Health

    WASHINGTON, Aug. 6 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) today announced its Top Ten list of recalled children's products (www.cpsc.gov/roundup/roundup2009.html ) as part of the agency's "Resale Round-up" campaign. CPSC's goal is to protect consumers by getting dangerous recalled products out of resale stores and off the Internet. Re-selling recalled products is a violation of federal law.

    (Logo: www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030904/USCSCLOGO)

    Before re-selling products, CPSC encourages re-sellers to check its Web site, www.cpsc.gov, to determine if the product has been recalled.

    "Those who re-sell recalled children's products are not only breaking the law, they are putting children's lives at risk," said CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. "Resale stores should make safety their business and check for recalled products and hazards to children."

    A CPSC study conducted in 1999 found that nearly 70 percent of resale stores sold at least one recalled or otherwise hazardous product.

    CPSC is partnering with the National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops (NARTS), the Salvation Army, state agencies, and others to alert re-sellers about recalled products, product hazards including cribs that do not meet current safety standards, drawstrings in children's clothing, and the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA).

    "NARTS fully supports CPSC's outreach efforts to resale stores," said Adele Meyer, NARTS' Executive Director. "Our members are resale professionals committed to product safety who believe good value and selling safe products go hand in hand."

    The agency's education campaign, which will include safety seminars for resale store owners and employees, is part of CPSC's commitment to protecting consumers, especially children.

    CPSC's Internet surveillance team is monitoring online retailers and auction sites for sales of recalled and hazardous products. Re-sellers are reminded that they must comply with the federal law which will be enforced for in-store and online sales.

    CPSC has released a new "Handbook for Resale Stores and Product Re-sellers" to help resellers comply with the law. It can be found at www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/thrift/thrguid.pdf or can be ordered by calling CPSC's Hotline at (800) 638-2772.

    CPSC's Top Ten list of recalled children's products includes:

    Date          Recalled                     Hazard

                  Product

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------

    March 10,     Playskool         If the side rails of the portable

    1993          Travel-Lite       crib fold during use, an infant can

                  Play Yards        become entrapped and suffocate.

                                    Three deaths have been reported.

    (www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml93/93043.html)

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------

    June 25,      Evenflo Happy     The product can collapse, trapping

    1997          Camper Play       the child in the "V" formed by the

                  Yards             folded top rails. The rotating

                                    plastic hinges can crack or break,

                                    presenting a sharp edge or possibly

                                    allowing the child to escape.

                                    Evenflo and CPSC are aware of three

                                    deaths involving the play yards.

    (www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml97/97146.html)

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------

    December      Baby Trend Home   These cribs/play yards can collapse

    19, 1994      and Roam and      and entrap an infant. In January

    &             Baby Express      2001, a 9-month-old baby in

    February      Portable Cribs    Longview, Wash., died of

    28, 2001      and Play Yards    asphyxiation when her neck was

                                    caught in the V-shape created by

                                    the collapsed sides of her

                                    crib/play yard. There have been

                                    three other deaths and three

                                    reports of babies found not

                                    breathing (who were revived)

                                    associated with these products.

    (www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml95/95046.html)

    (www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml01/01094.html)

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------

    March 31,     Magnetix          Tiny magnets inside the plastic

    2006 &        Magnetic          building pieces and rods can fall

    April 19,     Building Sets     out. Magnets found by young

    2007                            children can be swallowed or

                                    aspirated. If more than one magnet

                                    is swallowed, the magnets can

                                    attract to each other and cause

                                    intestinal perforation or blockage,

                                    which can be fatal. This product is

                                    unsuitable for young children. CPSC

                                    is aware of one death and at least

                                    27 serious injuries.

    (www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml06/06127.html)

    (www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07164.html)

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------

    Jul 19,      Easy Bake Ovens   Young children can insert their

    2007                            hands into the oven's front

                                    opening, and get their hands or

                                    fingers caught, posing entrapment

                                    and burn hazards.

    (www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07245.html)

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------

    August 14,    Polly Pocket      Small magnets inside the dolls and

    2007 &        Dolls with        accessories can come loose. The

    November      Magnets           magnets can be found by young

    21, 2006                        children and swallowed or

                                    aspirated. If more than one magnet

                                    is swallowed, the magnets can

                                    attract to each other and cause

                                    intestinal perforation or blockage,

                                    which can be fatal. CPSC is aware

                                    of 3 serious injuries.

    (www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07273.html)

    (www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07039.html)

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------

    July 2,       Simplicity Drop   The drop side can detach. When the

    2009,         Side Cribs        drop side detaches, it creates

    September                       space between the drop side and the

    17, 2008                        crib mattress. Infants and toddlers

    &                               can roll into this space and become

    September                       entrapped which can lead to

    21, 2007                        suffocation. CPSC is aware of 10

                                    deaths associated with Simplicity

                                    drop side cribs.

    (www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09260.html)

    (www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08401.html)

    (www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07307.html)

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------

    September     Simplicity        The Simplicity 3-in-1 and 4-in-1

    11, 2008,     Bassinets         convertible bassinets contain metal

    August        (also includes    bars that are covered by an

    27, 2008      bassinets with    adjustable fabric flap which is

    & August      Graco or          attached by velcro. The fabric is

    28, 2008      Winnie the        folded down when the bassinet is

                  Pooh motif)       converted into a bed-side

                                    co-sleeping position. If the velcro

                                    is not properly re-secured when the

                                    flap is adjusted, an infant can

                                    slip through the opening and become

                                    entrapped between the metal bars

                                    and suffocate. CPSC is aware of at

                                    least three deaths involving

                                    Simplicity bassinets.

    (www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08396.html)

    (www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08378.html)

    (www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml08/08381.html)

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------

    February      Hill Sportswear   CPSC received one report of a death

    12, 2009      hooded            involving a 3-year-old boy in

                  drawstring        Fresno, Calif. He was strangled

                  sweatshirts       when the drawstring on the hooded

                                    sweatshirt that he was wearing

                                    became stuck on a playground set.

    (www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09129.html)

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------

    April 2,      Evenflo           Recline fasteners and metal screws

    2009          Envision High     on both sides of the high chair can

                  Chairs            loosen and fall out, allowing the

                                    seatback to detach or recline

                                    unexpectedly. Children can fall

                                    backwards or fall out of the high

                                    chair and suffer bumps and bruises

                                    to the head, abrasions, cuts and

                                    bruises. Detached hardware also

                                    poses a choking hazard to children.

    (www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09178.html)

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    Learn more at CPSC's new Resellers and Resale/Thrift Stores Information Center (http://www.cpsc.gov/info/resale/index.html).

    CPSC is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about it by visiting www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx

    The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

    To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270. To join a CPSC e-mail subscription list, please go to www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain recall and general safety information by logging on to CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov.

    CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772

    CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

SOURCE  U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission