Monday, December 10, 2007

Experts say: noisy toys too loud!

Hearing experts are warning that regulations governing noise levels in toys are not tough enough.

The Canadian Association of Speech-Language Pathologists and Audiologists is urging the federal government to amend its legislation and lower the maximum noise levels allowed in toys.

The federal Hazardous Products Act currently allows toys to be as loud as 100 decibels, but the association says that's too high.

It says that does not take into account how closely children may hold a toy to their ears and how sensitive children's hearing is to noise.

The organization points out that the International Standards Organization limits noise levels in toys to 85 decibels, while the World Health Organization sets the limit at 75 decibels.

The group says a toy's too loud if the user has to raise their voice to be heard above the level of the toy.

The group wants the federal government to include noise as part of a promised review of toy safety standards.

The Canadian Press

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