6. Near Small Parts: Remember that children have choked on toys that pass the choke tube cylinder test.

• PIRG advocates enlarging the choke tube. Many toys intended for older children have such small parts, particularly action figures and building sets.
• If you have a child that tends to put things in her mouth, avoid toys that are smaller than the child's fist or that fit through a cardboard toilet paper roll.

7. Balloons: Balloons were responsible for 4 choking deaths last year and 56 deaths since 1990. Always supervise children with balloons, inflated or not.

• Keep balloons away from children under 8.
• Remember, if a balloon bursts while a child is blowing it up, it could be inhaled. Look for pieces behind chairs.
• Balloons labeled “Baby’s First Birthday” or with cartoon figures attractive to toddlers, e.g., Winnie the Pooh, are particularly inappropriate.
• Buy mylar balloons instead of latex to avoid the choking hazard.

8. Small Balls, Marbles and Ball-like Objects: Children as old as 5 have choked to death on small balls and marbles as large as 1.75 inches.

• Be careful of ball-like beads and other round objects.
• Small balls intended for children under 3 must be larger than 1.75 inches.
• However, ball-like objects, that aren’t exactly round, such as rounded fruit and vegetable toys, which pose the same hazards as balls, are NOT subject to the more stringent small ball tester but instead to the easier choke test tube cylinder.
• Marbles must carry the following label:

WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD—This toy is a marble. Not for children under 3 yrs

9. Bin Toys: Many retail stores, especially party stores and drug stores sell unpackaged toys in bins.

• Small toys or toys with small parts in bins must be labeled, or
• Bins containing unlabeled unpackaged toys that may pose choke hazards must be labeled.
• Many bins are low to the ground and accessible to young children. Please carefully supervise your young child in stores with bins to prevent choking hazards.
• Be especially cautious of loose balloons sold in bins- children under eight should not be playing with balloons.

10. Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) Toys Containing Phthalates:

• Recently, several European countries and the European Union have banned the use of these toxic chemicals -- which are linked to liver and kidney problems and are probable human carcinogens -- for use in teething toys intended for children under 3.
• Since PIRG's 1998 news conference and a CPSC report in December 1998, many toy companies have announced a phthalate phaseout in teething toys.
• PIRG strongly believes that parents should not expose their children to toxic phthalate chemicals in any toy. Unfortunately, no U.S. law requires disclosure – and many toys made of PVC are labeled “non-toxic.”
• See list of toy companies and their policies regarding phthalates.
• Any soft plastic toy may pose a hazard unless marked as PVC- or phthalate-free. Call the manufacturer to find out if the toy contains phthalates or PVC.

11. Strangulation Hazards: Strings, cords, and necklaces can strangle infants. Infant toys that include cords can present a strangulation hazard if the cord is put around an infant's neck.

• Pull toys with knobs at end of pull cord pose choke and strangulation dangers. The American Society for Testing and Materials’ ("ASTM") voluntary standard for pull toys states that in “pull toys intended for children under 36 months, cords and elastics greater than 12 inches long shall not be provided with beads or other attachments that could tangle to form a loop.”
• The CPSC has the authority to enforce the ASTM voluntary standards and exercises that authority when necessary. The CPSC has recalled pull toys in the past, some of which were listed in our previous toy reports as a strangulation hazard to children.
• Parents should remove beads, knobs, or other attachments from their child’s pull toy cord if the cord is over 12 inches long.

12. Buying Toys on the Internet: Consumers are increasingly using the internet to purchase toys. Online toy sales grew from $45 million in 1998 to $425 million in 1999.

• Consumers must be extra cautious when buying toys on the web; it is impossible to examine the toy for potential dangers.
• The hazard labels that must be on toy packages by law are not required to be provided on the internet.
• If it seems likely that the toy has small parts, do not purchase it for a child under 3.
• Some toys on the web may be manufactured by companies who are unfamiliar with toy safety regulations.
• Be wary of purchasing toys that have been recalled by the CPSC.
• Apply all toy tips mentioned in this list to shopping for toys on the internet.