Noisy Toys Can Cause Hearing Loss
Toys have been taking a big hit the last half of the year with massive recalls for high lead content in paint and other health risks. Now another health issue has come up which could affect toy sales and it is not something most businesses want to hear. According to Yahoo Lifestyle, it turns out that any toys with a sound feature could potentially damage hearing. The decibel levels in some toys could cause hearing loss with extended use or close proximity to the ear.
I have wondered about the safety of the noise level of some of the toys I got. Some of the dollar store toys I have seemed to have ear-piercing sounds. Since they were from China and there were other issues with the toys, I figured there would probably be some sort of decibel level issue. So far I have reviewed the Spiderman Flip Phone and the sounds on that have been a little rough on the ears unless I covered the speaker. I also have several other dollar store toys that I have yet to review that could be too loud to be safe. I also reviewed a toy cell phone that warned misuse could cause hearing damage. I never got that one to work since the 2AA batteries that came with it were bloated and probably ready to leak.
Parents will need to be extra careful when choosing toys for their children. Sounds and flashing lights are sure to get a kid’s attention but kids will most likely be unaware of the dangers of the sounds. When I was testing the toys I reviewed I knew immediately that the sounds were most likely not safe but, despite what others may think to the contrary, I know better. Any toys with sound could be dangerous, not just toys from dollar stores. Test any sound feature on the toy before you buy them, many toys with sounds or lights will have a “Try Me” feature. If they are hard on your ears, think of how hard it will be on your child’s ears. Parents should also be careful of gadgets that play music to. I often walk by teenagers listening to their iPods and I can hear the music they are playing, even with the earbuds right in their ear. I hate to think of the damage they are doing to their ears if I can hear the music to. Many of those earbuds don’t have anything to stop harmful volume levels.
I hope everyone heard me loud and clear on this one.
Leave a Reply