They might look fun, but many toys on store shelves for the holidays pose hazards from choking, poisoning and exposure to chemicals that slow brain development, representatives from OSPIRG said Tuesday.

In its 20-year campaign for consumer safety, the Oregon State Public Interest Research Group has found toy makers have come a long way in labeling packages to warn of choking and other hazards. But they still make many toys that fit inside the choke-test cylinder, meaning they can and do go into toddlers' throats, said Dan Lawton, a Southern Oregon University student and OSPIRG spokesman.

At a news conference at the Ashland YMCA, Lawton demonstrated how even time-honored Lincoln Logs can easily fit in the throat, not to mention the wheels off Hot Wheels cars and the tiny components of the popular Polly Pocket kit, much beloved by small girls.

"I have a lot of cousins and small brothers and sisters and when I found out about Polly Pocket and how it poses such a hazard, it became a real concern about them and all the little people in my life," said OSPIRG volunteer Megan Amort.

After a tour of stores, OSPIRG members said area merchants have been "very responsive" in trying to screen out dangerous toys — and to make sure they have age-appropriate labels on them.

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"Kids will put anything in their mouths," said YMCA Child Development Center Director Becky Petetit. "A birthday party is not a birthday party without balloons, but a deflated balloon is the No. 1 danger to kids, so we watch them very closely."

Dangerous toys sent 73,000 kids under age 5 to the emergency room in 2005, with choking being the cause in almost half the cases, said Lawton. Twenty children died.

Many otherwise innocuous-looking toys contain magnets or lead, both potentially deadly to kids and both still appearing on store shelves, said Lawton.

Lead is found in children's jewelry and parts are easily swallowed. One boy died in February from acute lead poisoning after swallowing a charm from a bracelet that was 99 percent lead, Lawton said.

Widely found in toys, magnets, when swallowed, can cause intestine perforation or obstruction, especially if they connect with other magnets, Lawton said. One boy in Redmond, Wash., died last Thanksgiving and several others had surgery last year after swallowing magnets from building sets, he said.

The maker, Magnetix, settled a class action suit for the incidents, Lawton said. OSPIRG reports most Magnetix toys are safe to buy except the Magtastik or Magnetix Jr. versions, he said.

Lawton said some toys contain poisons such as benzene and parents should read content labels. One, "Chicks" makeup kit, had nail polish with the substance and Lawton said kids' painted nails often end up in their mouths.

"One you really have to look out for," Lawton said, "is the water yo-yo with elastic cord — a serious strangulation hazard."

Despite the litany of dangerous toys in its "Trouble in Toyland" report (www.ospirgstudents.com), Lawton said, "We've come a long way in toy safety. We're not trying to get all traditional toys off the shelf. I played with Lincoln Logs when I was a kid and they're fabulous.

"What we're reminding parents is that some toys may look innocuous but, as they do holiday shopping, they need to take special care to know what's age appropriate — and report any unsafe toys to CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission)."

Added Amort, "The public outcry is the only thing that makes change happen."

John Darling is a freelance writer living in Ashland. E-mail him at jdarling@jeffnet.org.