Everyday parents, grandparents and other individuals throughout the state of Pennsylvania purchase toys for the children in their lives. When selecting which toy to buy the purchaser considers a variety of factors including the age of the child and what he or she is interested in. Most are not consciously thinking about whether the toy is defective or dangerous and will hurt the child. Many assume that if the toys are available to buy, they are safe for their children to use. As numerous sometimes tragic articles in the news illustrate every day, this is of course not true.

In 2009, popular toy maker, Little Tikes issued a recall of1.6 million toys containing toy nails constructed of plastic that are a choking hazard. Now, two years later the recall has been expanded to include an additional 1.7 million toys. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission the nails included in the newly recalled tool sets and workshops reportedly became stuck in the throats of two children. Fortunately, the children in both of these instances recovered.

The recall includes 11 models in which the nails are a component. Though only just now being recalled, the toys were sold throughout the U.S. for 14 years, beginning in 1990. The items have not been in retail stores since 2004.

Consumers who have the toys are advised to remove the nails from the sets so that children do not have access to them. Little Tikes is replacing the nails for those consumers who contact the company.

Source: CBSnews.com, "Choking concerns prompt recall of 1.7M toys," Associated Press, Sept. 28, 2011