ACSH President Dr. Elizabeth Whelan refuses to let the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) spoil consumers holiday cheer with its alarmist attempts to create unnecessary panic over toxic chemicals in toys. In an op-ed published in yesterday s The Daily Caller, Dr. Whelan discredits PIRG s annual Trouble in Toyland report and provides parents with reliable holiday advice.
In fact, the number of toy-related deaths in 2009 was 12; that number was actually cut in half from 2007 and 2008. These tragic deaths were in no way related to chemicals, however; they were most likely caused by choking. Any child death warrants concern, but the best way to protect our children is to focus on actual risks.
Dr. Whelan goes on to point out some examples of what s really perilous at holiday time: things like driving while drunk and not vaccinating your children. Reports such as PIRG s Trouble in Toyland have eye-catching names. Yet when we compare toys to car accidents and vaccine-preventable childhood infections, these risks prove to be virtually non-existent.