The toys spread out on the table looked innocent enough: soft blocks, multicolored beads, balloons and a small ball with a happy face on it.
But they were among the play things that can pose a danger to young children, according to survey results announced Tuesday by the California Public Interest Research Group.
"Toys should bring pleasure and joy, but too often they bring pain and sometimes even death to children," CalPIRG spokeswoman Corina McKendry said during the group's "Trouble in Toyland" presentation at the Irvine Medical Center.
The event, timed to coincide with the launch of the Christmas shopping season, was staged after the group's 14th annual survey of toy stores nationwide.
As part of the presentation, CalPIRG released a list with a sampling of 34 play items it considers potentially dangerous because of the risk of choking, strangulation or exposure to toxic chemicals. It included what the group said are inadequately labeled jewelry and makeup kits containing small parts, pull toys with long cords and knobs at the end and soft blocks that allegedly contain phthalates, a "probable human carcinogen."
Just because a toy does not appear on the list does not mean it is safe, McKendry warned.
"The bottom line: Parents just need to be cautious," she said. "If a toy looks unsafe, don't buy it."
During the presentation, McKendry explained how small balls can choke a child and a pull toy cord longer than 12 inches with a knob at the end can strangle a child. She said children younger than 3 years old are especially at risk.
McKendry said she was particularly shocked by the availability of teething toys made with toxic chemicals, such as phthalates, a softening agent used in some toys made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic. Exposure to phthalates can cause kidney and liver damage, she said.
Earlier this month, CalPIRG noted, the European Union put an emergency ban on phthalate-containing toys that are intended for children 3 years old and younger.
While the group's survey found evidence that toy hazards appear to be declining and most toys now include tough new choke-hazard warnings, CalPIRG said playthings, including such riding toys as tricycles, were involved in the deaths of 14 children last year. In three cases, children rode riding toys into pools and drowned, McKendry said.
