belt and
  6. a kids’ poncho.

California Attorney General Jerry Brown has sent letters to Target, Wal-Mart and the other retailers who sold the seven products, warning that children’s goods on their store shelves were found to contain illegal levels of lead and should be pulled immediately.

Following a number of revelations about lead-tainted toys in 2007, including the recall of over 2 million toys sold by Mattel, a product safety law was enacted that contained strict limits on the amounts of lead and chemicals allowed in products made for children 12 years and younger.

Manufacture’s Response to Allegations of High Lead Levels:

Mattel said it licensed the Barbie name to Bell Sports for the bike accessory kit found with high lead, but did not make or sell it. Bell said the kit was an older product that passed safety tests in 2007, but the company didn’t know it was still on store shelves.

Disney said the Tinkerbell necklace was tested by its licensee, Playmates Toys, before being distributed — and that it complied with all federal and state consumer safety regulations.

The Center for Environmental Health in Oakland, Calif., said the Barbie toy was bought at Tuesday Morning and the Tinkerbell jewelry was purchased at Walgreens. The other products the center said had high lead came from TJ Maxx, Sears, Wal-Mart and Target.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission, which regulates toys and thousands of other products, is looking into the matter.

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