Feds urge vigilance on toy safety

By HOPE YEN, Associated Press Writer 

WASHINGTON - Federal regulators sought Tuesday to restore parents’ confidence in toy safety, urging vigilance during the busy holiday shopping season with little mention of lead hazards that have prompted a record number of toy recalls.

A toy buyer looks at Chinese made toys at the Shanghai Toy Expo in October. California on Monday launched a lawsuit against 20 companies accusing them of manufacturing or selling toys with illegal quantities of lead, a statement said(AFP/File/Mark Ralston)
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Consumer groups, though, warned that they found numerous cases where toys that posed a choking hazard or lead danger had improperly made it to store shelves. “Consumers looking for toys still face an industry full of safety loopholes,” said the U.S. Public Interest Research Group.

Three days before the start of the busy shopping season, Nancy Nord, acting chief of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, issued safety tips in a two-page release that called on parents to “stay informed” about safety risks by reading product warning labels and signing up for direct e-mail notification of recalls at http://www.cpsc.gov.

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