WEDNESDAY, Nov. 16, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- With the holiday season approaching, the consumer watchdog group World Against Toys Causing Harm (WATCH) has released it annual list of the most dangerous toys.
The organization urges parents to be cautious when buying toys this holiday season, noting that since January 2015 there have been recalls involving more than 800,000 individual products, including 500,000 this year alone.
According to WATCH, every three minutes a child is treated in a U.S. emergency room for a toy-related injury. Since January 2015, there have been at least 19 toys with safety defects recalled in the United States. These recalls involved more than 800,000 units of toys -- including 500,000 this year, the group said in a news release.
"Consumers can inspect new toys as well as toys already in homes and schools for dangerous hazards and stay away from any toys that may have been recalled, caused injuries, or are defective. Awareness of classic hidden toy hazards can prevent injuries. Shockingly, classic toy dangers, such as small parts, strings, projectiles, toxic substances, rigid materials, and inaccurate warnings and labels, resurface each year in newly designed toys," the group said.
Here is WATCH's list of the 10 worst toys of 2016, where they're sold and the risks they pose:
The safety group said the 10 Worst Toys list highlights dangers in certain toys, but parents and other consumers should know that these are not the only potentially hazardous toys on the market.
More information
Safe Kids Worldwide has more on toy safety.