Advice for holiday toy safety: Avoid slime and ‘put a freaking helmet on’

As others in the Pennsylvania’s Capitol prepared to bring in the building’s Christmas tree, Auditor General Eugene DePasquale held his own version of a holiday celebration.

He hosted several representatives from the Pennsylvania chapter of the Public Interest Research Group, that recently released its 33^rd annual holiday toy advisory.

This one includes warnings about 15 toys of 40 tested.

The group cautioned parents to check jars of slime — popular among children — for high levels of nausea-causing boron. The advisory warns that often, balloons marketed toward young children don’t carry a choking hazard warning.

And it says parents should be aware of “smart” toys that can collect and store data, as that information is sometimes sold to third parties for ad purposes.

DePasquale also has some broader safety advice of his own.

“Put a freaking helmet on,” he said. “I mean really. I’m not saying ban fun, just put a freaking helmet on.”

As a member of the House several years ago, the auditor general introduced a bill to compel stores to take recalled toys off shelves.

It never passed, and he’s urging current lawmakers to take the issue up again.

“Policymakers and toy manufacturers and the stores need to join together on this common-sense principle that if you’re going to sell the product, it should already be safe,” he said. “If it’s not, don’t make it available for purchase.”