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Recalls
July 14, 2010
Feds propose ban on drop side cribs.
After a steady drum beat of crib recalls, the feds proposed new rules Wednesday that would ban drop side cribs, according to the Associated Press. The rules would also prohibit the use of drop-side cribs in hotels and day cares centers.
While cribs that allow one side to be lowered for easier access can still be purchased online, many large retailers included Babies ‘R’ Us have stopped selling them altogether as model after model have been recalled due to suffocation risks.
In fact just today, Pottery Barn Kids issued a recall for 82,000 of it’s cribs.
While drop-side cribs have been used for many years, consumer advocates say today’s drop-sides are not as sturdy as those of the past. Many newer cribs have plastic tracking guides for the side that drops down — made of materials that critics say are more prone to breaking than the metal rods on cribs many of our parents used. Industry officials also attribute some of the problems associated with drop-sides to parents assembling the cribs incorrectly.
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November 24, 2009
Bye-bye drop-side cribs?
Every few months, it seems, the Consumer Product Safety Commission issues another crib recall, usually involving drop-side cribs.
This week the drum beat continued with the largest ever crib recall, affecting 2.1 million cribs sold in Canada and the United States, according to the Associated Press.
Sales of the cribs being recalled date back to 1993 and nearly 150,000 of the cribs carry the Fisher-Price logo.
The drop-side design has proven to be a technical challenge for manufacturers who have struggled to make a product that is convenient, sturdy and not prone to errors in assembly by consumers.
Some, including CPSC chairman Inez Tenenbaum, have suggested the discontinuation of the drop-side cribs, which allow parents to lower one side for easier access.
With the renewed focus on baby products, drop-side cribs may not be the only product casualty. A recall reported earlier this month for Maclaren strollers, suggests that the lightweight stroller category might be next for government scrutiny. The issue there is fingertip amputation by the hinge mechanism that virtually all umbrella strollers use.
While not as severe as the cases of crib death in the drop-side cribs, the strollers still have watchdogs calling for greater vigilance by government regulators. And more changes and recalls will likely be announced as the CPSC hunkers down to develop standards for many common infant and toddler products in the next few years.
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May 28, 2009
Nobody eat the wheel weights!
Apparently, car and truck wheels have these little weights that are attached to them to help keep the wheels balanced. The problem is these weights are made of lead and they occasionally fall off. And if a kid happens to see a shiny object in the road and thinks, ‘Hey, that looks tasty!’ or ‘Hey, I think I’ll pick that up!’, it could be dangerous.
The Sierra Club also says this about the weights: “Lead weights falling off these tire rims are one of the largest ongoing releases of lead into the environment.”
“Cars and trucks grind the wheel weights into a powder that spreads into the neighborhoods along our busy streets, especially the city streets where traffic is heaviest and the stops, starts, and bumps are more common,” said Tom Neltner, Co-Chair of the National Toxic Team for the Sierra Club.
The group along with other organizations are asking the Environmental Protection Agency to ban the use of lead wheel weights.
“This is EPA’s chance to finally recognize that lead is an element that does not go away,” Neltner said.
Washington State passed a ban in 2009 that will go into effect in 2011. This month Maine passed a ban which will go into effect in 2010. California and Iowa are currently considering similar bans. Vermont has banned lead wheel weights for state-owned vehicles by 2010 and for all new vehicles by 2011.
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November 10, 2008
Infant gas relief drops recalled
Usually when medicines get recalled it is something I’ve never heard of.
But according to the Associated Press, about 12,000 units of Mylicon drops to relieve gas for infants were recalled Monday because some bottles could include pieces of metal.
These drops were a lifesaver for me when Ayanna was a newborn and I gave them to her daily.
Johnson & Johnson-Merck Consumer Pharmaceuticals Co. recalled certain bottles of nonstaining Mylicon gas-relief dye-free drops. The recalled drops were sold in 1-ounce plastic bottles that were distributed to stores and pharmacies after Oct. 5. They were sold over the counter.The recalled bottles are from lots SMF007 and SMF008. These numbers are printed on the bottom of the box and on the lower-left side of the sticker on each bottle.
The recall does not include the original infant’s Mylicon gas-relief products (the pink stuff) or half-ounce bottles of the dye-free drops, according to the story.
The story does not explain how the metal got in the bottles in the first place.
Of course in the newborn stage, I was so sleep deprived that I could hardly remember my own name, much less to check the news for medicine recalls. So, if you know a new mom, pass this one along and tell her to check the medicine cabinet — the drops are also popular shower gifts.
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October 16, 2007
Free lead screenings for kids
Do all the toy recalls have you worried about your child’s exposure to lead?
The Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department is offering free screening for children under 7 years old for lead poisoning on Oct. 25, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The screenings at the St. John’s Community Center, 7500 Blessing Ave., involve a simple blood test.
Until the recent spate of toy recalls for lead levels, most lead concerns in the United States dealt with lead-based paint chips and dust that children might ingest or inhale. But exposure can occur in a variety of ways, lead-based paint in toys, pottery, folk medicine remedies and in homes constructed before 1978.
Lead-poisoning is especially serious for children whose bodies and brains are still developing. Lead poisoning can damage a person’s kidneys and brain, cause problems with hearing and reflexes and sometimes even death. The primary treatment for mild lead poisoning is to stop the exposure, health department officials say.
For more information about the screenings, call 972-6653.
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October 11, 2007
Infant cold medicines recalled
A few weeks ago I wrote about the controversy over infant cold medicines. (See “Think twice before treating that cough”.)
Well it seems that drug makers have seen the light and are pulling a number of popular infant cold medicines off the shelves, including Johnson & Johnson Pediacare Infant Drops and Tylenol Concentrated Infants Drops, Wyeth’s Dimetapp Decongestant Infant Drops, Novartis’ Triaminic Infant & Toddler Thin Strips and Prestige Brands Holdings’ Little Colds Decongestant Plus Cough.
The decision comes two weeks after the FDA warned of the potential risks to infants of such medicines. The FDA will formally consider relabeling cough and cold medicines formulated for young children later this month.
For the full story, go here
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September 25, 2007
More on cribs
Now this just makes me mad. It seems that the crib recall issued last week (See “This time a crib recall”) only happened after the prodding of reporters at the Chicago Tribune.
The Tribune’s report is part of its Hidden Hazards series looking at not only the dangers of cribs, but car seats and toys as well.
The federal watchdog agency, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, first investigated the cribs design problems in 2005. The recall was issued last Friday, after Tribune reporters starting asking questions this month. The article was published in the Tribune’s Monday edition.
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September 21, 2007
This time a crib recall
Another recall. This time for 1 million cribs from Simplicity and Graco. Apparently three infants died from suffocation after getting trapped by the drop-down rail. For the story, go here.
I cringe every time I see one of those headlines. It’s exhausting. At least unlike the toy recalls I don’t have to go through my mental file to think if we might have one of the offending items.
For parents, a crib recall is tougher to deal with than than a toy recall. In most cases you can’t just take the crib away. So while you are waiting for the repair kit what exactly is a parent supposed to do? Buy a new crib? Put the kid on the floor? Put the kid in bed with you?
Good luck. Hopefully the recall parade will end soon, and one can only hope that it means that the products are safe.
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August 14, 2007
More Toy Recalls
I know we have blogged about the toy recalls before but there are so many now I wanted to give everyone a Web site to check. You can also check Mattel’s Web site for the recalls in the news today.
I was surprised to see pictures of some little figures that I had gotten in Sesame Street Easter toys for JP. I will be cleaning those out of the toy cabinet. What do you do with recalled toys though? Do you send them back to the company so they can melt them down? Can they be recycled? Seems like a shame to put all that lead painted plastic in the landfills. I can’t seem to find any information online.
As I was watching the news this morning I saw one of JP’s toys flashed across the screen briefly. I wondered if this toys was one of the recalls but I can’t find it anywhere yet. It might be in the new batch that Mattel will be recalling.
I am glad we have the non-painted wooded blocks; they seem safe so far. Well, unless JP chucks one across the room at his mommy. Ouch, that smarts.
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