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(KSL News) -- Before heading out to buy toys on your children's wish list, you might want to check PIRG's list.
The public interest group evaluates toys for kids, and they say many hot sellers on the market just aren't safe.
Trucks with wheels that pop off, velcro tabs that tear and choke a child, nstruments so loud, it causes hearing loss -- the list goes on and on.
Alison Cassady, PIRG Research Director: "We tested eight children's products and toys labeled 'phthalate-free' and we found that six of them actually contained phthalates, which is troubling news for parents."
Phthalates (faylate) is a chemical used to soften hard plastic, and some scientists link it to birth defects and cancer.
Manufactures insist that toys sold in the US are safe.
Gary Klein, Toy Industry Association: "Every toy is tested according to exacting safety standards before it gets on the shelf of a retailer. So if they see it on the shelf of a retailer, it's been tested and it's safe."
It's up to parents to read toy labels and make sure it's a safe item to give their children.
