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Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

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Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

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Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Last Minute Shoppers Beware: Not All Toys are Safe

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Friday, December 19, 2014   

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - While the clock ticks down for shoppers, an annual report finds that when it comes to toys, there is still time and reason to take safety into account. According to the "Trouble in Toyland" report, a rubber duck, a shopping cart playset and a tambourine are among the toys on store shelves that contain potential hazards.

This is the 29th year for the report and Pam Clough, campaign organizer with the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, says it has led to more than 150 toys either being recalled or taken off the shelves.

"It is great to see that progress is being made," says Clough. "But it's evident there are still dangerous toys on the shelves."

Among the 24 toys on the list, Clough says they uncovered four main hazards including "toxic hazards in toys, choking hazards, magnetic toys and excessively noisy toys."

Clough says the findings highlight the need for consumers to be proactive, do their research before buying and to examine items that have already been purchased for possible dangers.

Clough says the toxic chemicals found in toys can have adverse health impacts on a child's development, and include lead, chromium and phthalates.

"We found toys that contained phthalates that are well over the legal limits. For example, a 'Dora' backpack was 20 percent phthalates, which is ridiculous."

Clough says with the passage of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, toy safety standards have improved in recent years. Among the improvements, she says, is a ban that goes into effect next year on small magnetic sets that pose a dangerous threat to children if swallowed.

"The magnets have the power to bind through tissue, and so, that can really disrupt the digestive system," says Clough. "It actually can lead to severe injury that has been seen in pediatric emergency hospitals."

The Toy Industry Association claims PIRG's past toy reports were based on improper testing methods that are not approved by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.



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