Posted on 01/04/2008 3:08:54 PM PST by jdm
Gov. Jon Corzine signed a bill yesterday that prohibits the sale of a children’s toy called “Yo-Yo Waterballs” in New Jersey. The toy has been blamed for injuring hundreds of children nationwide and has already been banned in Canada, Britain, France, Switzerland and Australia. Violators of the New Jersey ban, which goes into effect in three months, face a fine of up to $10,000 for a first offense and up to $20,000 for all subsequent offenses.
Yo-Yo Waterballs, which also are sold under various other names, are squishy toy balls on a bungee-cord string with a finger loop at one end. The ball is filled with toxic liquids, it is flammable, and the string can become wrapped around a child’s neck, causing strangulation.
“Yo-Yo Waterballs are a commercialized death threat to our children,” said Assemblyman David R. Mayer (D-Gloucester), the bill’s co-sponsor. “They are inherently dangerous and deserve to be banned.”
Assemblyman Paul Moriarty (D-Gloucester), a co-sponsor of the bill, said that “the Yo-Yo Waterball is easily accessible at convenience stores and toy outlets. … We obviously cannot stop a toy manufacturer from producing substandard toys, but we can stop them from turning a profit in New Jersey and causing further harm to our children.”
looks like a testical lock box heat wrap thingie
and since the balls are blue, well someone was caught in the act
CPSC Announces Results of Investigation of Yo-Yo Water Ball Toys
WASHINGTON, D.C. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission believes there is a low but potential risk of strangulation from the yo-yo water ball toy. The stretchy cord of the toy can wrap around a child’s neck when the child swings the toy overhead like a lasso. Parents who are concerned about this risk could, in addition to closely supervising the use of this toy, cut the cord off the toy (leaving a squishy toy ball for children to play with) or throw the toy away.
The Commission has received 186 reports of incidents in which the yo-yo ball toy’s cord wrapped around a child’s neck. In all cases, a parent or child successfully removed the cord from the child’s neck. Although there were no lasting injuries, seven cases reported broken blood vessels affecting eyes, eyelids, cheeks, neck, scalp or the area behind the ears. CPSC staff realizes that the reported incidents are uncomfortable and anxiety-provoking events for children and adults. However, based on information currently available, the CPSC staff has concluded that the toy poses a low risk of strangulation, especially for younger children. Based on the pattern of incidents, the number of products involved, the low likelihood of strangulation, and the technical staff’s assessment of the risk of injury presented by the product, the yo-yo water ball toy does not meet congressionally mandated standards for product recall.
The Commission also investigated reports of potential toxicity from the liquid inside the toy and flammability from a flame test of the yo-yo ball toy. CPSC staff found no toxicity or flammability concerns.
We believe that parents should exercise caution in allowing children to play with this toy, said CPSC Chairman Hal Stratton. The Commission will continue to monitor incidents involving the yo-yo waterball toy.
Based on information from industry sources, CPSC believes that over the last year, there have been approximately 11-15 million yo-yo ball toys distributed in the U.S., selling for between $1 and $5. The toys are made of rubber-like material and consist of a liquid-filled ball with a stretchy cord that has a small finger loop at the end. The cord is highly elastic and can be stretched to more than three feet.
CPSC is aware that some major retailers (for example, Toys R Us, Walgreen’s, and Saks) have unilaterally stopped selling the yo-yo ball toys.
Oh brother, don't these people have anything better to do than protect us from rubber squishy ball things? My kids have had these and no one choked or caught on fire. Sheesh...
My daughter broke her arm falling from a garage roof(don’t ask). Guess garages should be banned too.
A son ripped his hand climbing on a chain link fence. Should ban them.
A daughter got a sewing needle embedded in her foot.
Ban all needles.
Another son ran into a parked car and injured his chin(another don’t ask). Ban parked cars.
I could go on and on but so could all Freepers.
Glad to see they’re on top of such an important issue. Morons.
I’m surprised they didn’t ban yo-yos, too. They also come with a dangerous string, and the old ones were made out of wood, a “flammable material”.
Remember water rockets? I had a couple when I was a kid, but then they were banned.
Is there law against the limit on how far a cord can stretch, other than a physical law of stretch things?
*laugh*
The parked car comment reminds me of the time that one of my twins came sauntering into the house saying, “Emma knew better than to do that.” And didn’t say anything else.
When I asked what happened, I got “she knew better than to do that!” — then Em came in screaming and I found out. Not quite hitting a parked car, but rather riding a scooter, barefoot, down a hill.
Ban scooters! *rolls her eyes* I say, ban dentists *nods*
I can remember crawling out of my bedroom window onto the roof when I was about four. No harm done. I looked around, admired the view, and then crawled back in. Not sure if my parents knew I had done it.
Our children and grandchildren all spend a lot of time outdoors, skiing, snowboarding, sailing, and other assorted dangerous activities, including chain sawing.
On the whole, I think it’s better than sitting on a couch watching TV.
Especially when the mfr. is in China, as this one probably is.
Life happens. You tie up the mini-blind cords, cover the outlets and pray for the best.
Makes you wonder how it ever got on the market with all those things wrong with it.
My kids have had numerous ones of those. The biggest issue we’ve ever had with them is if they take them outside and they hit the dirt they are sticky and are covered with it. I really get sick to death of the mass hysteria.
Lawn darts...
I put the beans up my nose too as a child. I remember getting them removed quite well. I forget what kind but I put a few in there. It wasn’t fun at all.
I remember a fresh packages of roll caps, my fathers hammer and the sidewalk. BANG ring wha???
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