skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

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.

Report Finds Unsafe Toys Still in Stores

play audio
Play

Friday, November 22, 2019   

ALBANY, N.Y. – Choking hazards, loud sounds and hidden toxins are some of the dangers still lurking on toy shelves, according to a new report.

The New York Public Interest Research Group's 34th annual "Trouble in Toyland" report says toys have become safer in the past three decades, but some toys still on store shelves can be dangerous to children.

Hazards like lead paint or toxic chemicals are not easily identified – but Liz Moran, NYPIRG's environmental policy director, says some dangers are easier to detect.

"Detectable dangers include toys that children could choke on or toys that are too loud, and these types of dangers are ones that parents can be on the lookout for," says Moran.

The report, available online at 'uspirg.org,' identifies hazardous toys still for sale, provides tips for parents and other gift-givers, and calls on the government to adopt stronger safety standards.

In New York, the "Child Safe Product Act" – a bill regulating the use of toxic chemicals in children's products – has passed in both houses of the State Legislature. However, Moran points out that it won't become law until Governor Andrew Cuomo signs it.

"The governor should sign that before the holiday season," says Moran, “to send the message to parents that New York state is doing everything in its power to make sure that the products for our children are going to be safe."

The report says many toy "slime" products now on the market contain dangerous amounts of boron, and some children's jewelry contains cadmium, which can cause cancer and other health problems.

Moran adds toys that have been recalled because they're safety hazards may show up for sale on eBay or at garage sales.

"What needs to happen is more notification from the U.S. [Consumer] Product Safety Commission and manufacturers, to make sure that the public is aware a toy is being recalled, and why," says Moran.

Other common hazards include powerful magnets that can be swallowed, and uninflated balloons, which are the primary cause of suffocation death in children.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021