Target Recalls Toys and Other Products that Pose Choking Hazard

Jack Landskroner

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As many of you may know, we operate a non profit child advocacy organization; the Landskroner Foundation For Children, which serves Northeast Ohio in an effort to promote safe environments for children, public awareness of important issues effecting children and positive learning opportunities. I recently came across an informative blog post related to child safety by Injuryboard attorney Susy Owen, who reports on a recall of toys and other products by Target which pose potential choking hazards.

Target Corp. and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission [ ] voluntarily recalled Target's plush baby rattles and photo frame ornaments.

Children are at great risk for choking when toys and other household items come within their reach, particularly when the items are smaller than 1.25 inches. The problem is that the parts are often small enough to be put into the mouth but too big to be ingested creating a risk of airway obstruction and in turn suffocation.

In 1979, the CPSC [Consumer Product Safety Commission] banned the sale of toys containing small parts if they were intended for use by children under the age of three, regardless of age labeling. A small part was defined as anything that fit inside a choke test cylinder, which has an interior diameter of 1.25 inches and a slanted bottom with a depth ranging from 1 to 2.25 inches. If any part of the product - including any parts that separate during use and abuse testing - fits inside the test tube, the product is a choking hazard and is banned for children under the age of three.