March 21, 2008
Posted by: Attorney Edgar Snyder
Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate the holiday. Here’s some important information for anyone enjoying Easter baskets or egg hunts: Parents or grandparents should beware the plastic eggs typically filled with candy and used in Easter egg hunts. Researchers have discovered toxic levels of lead may be contained in the popular plastic eggs. For more on this serious risk, read all about children’s Easter products tainted with lead.
December 11, 2007
Posted by: Attorney Edgar Snyder
I can’t remember a time more dangerous for parents to go shopping for toys during the holiday season than right now. With millions of toys recalled this year, it’s nearly impossible to know every single dangerous toy out there. Even more devastating is that children who benefit from the compassionate generosity of toy drives may not even get any toys this year. In the East Liberty neighborhood of Pittsburgh, only a portion the 15,000 toys collected by the Salvation Army can be given out this holiday season. If you’re donating this year, please do your best to find out what toys have been recalled. I praise those who continue to donate even though now, more than ever, it’s tough to buy the right toy.
November 15, 2007
Posted by: Attorney Edgar Snyder
The biggest shopping day of the year, Black Friday, is coming up. Good luck finding toys. Most of them have been recalled. I’m amazed at the risks parents must take lately just to let their children play with toys. The latest addition to the list of toy recalls is Aqua Dots. If these toy beads are swallowed by a child, they can cause a dangerous chemical reaction inside the body just like a date rape drug. Before the recall, Aqua Dots were named Toy of the Year in Australia and Wal-Mart put them on their Top 12 list for Christmas. But after two children slipped into comas due to swallowing Aqua Dots, the dangerous toy was pulled right off of the shelves. The flood of toy recalls started in August, when Mattel recalled Fisher-Price brand toys for lead paint. The recall was quickly expanded to include both Fisher-Price and Mattel brands, recalling millions made with tiny little magnets that can be swallowed and cause damage to the intestines. After that, the flood gates opened and now the toy recalls seem to come on a daily basis. I’m happy to say that there are some resources out there to help parents keep track of dangerous toys. The Toy Troubles page from WTAE runs frequent updates, posting news stories and recall information. The Consumer Products Safety Commission has its own Toy Hazard Recalls page, which posts the latest breaking recall notices. To learn about the most dangerous toys on the shelves this holiday season, check out the 10 Worst Toys of 2007.
I hope you’ll be safe and use these resources to protect your children from the dangers in their toy chest. If lead paint, tiny magnets, and dangerous chemicals can be found in their toys in only a few months, who knows what hazards could be next.
October 02, 2007
Posted by: Attorney Edgar Snyder
The past few months have been scary for parents. Every time you turn on the TV, there’s another recall of children’s products that could cause serious injuries. Even worse, some children have died. It’s terrible when those companies that we entrust with the safety of our kids cam violate that trust and produce dangerous toys, jewelry, cribs, and more. Even hand-me-downs from your closest family members might not be safe, as some of these recalls span many years. Not only do these recalls affect parents, they affect care givers. Daycare centers now have to check their cribs, play yards, and other items to make sure that they are truly safe. Groups like Toys for Tots have to go through every donation to make sure it isn’t covered in lead paint or made with dangerous magnets that could puncture a child’s intestines if swallowed. Only days ago, over 600,000 more toys were recalled for excessive amounts of lead. Mattel has recently accepted the blame for the magnet design flaw that caused at least one death and many other injuries. Structural flaws in cribs designed by the Reading, Pennsylvania company, Simplicity Inc., have been linked to at least three infant deaths. And now many Kolcraft play yards could pose serious dangers as well. If you have a young child or infant, I ask you to please check all their toys, jewelry, cribs, play yards, and other products to make sure they are safe. A child’s life is precious and preventing their injury or death is a responsibility we can’t ignore.
August 07, 2007
Posted by: Attorney Edgar Snyder
Anyone who’s been tuned into the news for the past few days may have seen the story about the huge recall of children’s toys. I myself have preschool age grandchildren, and it’s scary to think that I could be endangering their health by bringing products into my home like these toys containing lead paint. If you’re not familiar with the effects of lead poisoning on young children, you might be shocked to learn that lead has been linked to developmental disabilities, learning problems, and even brain damage. With almost one million toys being recalled by Fisher Price for lead paint, many young people may be in serious danger. These toys aren’t the only household products that have been found to contain lead recently – there’s also been lead paint found in Thomas the Tank Engine toy trains, as well as in many common garden hoses. Companies have a responsibility to make products that don’t endanger our lives, and especially those of our children. Make use of the full list of recalled Fisher-Price toys on my website, and watch out for household products containing lead. I would also like to invite you to sign up for free e-alert emails over on my website. These periodic alerts contain breaking news to help you ensure that the products, foods, and drugs in your home are helping your family and not hurting them.
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