Group names this year's most dangerous toys

ATLANTA — With Black Friday less than 48 hours away - here's a warning about dangerous toys before you start checking the kids' Christmas lists.

Slime is just one of the toys on the annual "Trouble in Toyland Report" released Tuesday.

The organization said it found toxic amounts of boron, which can cause nausea, vomiting and other health issues, in slime products.

“No one should worry about whether or not the toy they’re buying is toxic or dangerous. But in 2018, we’re still finding hazards in some of the most popular toys. Toy manufacturers must do better to ensure their products are safe before they end up in children’s hands and mouths,” said Adam Garber, Consumer Watchdog for U.S. PIRG.

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In a survey of five search pages for balloons sold on Amazon, U.S. PIRG found no choking hazard labels on 87 percent of the latex balloons marketed to parents of children under 2, an apparent violation of the law. Among children’s products, balloons are the leading cause of suffocation death.

The report also highlights two smart toys -- a robot toy and a tablet -- with privacy concerns discovered by an investigation by the Mozilla Foundation. Every year, the potential for smart toys to expose private data becomes a more significant concern.

Given the popularity of slime, that class of toys was a primary focus.

"Boron is a potentially toxic substance that should not be ingested by children as it's associated with negative effects in all body systems, said Dr. Daniel Rauch, Chief of the Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine. "It is best that children avoid any exposure to ensure they are healthy and parents take appropriate action if it is ingested in any form."

While there are currently no limits on boron in children’s toys in the United States, U.S. PIRG called for placing warning labels on products and a full public hearing to determine safe levels of boron.

“Regulators need to determine the appropriate health-based standards to protect children from boron in slime. In the meantime, we want parents to know the risks, so they can supervise their kids accordingly,” said Tano Toussaint, U.S. PIRG's consumer watchdog associate.

Cox Media Group