Dangerous hazards are still finding their way into toys despite recently improved safety standards, according to a report recently issued by the American Association for Justice.
\nAccording to the report, for years, corporations have knowingly shipped toys with hidden dangers like small parts, loose magnets, asbestos, and other toxic chemicals until outrage from parents and civil lawsuits forced regulators or manufacturers to act.
\n\u201cAs toys have become more sophisticated, so too have the risks associated with them,\u201d said AAJ President Gibson Vance. \u201cProtecting our children requires vigilance from everyone. Regulators, parents, manufacturers, and the civil justice system all play a part in keeping dangerous toys off store shelves.\u201d
\nFor example, earlier this year unsafe levels of cadmium were found in children\u2019s jewelry, a toxic metal known to cause cancer and ranked as seventh on a federal list of the 275 most hazardous substances.
\nAn investigation found the origin of the metal was likely China, where the use of the toxin had been prompted, ironically, by the recent prohibition of using lead. The U.S. imports more than 30,000 tons of toys every year from foreign markets, accounting now for 95 percent of toys sold in the U.S.
\nWhile regulators lack the resources and staff to police the market, parents, consumer groups and the civil justice system have stepped into the void.
\nIn 2007, a popular CSI Fingerprint Examination Kit contained a powder found to contain up to five percent asbestos, potentially sending lethal asbestos into the air and into children\u2019s lungs.
\nOnce the hazard was known, manufacturer CBS Consumer Products refused to remove it from store shelves as Christmas approached. Rather than wait for the Consumer Product Safety Commission to negotiate a recall, the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization filed a civil action to stop sales of the kit.
\nThe entire report is printed in the extended entry portion of the blog.<\/p>\n