Consumer Safety Group’s List of 2019 ‘Most Dangerous Toys’ Released as Holiday Shopping Begins
If you are buying gifts for children this holiday season, make sure to know there are risks posed by certain toys and products that can be dangerous for kids. There are many different types of product defects that can occur including design defects, manufacturing defects, and marketing defects in everyday items.
In some cases, a product does not have an inherent defect and does not even contain a defect that occurred during the manufacturing process, yet the product may have been defectively marketed. For example, a product that could pose choking risks to very young children might not be marketed to the appropriate age group. Each year, the consumer safety and non-profit group, World Against Toys Causing Harm (WATCH) releases a list of dangerous toys, and with the holiday season just beginning, the consumer safety group released its 2019 list of dangerous toys.
According to a report from CBS News, the WATCH list includes a variety of children’s toys that could pose risks of injury. Some of those toys could be dangerous because young children could consume them. For example, the report cites a Nickelodeon toy known as “Frozen Treats Slime.” The slime—which is not intended to be eaten and is in fact made of potentially toxic materials when consumed—poses injury risks to kids. As the report explains, “the slime smells like mint chocolate chip and berry smoothie, which experts say might entice kids to eat it.”
The slime is not the only dangerous toy for sale this holiday season, and the list includes toys that could be dangerous to kids of various ages. For example, the WATCH list has older kids in mind when it lists the Nerf Ultra One Gun, a dart toy that “fires soft darts with enough force that could cause eye injuries.” The list also cites another toy gun that looks very real and could be mistaken for a real one. Although toys sold in the U.S. are required to “meet more than 100 rigorous safety tests and standards,” many products still pose risks of injury to kids. Whether you are a parent, a guardian, or simply a friend or family member shopping for kids, it is important to pay attention to the list and to watch for toys or products that could pose an injury risk to kids. The full list of toys on the WATCH list is available here.
Know About Child Injury Risks and Dangerous Products
According to KidsinDanger.org, parents and guardians should remember the following tips concerning potentially dangerous children’s products:
- Almost anything can be recalled—from children’s toys to furniture to food—and it is important to stay up-to-date on recall news;
- Recalls are announced in different ways, from releases from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to letters from manufacturers;
- Children’s product recalls occur, on average, about twice per week;
- More than 100 children’s products are recalled on average every year;
- When baby products get recalled, only about 10% to 30% of the recalled items are actually retrieved by the manufacturer; and
- Best way to know about children’s product recalls is to regularly search for recalls by the manufacturer and to sign up for alerts.
The Rothenberg Law Firm LLP wishes you a safe and happy holiday season. If your child was injured while using a dangerous product, a product liability lawyer may be able to help.
