Toy Safety Website For Holiday Shopping

By BJ Austin, KERA News

Dallas, TX –

Parents taking part in the traditional day-after-Thanksgiving shopping frenzy have a new tool for assessing toy safety. KERA's BJ Austin says it's a website full of information about potential dangers and what to look for.

The website: toysafety.mobi, or toysafety.net is a new tool offered by the Texas Public Interest Research Group. Elizabeth McClellan, with TexPIRG, says parents can use their smart phones to access the site while in the store, and get all the information in PIRG's annual "Trouble in Toyland" survey - including examples of toys that could be choking hazards, exceed allowable decibel levels, and contain lead of phthalates - a toxic plastic additive.

McClellan: Of course we can't test every toy on the shelf, so the point of this website is to equip parents with the tools they need to really be looking out for themselves about potential toy hazards.

McClellan says small parts are banned from toys from children under three, but keep showing up anyway. And toys with lead are still on the shelves in spite of recent stricter rules. She says safety is ultimately up to parents. TexPIRG says 65% of the toys bought each year in the United States are purchased between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

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