By Dylan Hall
Buffalo, NY – A consumer group says hazardous toys can be found on the shelves of stores across New York.
Representatives from the New York Public Interest Research Group released the results of a toy safety survey Tuesday. NYPIRG Project Manager Mary Carney said toys with pull-string cords longer than 12 inches could strangle a child. A representative demonstrated that the 20 inch string of a toy they purchased locally was long enough to wrap around an adults neck.
"As you can see this toy that we found in stores, the Quack-A-Long Ducks, has a string that is longer than 12 inches, which is the voluntary standards that the CPSE recommends," Carney said.
Carney also said children are at risk of ingesting toxic substances called phthalates from putting some toys in their mouths. NYPIRG reports these chemicals are in such plastic toys as the Random House children's books "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish."
"We feel parents have too much to worry about," Carney said. "They should not have to worry about whether their child has sucked too long on a toy made with a liver-damaging toxin."
Federal agencies say the chemicals are safe.