6 ms·

Nearly half of toys from third-party online sellers found to be dangerous

49 points by Symbiote 5y ago

Cycl0ps 5y ago
>The harmful products identified by the researchers included interactive baby dolls being sold on eBay that contained a restricted chemical, and a remote control helicopter on Amazon that broke easily, exposing button cell batteries that are extremely dangerous when swallowed. Oh the horror... Cheap helicopters and batteries. Of course this danger is no doubt reflected in several fold increase in child mortality [0], won't somone think of the children! >Its campaign is being fronted by Sam McCarthy, the mother of three-year-old Rebecca, who almost died after swallowing brightly coloured magnets bought from a third-party seller on eBay that she mistook for sweets. Who gave young Rebecca an eBay account? Completely irresponsible, she couldn't know what she was bidding on! Thank God this responsible mother here is around to warn us of the dangers. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1041714/united-kingdom-all-time-child-mortality-rate/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/1041714/united-kingdom-a...
- trav4225 5y ago
  It doesn't say that Rebecca bought them, FYI.
  - _fbnl 5y ago
    I think they were being sarcastic. Implied that parents should take responsibility.
    - Cycl0ps 5y ago
      They were
    - recursive 5y ago
      If you're going to bring sarcasm in, you need to be prepared for someone to respond in a deadpan.
    - bserge 5y ago
      Responsibility? The horror!
      - dang 5y ago
        Could you please stop posting unsubstantive comments to HN? You've unfortunately been doing it a lot lately, and it's not what this site is for. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
- edejong 5y ago
  Swallowed coin cells can lead to life threatening situations in children. It occurs frequently. https://www.poison.org/articles/button-batteries https://www.poison.org/articles/button-batteries
  - Cycl0ps 5y ago
    322 cases in about 50 years. 69 fatal. That's in the US, but compare to UK birthrates which has seen over 25'000'000 births in that time. These deaths aren't prevented by regulation, they're prevented by parenting
    - bserge 5y ago
      Apparently people disagree. How about you go fucking live in the middle of nowhere without Internet, you'll be safe there.
      - Cycl0ps 5y ago
        People always disagree. Do you know many people there are? I don't think there's anything people agree on. On your second point, are you interested in my safety or your comfort? Because I feel pretty safe right now.
        bserge 5y ago
        That wasn't aimed at you.
    - beervirus 5y ago
      > During the 18.25-year study period, 8648 battery ingestion cases were reported to the NBIH, including 8161 button batteries and 487 cylindrical cell ingestions (eg, AA, AAA). Cases were reported from the United States (97.1%) and 47 other countries.
    - rightbyte 5y ago
      Many small rivers make a lake.
- pixelgeek 5y ago
  > Who gave young Rebecca an eBay account? Completely irresponsible, she couldn't know what she was bidding on! Thank God this responsible mother here is around to warn us of the dangers. So her kid accidentally eats some magnets and dies and this makes her a valid source of mockery? I guess I am seeing the side of HN that people complain about
  - Cycl0ps 5y ago
    Her kid was given magnets and almost died, that makes it a valid source of mockery, if the kid actually died the mother would instead be a valid target of manslaughter charges
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
  - Spivak 5y ago
    This is honestly just normal HN whenever people talk about doing literally anything to push people to get the covid vaccine or trying to stop people from falling down the conspiracy rabbit hole. Apparently people dying is totally fine as long as there is there's some contrived narrative that it's their own fault. HN, and more broadly the liberal-tarian crowd, is really really individualist which comes through in issues like these. "We can't make a rule that toys meant for and sold to children should have to meet basic safety standards, it should be the individual parent's responsibility... rabble rabble something education"
  - bserge 5y ago
    Well, yes. I mean, it's a very shitty thing to happen, but how the fuck is the seller to blame here?
  - tablespoon 5y ago
    This is in a reply to the dead child comment here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28776005 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28776005 >> So her kid accidentally eats some magnets and dies and this makes her a valid source of mockery? > Her kid was given magnets and almost died, that makes it a valid source of mockery No, but thinking that reveals certain repulsive personality traits. It also sounds like Rebecca's mom didn't "give" her magnets: https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2021-10-06/mum-calls-for-new-laws-to-stop-dangerous-toys-being-sold-online https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2021-10-06/mum-calls-for-new... > "I said do whatever you need to do, just save my baby, save her. All I did was buy a toy, that is all I did, I didn't feed my baby magnets, I didn't leave her unattended with them." ... > The magnets Sam bought online for her son last Christmas.
allturtles 5y ago
I don't get it. It mostly seems to be about swallowing danger, which is generally considered an issue for children under 3. Tiny magnets and remote control helicopters are not appropriate toys for children under 3, and I assume this would be obvious to most parents. In the U.S. such toys would have to be labeled for older children. Is this just a labeling problem?
- 0xmarcin 5y ago
  Not on topic, but there was already a few problems with using lead in the dye in toys imported from China to EU. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0269749118313988 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S02697...
- pixelgeek 5y ago
  These things are indeed not appropriate for kids under three but when things break and spill components all over the place it becomes a more general issue.
- Factorium 5y ago
  "The research by the British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA) identified toys that...." https://www.btha.co.uk/about-us/ https://www.btha.co.uk/about-us/ The British Toy & Hobby Association represents specialty retailers, local manufacturers, and a few (large) international toy brands. All of these groups lose out when a British parent buys cheap Chinese generic toys for their kid on eBay.
  - noja 5y ago
    So? The toys might be cheaper for a reason. Are they wrong?
    - nimonian 5y ago
      I think the parent comment is saying the people who wrote the study criticizing online toys sales would benefit from damaging the reputation of online toys sales. This makes it more likely the study doesn't really make sense, and just exists to further an agenda.
bhouston 5y ago
I wonder how much one buys from AliExpress is made of toxic chemicals? All that clone lego and other cheap goods. I really am curious. These ultra low cost goods are also showing up more and more on Amazon these days as well.
- i_like_apis 5y ago
  This is what really concerns me. I got a cheap water bottle that smelled like chemicals after much washing, for instance.
- tablespoon 5y ago
  > I wonder how much one buys from AliExpress is made of toxic chemicals? All that clone lego and other cheap goods. I really am curious. Probably a lot, since lead has even shown up in recent(ish) toys from US companies (Mattel) that should know better: https://tamararubin.com/2020/12/how-old-are-your-childs-toys-mega-bloks-large-yellow-building-block-c-2007-5402-ppm-lead-90-is-unsafe-for-kids-88-ppm-mercury/ https://tamararubin.com/2020/12/how-old-are-your-childs-toys...
- rightbyte 5y ago
  My fear is that there is a big variance in how toxic they are. E.g. some month 2111111111122222222<<§ Edit: Sry toddler ...
- lokethien 5y ago
  There was a guy on reddit that tested various lego clones from China and he didn't find any toxicity actually.
Tomte 5y ago
Just look at https://ec.europa.eu/safety-gate-alerts/screen/webReport https://ec.europa.eu/safety-gate-alerts/screen/webReport A lot of toys in there.

49 points by Symbiote 5y ago

>The harmful products identified by the researchers included interactive baby dolls being sold on eBay that contained a restricted chemical, and a remote control helicopter on Amazon that broke easily, exposing button cell batteries that are extremely dangerous when swallowed. Oh the horror... Cheap helicopters and batteries. Of course this danger is no doubt reflected in several fold increase in child mortality [0], won't somone think of the children! >Its campaign is being fronted by Sam McCarthy, the mother of three-year-old Rebecca, who almost died after swallowing brightly coloured magnets bought from a third-party seller on eBay that she mistook for sweets. Who gave young Rebecca an eBay account? Completely irresponsible, she couldn't know what she was bidding on! Thank God this responsible mother here is around to warn us of the dangers. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1041714/united-kingdom-all-time-child-mortality-rate/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/1041714/united-kingdom-a...

trav4225 5y ago
It doesn't say that Rebecca bought them, FYI.
- _fbnl 5y ago
  I think they were being sarcastic. Implied that parents should take responsibility.
  - Cycl0ps 5y ago
    They were
  - recursive 5y ago
    If you're going to bring sarcasm in, you need to be prepared for someone to respond in a deadpan.
  - bserge 5y ago
    Responsibility? The horror!
    - dang 5y ago
      Could you please stop posting unsubstantive comments to HN? You've unfortunately been doing it a lot lately, and it's not what this site is for. https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html
edejong 5y ago
Swallowed coin cells can lead to life threatening situations in children. It occurs frequently. https://www.poison.org/articles/button-batteries https://www.poison.org/articles/button-batteries
- Cycl0ps 5y ago
  322 cases in about 50 years. 69 fatal. That's in the US, but compare to UK birthrates which has seen over 25'000'000 births in that time. These deaths aren't prevented by regulation, they're prevented by parenting
  - bserge 5y ago
    Apparently people disagree. How about you go fucking live in the middle of nowhere without Internet, you'll be safe there.
    - Cycl0ps 5y ago
      People always disagree. Do you know many people there are? I don't think there's anything people agree on. On your second point, are you interested in my safety or your comfort? Because I feel pretty safe right now.
      - bserge 5y ago
        That wasn't aimed at you.
  - beervirus 5y ago
    > During the 18.25-year study period, 8648 battery ingestion cases were reported to the NBIH, including 8161 button batteries and 487 cylindrical cell ingestions (eg, AA, AAA). Cases were reported from the United States (97.1%) and 47 other countries.
  - rightbyte 5y ago
    Many small rivers make a lake.
pixelgeek 5y ago
> Who gave young Rebecca an eBay account? Completely irresponsible, she couldn't know what she was bidding on! Thank God this responsible mother here is around to warn us of the dangers. So her kid accidentally eats some magnets and dies and this makes her a valid source of mockery? I guess I am seeing the side of HN that people complain about
- Cycl0ps 5y ago
  Her kid was given magnets and almost died, that makes it a valid source of mockery, if the kid actually died the mother would instead be a valid target of manslaughter charges
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
- Spivak 5y ago
  This is honestly just normal HN whenever people talk about doing literally anything to push people to get the covid vaccine or trying to stop people from falling down the conspiracy rabbit hole. Apparently people dying is totally fine as long as there is there's some contrived narrative that it's their own fault. HN, and more broadly the liberal-tarian crowd, is really really individualist which comes through in issues like these. "We can't make a rule that toys meant for and sold to children should have to meet basic safety standards, it should be the individual parent's responsibility... rabble rabble something education"
- bserge 5y ago
  Well, yes. I mean, it's a very shitty thing to happen, but how the fuck is the seller to blame here?
- tablespoon 5y ago
  This is in a reply to the dead child comment here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28776005 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=28776005 >> So her kid accidentally eats some magnets and dies and this makes her a valid source of mockery? > Her kid was given magnets and almost died, that makes it a valid source of mockery No, but thinking that reveals certain repulsive personality traits. It also sounds like Rebecca's mom didn't "give" her magnets: https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2021-10-06/mum-calls-for-new-laws-to-stop-dangerous-toys-being-sold-online https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2021-10-06/mum-calls-for-new... > "I said do whatever you need to do, just save my baby, save her. All I did was buy a toy, that is all I did, I didn't feed my baby magnets, I didn't leave her unattended with them." ... > The magnets Sam bought online for her son last Christmas.

allturtles 5y ago

I don't get it. It mostly seems to be about swallowing danger, which is generally considered an issue for children under 3. Tiny magnets and remote control helicopters are not appropriate toys for children under 3, and I assume this would be obvious to most parents. In the U.S. such toys would have to be labeled for older children. Is this just a labeling problem?

0xmarcin 5y ago
Not on topic, but there was already a few problems with using lead in the dye in toys imported from China to EU. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0269749118313988 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S02697...
pixelgeek 5y ago
These things are indeed not appropriate for kids under three but when things break and spill components all over the place it becomes a more general issue.
Factorium 5y ago
"The research by the British Toy and Hobby Association (BTHA) identified toys that...." https://www.btha.co.uk/about-us/ https://www.btha.co.uk/about-us/ The British Toy & Hobby Association represents specialty retailers, local manufacturers, and a few (large) international toy brands. All of these groups lose out when a British parent buys cheap Chinese generic toys for their kid on eBay.
- noja 5y ago
  So? The toys might be cheaper for a reason. Are they wrong?
  - nimonian 5y ago
    I think the parent comment is saying the people who wrote the study criticizing online toys sales would benefit from damaging the reputation of online toys sales. This makes it more likely the study doesn't really make sense, and just exists to further an agenda.

bhouston 5y ago

I wonder how much one buys from AliExpress is made of toxic chemicals? All that clone lego and other cheap goods. I really am curious. These ultra low cost goods are also showing up more and more on Amazon these days as well.

i_like_apis 5y ago
This is what really concerns me. I got a cheap water bottle that smelled like chemicals after much washing, for instance.
tablespoon 5y ago
> I wonder how much one buys from AliExpress is made of toxic chemicals? All that clone lego and other cheap goods. I really am curious. Probably a lot, since lead has even shown up in recent(ish) toys from US companies (Mattel) that should know better: https://tamararubin.com/2020/12/how-old-are-your-childs-toys-mega-bloks-large-yellow-building-block-c-2007-5402-ppm-lead-90-is-unsafe-for-kids-88-ppm-mercury/ https://tamararubin.com/2020/12/how-old-are-your-childs-toys...
rightbyte 5y ago
My fear is that there is a big variance in how toxic they are. E.g. some month 2111111111122222222<<§ Edit: Sry toddler ...
lokethien 5y ago
There was a guy on reddit that tested various lego clones from China and he didn't find any toxicity actually.

Tomte 5y ago

Just look at https://ec.europa.eu/safety-gate-alerts/screen/webReport https://ec.europa.eu/safety-gate-alerts/screen/webReport A lot of toys in there.