These dangers were highlighted by the U.S. Public Interest Research Group in its 24th annual "Trouble in Toyland" report, the first since sweeping consumer safety legislation went into effect earlier this year.
The organization focused on four hazards: small parts that can choke children younger than 3 years old, loud toys that can cause hearing damage, lead-tainted toys and soft plastic toys that contain chemicals called phthalates.
Matt Wallace, head of AkPIRG, the Alaska affiliate of U.S. PIRG, said some toys tested exceeded the 85-decibel sound level, the threshold established under American Society for Testing and Materials standards.
As for phthalates, Congress this year banned toys and other children's products containing more than 0.1 percent of phthalates. But some products contained concentrations up to 7.2 percent, Wallace said.
Elizabeth Hitchcock, public health advocate for U.S. PIRG, said a toy that can fit into a toilet paper tube is too small for children under age 3.
The Toy Industry Association responded with a statement warning parents not to be "needlessly" frightened by these types of reports, which "often ignore or misinterpret the facts."
"Protecting the safety of children is a shared responsibility and a year-round priority (of) the Toy Industry Association Inc. and its members," the association said. "Consumers have every reason to trust the safety of the 3 billion toys sold in America each year."
Government safety officials assured shoppers that toys are safer this year than in previous holiday seasons.
"We feel that parents should have more confidence this year for toys than past years because we are enforcing the new Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act," said Inez Tenenbaum, Consumer Product Safety Commission chairwoman.
Wallace encouraged parents to use http://toysafety. mobi, designed for use with mobile phones, to look up toy hazards while they are shopping and report hazards they find.
The Anchorage Daily News/adn.com contributed to this article.
Important warning about e-mails purporting to be from the adn.com staff.