Boston product-liability attorney Edward Swartz gets all the attention--and from the toy industry, all the heat--for his annual 10 Most Dangerous toys list.
There's a lesser-known--and less controversial--list published annually by a reputable nonprofit consumer organization, Washington-based Public Interest Research Group (PIRG).
In compiling its 1997 Hazardous Toys list, PIRG notes that choking is the most common cause of death by toys, with balloons accounting for seven of the 13 toy-related deaths in the U.S. last year.
