Toy manufacturers, like other companies, are required to produce toys that are, most importantly, safe for children.  Unfortunately, parents often find themselves rushing to emergency rooms because their child has swallowed a small detachable part that should not have been on the toy, or been burnt by overheating or exploding batteries, or been strangled by doll accessories.  In 2008, thousands of parents rushed their children to labs for lead detection tests to find out if their child had ingested dangerously high levels of lead from toxic paint on their toys. In 2003, 155,400 children, most of them below the age of 4, required emergency room treatment due to dangerous toy related injuries. That same year, there were 11 dangerous toy related deaths.

Choking and Aspiration Hazards

Most injuries caused by defective or dangerous toys are the result of choking or aspiration hazards.  Choking can occur when a child puts small detachable toy parts, screws, marbles or balls in their mouth.  Balloons that have not been inflated or even pieces of a burst balloon can be swallowed by young children and result in aspiration.  The risk of choking on a toy is highest in the infant to three year age group; these children have a natural tendency toward oral exploration.

Toy manufacturers are required to make sure that all toys carry warning labels that specify the age group the toy is appropriate for.  Any toy that comes with detachable or loose parts is not advised for children below three years of age.  Also, the eyes and noses of stuffed toys should not be detachable, as children may put them in their mouths.

Toxic Ingestion Hazards

Sometimes, the dangers hidden in a child's toy may not send him or her to the hospital with serious injuries requiring immediate treatment, but can include unseen chemicals that can slowly enter the body, leaving the child with long term health damage.  High quantities of lead paint have been found on popular children's toys.  Even trusted toy makers like Mattel have been forced to recall toys after they were found to have lead levels higher than the allowed 600 parts per million specified for children's products.  Long term ingestion of lead can cause damage to the nervous system, interfere with development of IQ and cause other developmental problems in children.

Beside lead poisoning, children's toys like rattles and teething rings have been found to contain high levels of phthalates that can cause reproductive damage in male infants. Phthalates is a combination of chemical compounds added to plastic products to soften them.

Most defective toys are manufactured outside of the US, but even so, toy companies responsible for the sale of these products within the country are required to ensure that their toys are free of toxic chemicals that can harm children.