The Consumer Product Safety Commission recently announced the recall of toy rings and eyeglasses from Chuck E. Cheese restaurants over fears that children will choke on the small batteries inside. Specifically, the recall included over 1.2 million light-up rings and toy eyeglasses. The rings were part of a promotional offering that occured between April 2009 and June 2010 and the glasses with star-shaped frames came inside birthday packages.
According to the CPSC, the toys can break apart, revealing the small “button” batteries inside. Ingestion could lead to stomach, intestine, esophagus problems or other damage. The commission has not linked the toys to any injuries, but two children did break the light-up rings, pull the batteries out and swallow them, confirming fears that other children might do the same.
Both types of toys were made in China and imported by CEC Entertainment Inc., the operator of Chuck E. Cheese restaurants. The commission asks parents to take the toys away from their children and return them to the restaurant for a cash refund or other prizes. Chuck E. Cheese has been involved in three other recalls since 2001.
While this may seem too cautious on the CPSC’s part, a new medical report released by a Utah hospital indicates that 10 children were injured at the same time as the recall, and 7 of those children had serious injuries. Although no children were reportedly injured by the Chuck E. Cheese toys, button batteries can cause serious injuries if ingested since they can create an electrical current that combines with body fluids to form a caustic lye-like chemical.