December 3, 2021-On Tuesday, Trista Hamsmith recalled her 1-year-old daughter Reese's last happy memory of howling toy dinosaurs, her voice trembled.

Ham Smith told the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Commerce, Science and Transportation that this fashionable and lively girl would not feel herself one day, so she took her to the doctor. The doctor found that there was a button battery from the TV remote in Reese’s esophagus. A small piece of metal caused electrical burns. After several medical procedures, the 18-month-old child passed away 2 months later.

Experts told the subcommittee that during the holidays, toys may cause suffocation and other health hazards, endangering the lives of children. The subcommittee heard testimony on how to prevent these holiday hazards.

"As the holidays come again, who knows how many unsafe and unsafe items will be given out as gifts, with good intentions," said Ham Smith, who created a non-profit organization called Reese's purpose to Warn parents of the dangers of button batteries like the one her daughter swallowed.

"Her battle on the ground may be over, but her real battle, real plan, and real purpose have just begun," said Ham Smith.

The top Democrats and Republicans of the Consumer Protection, Product Safety and Data Security Subcommittee announced that they are co-sponsoring a bill called Reesfa to increase product safety warnings and protect the batteries in toys to prevent children from accidentally accessing them .

"We hope it will be approved as soon as possible. The sooner it passes, the more children we can protect," said Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), chairman of the subcommittee.

According to estimates by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, there will be more than 12,500 cases of children under 18 who accidentally ingest toy parts in 2020.

Approximately 3,500 cases of coin cell battery swallowing have also been reported. But the American Academy of Pediatrics estimates that only 11% of these cases have been reported. Ben Hoffman, MD, chairman of the AAP Injury, Violence and Poison Prevention Committee, said that the danger is more than just toys.

"Children don't care if something is labeled as a toy," he said. "If you give your child your car key and there is a button battery in that key chain, then the child will explore it and play with it."

The Republican co-sponsor of the bill, Senator Martha Blackburn of Tennessee, said that counterfeit toys may bypass safety standards. Joan Lawrence, senior vice president of standards and regulatory affairs at the trade organization Toy Association, said that toxic chemicals such as lead may eventually enter toys without consumers knowing it.

The Lawrence Institute supports legislation such as the Informed Consumer Act and the Store Safety Act, which require greater transparency and reduce the existence of counterfeit products.

Hannah Rhodes, assistant to the consumer monitoring agency of the US Public Interest Research Group, said that more monitoring of online platforms is needed because some of the recalled toys are still being sold on the Internet.

She said: “Online platforms should provide consumers with as much information as possible about who they buy from.”

Katrina Knapp, a pediatrician at Bellevue Hospital in New York City, said parents should take precautions, pass CPR certification, supervise play, and keep dangerous items out of children's reach. She said that buying age-appropriate toys is the key.

"If you take a paper towel roll, try to glue a toy in the middle. If it fits in, then it is too small for your child," she said.

Mikayla Denault is a student reporter for the Medier News Agency of the Medier School of Journalism

Hearing, U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, December 1, 2021.

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