TORONTO - Safe Kids Canada is calling on Health Canada to ban
the yo-yo ball, a toy that is currently being sold in stores and is widely
available despite the danger it presents to children. At least 20 cases of
near-miss strangulation from yo-yo balls have been reported to Health Canada,
which doesn't account for many incidents that occur and are not reported.

"So far Canadian children have been lucky but do we need to
wait for a child to be strangled to death before something is done?" says
Allyson Hewitt, executive director of Safe Kids Canada. "Already a number of
countries including France, the United Kingdom, Australia and Brazil have banned
the toy. Health Canada must also ban the yo-yo ball in order to send a clear
message that this toy should not be imported, advertised or sold in Canada."

A yo-yo ball is made of soft, extremely pliable plastic and
consists of a liquid filled ball attached to a stretchy plastic cord that has a
finger loop on the cord. The toy presents a strangulation hazard due to the
highly stretchable plastic cord that can stretch from 1.5 to 2 metres. When the
ball is swung overhead, as children like to do, the cord can wrap around a
child's neck and tighten, like a tether ball does around a pole. The sticky
quality of the cord makes it difficult to remove. Parents have described how
children have turned blue fighting for air and have scratches on their necks
from trying to tear off the toy. Safe Kids Canada advises parents and vendors to
get rid of the yo-yo ball by cutting the cord into pieces and throwing it away.

Health Canada has issued two public advisories to warn parents
of the dangers of the yo-yo ball and is seeking voluntary compliance from
suppliers, manufacturers, importers and retailers not to make these products
available. Unfortunately, this approach has done little to deter the toys from
being found in stores and into the hands of children. The complex supply chain
for these types of products, many of which are manufactured overseas and
distributed through numerous channels, makes voluntary banning even more
difficult and ineffective.

Safe Kids Canada is the national injury prevention program of
Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children. The mission of Safe Kids is to prevent
injuries by educating the public about injury prevention and by working to
create safer environments. Injuries are the leading cause of death and
disability among children in Canada. To learn more about child safety, parents
can call1-888-SAFE-TIPS.

US
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.