Annual Survey Lists Potentially Unsafe Toys

DENVER (CBS4) - As Coloradans gear up for holiday shopping it's important to know what's safe for the children.

Once again there is trouble in toyland. An annual survey lists the potentially unsafe toys. There are more than 20 potentially dangerous toys listed in the report.

In 2010 at least 17 children died from toy-related injuries. More than 250,000 children were treated in emergency rooms.

One item on the list is a Hot Wheels car that has sounds effects.

"One in five children will have some form of hearing loss or hearing damage by the age of 12 and we think toys contribute to that," Danny Katz with the Colorado Public Interest Research Group, or CoPIRG, said.

According to CoPIRG, the car is louder than the recommended decibel level. So is an Elmo toy on his talking cell phone.

Excessive noise is just one of the troubles. This year's survey of toy safety found both a Tinkerbelle watch and a touch and feel book containing lead and some 3-D stickers pose a choking hazard. But the package doesn't have the required warning label.

"You just need to read the labels and make sure you shop at a reputable business where you trust what you're purchasing off the shelves," Diana Nelson with Kazoo & Company said.

Nelson has owned Kazoo & Company for 13 years. She says buy age-appropriate items from brands that are known to the buyer.

Be wary of toys with metal and soft plastics. If a toy is too loud for you, it's probably too loud for your child. Do the toilet paper tube test. If a toy can fit through a toilet paper tube, it can potentially pose a choking hazard, so keep it away from kids under 3 years old.

LINK: See the full list at uspirg.org.