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Annual 'Trouble in Toyland' Report Finds Privacy Concerns And Toxicity With Some Toys

Brian Bull
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KLCC

This year’s annual “Trouble in Toyland” report by the Oregon Student Public Interest Research Group (OSPIRG) again warns of potential dangers in children’s toys…from tech to toxic. KLCC’s Brian Bull reports.

Among the offenders is play slime with high amounts of boron…as well as a loud jet plane that can cause hearing loss. There’s also a dinosaur smart-toy that could create privacy issues.

Credit Brian Bull / KLCC
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KLCC
This plane toy emits a loud roaring noise which safety advocates say can cause hearing damage in children.

“No one should worry about whether not a toy that they’re going to buy is toxic or dangerous," says Jennifer Hibberts, of OSPIRG.

"In 2018, we still are finding hazards in some of the most popular toys out there today.”

Credit Brian Bull / Flickr.com
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Flickr.com
OSPIRG says this dinosaur "smart toy" is as a security risk with data gathered from users.

Hibberts says many toys aren’t properly labeled as a choking hazard…including balloons which caused 40 percent of toy-related deaths between 2000 and 2016.

“Our survey of latex balloons sold on Amazon actually found no “choking hazard” labels on 87 percent of online listings,” says Hibberts.

The full “Trouble in Toyland” report can be found online.

WEB EXTRA: Hear a conversation between KLCC's Brian Bull and OSPIRG Jennifer Hibberts on three troubling toys and their risks:

BADTOYS2WAY.mp3

Copyright 2018, KLCC.

Brian Bull is an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Oregon, and remains a contributor to the KLCC news department. He began working with KLCC in June 2016.   In his 27+ years as a public media journalist, he's worked at NPR, Twin Cities Public Television, South Dakota Public Broadcasting, Wisconsin Public Radio, and ideastream in Cleveland. His reporting has netted dozens of accolades, including four national Edward R. Murrow Awards (22 regional),  the Ohio Associated Press' Best Reporter Award, Best Radio Reporter from  the Native American Journalists Association, and the PRNDI/NEFE Award for Excellence in Consumer Finance Reporting.
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