CPSC steps out with million-consumer march

The Consumer Product Safety Commission on March 19 announced the kickoff of its “Drive to 1 Million” initiative. The federal agency wants at least 1 million U.S. consumers to sign up for its e-mail notifications about product recalls.

Consumers remain unaware about potentially dangerous products, according to the CPSC, even after the commission recalled a record 466 products in 2006. “It is vital for consumers to check their own homes for hazardous products that have been recalled,” said Nancy Nord, the CPSC’s acting chair in a press release announcing the initiative. “Consumers can literally save lives with the click of their computer mouse.”

You can also learn about past recalls on the CPSC Web site, some of which might affect you and your family. Consider the recall of the 12 million cedar chests made by the Lane Company from 1912 to 1987 (shown at right).

Between 1976 and 1994, six children got trapped inside this chest and suffocated after the lid latched automatically. Although the recall was first issued in September 1996, as of this March, the chest was still among the “CPSC’s Most Wanted,” with a picture of it on the commission’s home page (shown above). Given the likelihood that chests with an unsafe lock could still be in homes nationwide, the recall remains in effect.

You’ll also find detailed recall information, easily searchable by product category, on the Recalls page on ConsumerReports.org.—Steven H. Saltzman