Yo-Yo Balls are banned
South Tyneside Trading Standards is advising
consumers that the popular "Yo-Yo Water Ball"
type toys have been found to pose a serious risk of
strangulation and have been banned from sale.
"Yo-Yo Water Balls" (Yo-Balls) are made of
a jelly like material. They consist of a ball filled
with liquid and a strap with a small finger loop at
the end. They are highly elastic and can be stretched
to great lengths.
Following several serious incidents, including a six
year old who had to have a Yo-Ball cut from her neck
after it got wrapped around her throat and began to
choke her, a leading paediatrician has branded the toys
"a strangulation hazard".
Following calls from Trading Standards for the product
to be banned the DTI commissioned urgent tests on the
toys which concluded that they do not meet the safety
requirements of the Toys (Safety) Regulations 1995.
On 24 April 2003 the DTI banned the supply of Yo-Yo
balls with immediate effect, the first such ban for
over a decade, issuing prohibition notices on named
suppliers preventing their further supply in UK. Further
information is avilable from the DTI press
release.
Our concern is that there may be many "Yo-Yo"
balls still in South Tyneside homes. Safety is paramount,
where young children are concerned, and we are stressing
how important it is for residents to take steps to take
note and dispose of these potentially lethal toys safely.
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