Timed to coincide with holiday shopping, December is Safe Toys and Gifts Month.
Shopping online has some hazards you may not have thought about. If the products you order are manufactured in another country and then shipped to you, they may have bypassed close inspection.
Since 2011 millions of units of more than 5,000 different types of toys and children’s products have been stopped at U.S. ports due to hazards or failure to meet our federal safety standards. Detained products have included lead, small parts and sharp points and many have also lacked any kind of safety warning labels.
Be diligent about safety when choosing gifts this season. Use the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC) website to check for recalls and warnings.
Remember the scooters that burst into flame?
The USCPSC website is similar to the Recalls website. Both of these websites’ URLs end with .gov, which means the website is part of a governmental department. If a website ends with .com, it is a private, for-profit company that is in the business of making money by selling you their goods or services.
The information on both the USCPSC website and the Recalls website is updated regularly. You also may contact Dallas County Health Navigation at 515-465-2483 for phone numbers of consumer protection agencies.
Safety standards include consumer goods for adults, too. The USCPSC issues warnings about faulty tools, furniture, appliances, cosmetics and much more. Two recent warnings were on a particular archery crossbow and a riding mower.
Buyer beware!
Ann Cochran is the health navigation coordinator in the Dallas County Public Health Department.
