Nashville parents want only the best for their children, especially when it comes to those hot new products every kid is clamoring for. However, a number of products can actually prove quite dangerous to a child's health, and may even result in death in extreme cases.
U.S. News and World Report highlights a few of these dangerous kids' products. While some items seem relatively harmless, many entail significant risk upon closer inspection, particularly for younger children. Although most metal kids' jewelry produced today is thought to be safe, pieces manufactured before modern regulations were put in place can pose a contamination risk to children due to the addition of harmful metals like cadmium and lead. As a result, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has undertaken numerous recalls of problem jewelry, with over 180 million items being recalled between 2004 and 2009.
Choking hazards are also common among kids' products. Magnet sets are just one example of items that should be used with caution, especially those containing small pieces that can easily be swallowed by children. In addition to the choking risk, magnet sets can also result in significant intestinal damage if multiple magnets are swallowed concurrently. Attracting magnets can come together within a child's body, thereby resulting in intestinal pinching or even breakage.
While these examples should be enough to put every parent on high alert, many child product safety recalls are met with little response. According to USA Today, only 10 percent of recalled children's products are actually returned to the manufacturer. One reason for this may be that both regulating agencies as well as companies wait too long to initiate recalls. However, some call for increased publicity when it comes to recalls affecting children to ensure each and every parent is fully aware of the dangers posed to their kids.