By Chris Cassidy
SALEM — The pink toy cell phone looks safe, features a photo of a toddler on the box and can be found on toy-store shelves across the country.
But the Bright Lights Phone manufactured by Vtech joined similar toys by Fisher Price and Playskool on MassPIRG's annual dangerous toys report, released yesterday during a demonstration at the Salem Community Child Care Center.
The pink phone, the Fisher Price Learning Phone, and the Playskool Kota and Pals Stomper Triceratops all had similar problems — excessively loud noise. Levels reached 90 decibels or louder on the toys during MassPIRG's testing, and the organization warned that prolonged exposure to them, particularly close to the ear, could cause hearing damage.
The annual report came three days before the annual Black Friday shopping rush, the official kickoff to the holiday gift-buying season.
MassPIRG also singled out toys containing small parts, lead and phthalates, which makes materials softer and more flexible but can cause reproductive defects, the group said.
"There's no magic wand," Meagan Terry of MassPIRG said. "We can't make all our toys safer overnight. But we can try to make sure retailers and manufacturers are being responsible."
All the toys on display yesterday were purchased at area stores, including Toys R Us and Barnes & Noble.
They included an alligator cell phone charm, manufactured by Claire's, that contained 71 percent lead by weight. A Pretty Princess Puppy Purse, also put out by Claire's, contained "potentially toxic chemicals," namely phthalates at an estimated concentration of 54,000 parts per million. An Elmo lunch bag, made by Sassy, also contained phthalates, according to the report.
MassPIRG also highlighted Hasbro's Fur Real Baby Bird, which contains a separate bottle that "barely passes the small parts test," according to MassPIRG.
Terry recommended consumers use an empty toilet paper roll to test the danger level of small parts. If toy parts can fit through the roll, they could pose a choking hazard to young children.
State Rep. John Keenan, who attended yesterday's demonstration, praised MassPIRG for alerting the public to toy safety risks.
"It's a great opportunity every year to remind parents that these toys are dangerous, even though they're being sold by reputable stores," Keenan said.
Between 1990 and 2008, about 200 children have died after choking on a toy or toy part, according to MassPIRG. This year alone, 5.3 million toys and other children's products have been pulled from store shelves due to choking hazards, MassPIRG said.
"One preventable toy-related death is one too many," Terry said.
A list of toys MassPIRG deemed as dangerous, as well as the full "Trouble in Toyland" report, can be found at www.masspirg.org.
"We'll continue to issue these reports to make sure the consumer can make the most responsible choices this holiday season," Terry said.
Staff writer Chris Cassidy can be reached at ccassidy@salemnews.com.
