mistletoe -- and warnings about hazardous toys. With the holiday shopping season around the corner, shoppers are being urged to use caution. An estimated 165,400 toy-related injuries to adults and children needed emergency hospital care last year, and 25 children died, according to the Institute for Injury Reduction's annual Toy Safety Report. Parents and other gift-givers should examine toys for four things: small parts that can choke, strings longer than seven inches that can strangle, sharp edges that can cut, and toys that shoot piercing objects. They should also look for warning labels and age recommendations. "We clearly have a serious problem,'' said Ben Kelley, president of the nonprofit institute. "The core issue is that those who make the toys best know how they should be used and how they can be hazardous.'' The institute's list of unsafe toys includes many with small parts that can choke or strangle a child, as well as those that can burn or drown children, or cause serious flesh injuries. Philip Jasper of Fort Myers, Fla., thought he and his wife did the right thing when their 9-year-old son, Jeremy, got a lawn discus game as a birthday present in July 1989. He said they reviewed the instructions and told Jeremy and his brother Dean how to play the game. But unfortunately when Dean threw the discuss it went straight toward Jeremy and not the intended target. Jeremy, now 14, lost his right eye. "People assume everything's OK when they buy toys,'' Jasper said. Jodi Levin, spokeswoman for the Toy Manufacturers of America, said the trade association's members follow government safety standards as well as its own voluntary toy guidelines. She said the group does not defend bad toys but that most injuries occur when toys are used incorrectly. "But it's important for parents to know how hard the government and the industry are working,'' Levin said. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with keeping dangerous toys and other harmful products off store shelves. But it has struggled to keep pace in recent years due to budget and staff cuts. It is expected to issue its own toy warnings at the end of the month. Starting next year, manufacturers will be required to provide safety warnings on toys with small parts, a move advocates believe will better help parents choose safe toys for their children. The Institute for Injury Reduction, which was founded by trial lawyers, also urged parents to avoid toys that look, smell or taste like food; check labels for the presence of lead in painted toys; and carefully examine items such as sleeping bags and comforters, which are not subject to government flammability standards. ------ A free brochure of tips, "The Safe Toy Project,'' is available by contacting the Institute for Injury Reduction at (301) 261-0090.-- AP