\t\t\t\tThe hustle and bustle of the holiday season is in full swing! Malls are full of shoppers, presents are gathering up under the tree and children’s anticipation of playing with their new toys is growing! Every year we hear of the dangers that exist with toys…but did you know that some of the toys currently on the market have hearing loss dangers?<\/p>\n
For 12 years non-profit Sight and Hearing Association<\/em> along with researchers at the University of Minnesota conducts a study of the noise levels on the toys directly off the retailers’ shelves in their Noisy Toy Study. The study aims to inform consumers of the potentially dangerous sound levels they are exposing their children to.<\/p>\n What’s the top offender of 2009?<\/strong> The Iron Man Mobile Headquarters Vehicle by Jada Toys. \u00a0The popular toy was measured at a blaring 119.5 dB \u2014 loud enough to risk hearing damage in less than eight seconds! Fisher Price\u2019s Learning Letters Mailbox, meant for a 6-36 month old, topped out at 113.9 dB; and a book called Sesame Street Help Along Sing a Song measured 112.1 dB. All of those toys are loud enough to risk hearing damage in less than one minute.<\/p>\n For all the toys on the list, any of them listened to at a close level for a long duration of time could lead to Noise Induced Hearing Loss<\/a>.<\/p>\n In order to protect your child from Noise Induced Hearing Loss, the association has the following tips:<\/p>\n