MASSPIRG Warning To Parents: Recalled Toys Still Available Online

BOSTON (CBS) -- A consumer group is warning parents before they start their holiday shopping that some recalled toys are still being sold online or could already be in homes.

Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group (MASSPIRG) released a report Tuesday that details more than a dozen potentially dangerous toys.

This past year the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled 44 toys, but you can still buy 16 of them online right now.

MASSPIRG's 31st annual Trouble in Toyland report points out potentially dangerous toys such as an Aero Cruz Sky Rover that can overheat and cause burns; a Chewy Beads pacifier clip that could be accidentally swallowed; and a Monkey Xylophone that's supposed to be made of sustainable material, but actually contains toxic amounts of lead.

"Not all toy recalls are really well publicized, so we should be checking our homes for toys that have been recalled previously and second, that many toys that may have been recalled may be available online, It's a problem we've been seeing consistently throughout the years and have been working to alleviate," said MASSPIRG organizer Tehya Saylor.

"U.S. PIRG calls their annual report "Trouble in Toyland" – but their 2016 report doesn't indicate any trouble at all," Toy Industry Association spokesperson Stephanie Meyering said in a statement to WBZ-TV.

"In fact, many of the items previously recalled as a result of ongoing regulatory vigilance and named by the group are juvenile products and NOT toys (e.g. children's jewelry, pacifier clips, etc.). The inclusion of these products in a supposed "toy" safety report undermines the toy industry's deep and ongoing commitment to ensuring that toys are among the safest consumer product categories found in the home."

For a complete list of all recalled toys and to view the Trouble in Toyland masspirgedfund.org.

Last week, the group World Against Toys Causing Harm (W.A.T.C.H.) put out their "Ten Worst Gifts" list for 2016.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports