| Releases
& Statements
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 16, 2007
Contact: Sarah Krauss
(212) 669-4193; (917) 541-0936
Release #: 045-2007
Public Advocate Gotbaum Calls for Immediate Citywide Plan to Protect Kids from Toxic Toys
- Possible lawsuit to hold toy-manufacturers liable for health care expenses -
MANHATTAN - Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum today called on the city to develop an immediate, citywide plan to identify and remove recalled, toxic toys from city-operated sites. From hospital waiting areas to preschool toy boxes to day care centers, many city-operated sites maintain vast stocks of toys that may or may not be part of the toxic batch. Public Advocate Gotbaum said that parents must be assured that the city is taking responsibility for the safety of toys in sites it operates. Specifically, Public Advocate Gotbaum is calling on the city to develop a plan to:
1) Identify and remove the recalled, toxic toys within the New York City school, hospital, and child care systems and other city-operated sites;
2) Communicate possible dangers to parents and guardians;
3) Expand testing, where necessary, to determine whether children have already been poisoned; and
4) Investigate possible lawsuits against toy-makers and manufacturers to hold them liable for health care expenses, including the increase in lead testing for all children who have been put into harm’s way.
The full letter sent to the city is below:
August 16, 2007
I am writing to you concerning the recent recall of millions of toxic toys within the United States and their potential danger to the safety of New York City children.
Toy-makers, including industry leader Mattel, are recalling more than 80 different toys and items of apparel – nearly 19 million items in all – because the paint on certain items contains toxic levels of lead. There are also instances in which small magnets on toys, which can be easily removed and ingested by children, also contain large doses of lead.
Lead poisoning poses serious health risks, especially to children. Lead exposure can not only reduce concentration and create behavior problems in young adults, but also create permanent developmental and learning disabilities. The Centers for Disease Control even identified a 2006 case in which “there was a death of a child from acute lead poisoning after ingestion of a heart-shaped metallic charm containing lead.”
From hospital waiting areas to preschool toy boxes to day care centers, many city-operated sites maintain vast stocks of toys that may or may not be part of the toxic batch. Parents must be assured that the city is taking responsibility for the safety of toys in sites it operates.
Considering the potential for serious health risks to New York City children, I am calling on the city to develop an immediate, citywide plan to:
1) Identify and remove the recalled, toxic toys within the New York City school, hospital, and child care systems and other city-operated sites;
2) Communicate possible dangers to parents and guardians;
3) Expand testing, where necessary, to determine whether children have already been poisoned; and
4) Investigate possible lawsuits against toy-makers and manufacturers to hold them liable for health care expenses, including the increase in lead testing for all children who have been put into harm’s way.
Public safety must always be the highest concern of elected officials. Since the early 1990s, the city has taken important steps to reduce both the instance and impact of lead poisoning. Taking these additional steps to address the potential dangers of these toxic toys will uphold that standard.
Sincerely,
Betsy Gotbaum
Public Advocate for the City of New York
###
|
