Deaths and injuries result in recall of crib from defunct firm

Cribs from a cribmaker that went out of business at least five years ago were recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission today. The agency has learned of three deaths and multiple injuries attributed to the cribs. All Generation 2 Worldwide and “ChilDesigns” drop-side cribs have been recalled and families are strongly advised to stop using them.

Problems with the cribs date back at least eight years when a six-month-old from Staunton, Va. suffocated when he became entrapped between the drop side and crib mattress. The lower drop-side track was missing two screws which allowed it to pull away from the headboard post and detach. In  2003, an eight-month-old child from Richmond, Ind. suffocated when he became entrapped between the drop side and the crib mattress. The plastic hardware on the drop side was broken and allowed the drop side to detach from the crib headboard in one corner. And in July 2007, an eight-month-old child from Newark, Ohio suffocated when he became entrapped between the drop side and the crib mattress. The drop side of his crib had detached due to a broken plastic stop tab on the lower track.

The CPSC has also received reports of 20 other drop-side incidents, 12 of which involved the drop side detaching in a corner of the crib. In two of the incidents, a child became entrapped. One child suffered bruising from the entrapment. There are five reports of children falling out of the cribs due to drop-side detachment. One child suffered a broken arm as a result of the fall.

The cribs are faulty with plastic hardware that can break causing the drop side to detach from a corner of the crib affecting the mattress supports in some cases. The CPSC has received 8 reports of mattress support detachment in these cribs. Three children became entrapped between the crib frame and the sagging mattress and four children crawled out of the crib. There was one report of cuts and bruises.

Because Generation 2 went out of business in 2005, the CPSC has limited information about the cribs including how many were sold and over what period of time. The agency believes that more than 500,000 cribs were sold. The recall notice lists some model numbers but emphasizes that all Generation 2 Worldwide and “ChilDesigns” drop-side cribs are included in the recall.

The recalled cribs were sold at numerous furniture and retail stores including Buy Buy Baby, Kmart and Walmart nationwide for between $60 and $160. Consumers should contact the store from which they purchased the crib for a remedy, which may vary from a refund, replacement crib or store credit, depending on the retailer. Consumers are urged to contact the CPSC and report any difficulties in obtaining a remedy from their place of purchase.

Mountain do: Protect your noggin on skis or a toboggan

Ski Safety Week may be seven short days, but ski safety should be a season-long event. Especially when you factor in the newest conclusions about the benefits of wearing ski helmets.  (You’ll need Adobe Acrobat to read the full-text version.)
 
The paper, published in the latest issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, crunched the numbers from 12 studies that looked at helmet use and injuries among skiers and snowboarders. Five were done in Europe, one in Asia, and six in North America.
 
The bottom line for the top of the body: “The use of helmets significantly reduced the risk of head injury.” In fact, by 35 percent. That should be enough to convince powder hounds to put one on.
 
Two excuses are given for not wearing helmets. The first is that they increase the risk of neck injuries, especially among children. Not so, the study says; there is no significant association. The second is that they create a false sense of security, which leads to more aggressive behavior on the slopes. For that, the evidence is mixed. Some of the studies showed that helmet-heads were more likely to take risks, and some showed that they were, like minivan drivers, inherently a more cautious bunch.
 

A meta-analysis like this one is a succinct and comprehensive way to look at results from a lot of studies and come up with a single conclusion. In this case, it’s that wearing a ski helmet gives you a much better chance of not being one of the 80-plus skiers and snowboarders each year who are killed or seriously injured by a bash to the head.

While the scope of this study did not include other downhill racers such as tubers and sledders, more and more experts are calling for helmet use for anyone who speeds down the slopes.

—Jonea Gurwitt

Snow and ice make for a not-so-super Saturday

It's hard to tell which is getting more hype today—the Super Bowl or the super snowstorm that is threatening to give the midsection of the East Coast a gut punch. By some accounts the storm could be a record-breaker, at least in Washington D.C. So here's a bit of advice: Stay home!

Honestly, don't venture out on the roadways unless you really have to. There will be plenty of time after the storm has cleared to stock up on snacks for your Super Bowl party on Sunday.

If you have no choice, take a look at our Guide to Safe Winter Driving before venturing out. Don't forget to stock your car with the 12 things you'll need if you get stuck or stranded, starting with a cell phone.

You may need a refresher course in how to handle your car in icy conditions. And come Sunday, or the next time you leave the house, be sure to clear all the snow from your car to keep yourself and other motorists safe. Some states ticket drivers who allow snow or ice to blow off a moving vehicle.

Meanwhile, in Miami the weather report for Sunday's game is clear and warm. Go teams!

Importer fined $200,000 over lead-tainted tops and painted pails

A Massachusetts importer has been fined $200,000 for violating the federal lead paint ban with pails and tops imported from China, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced today. The playthings were emblazoned with Thomas and Friends, Curious George and Winnie the Pooh graphics and have since been recalled. (Read the settlement.)

Specifically the company, Schylling Associates, was charged with:

• Importing 66,000 units of non-compliant spinning top toys with Thomas and Friends, Curious George and Circus graphics between June 2001 and June 2002, and distributing them to its retail business customers for sale to consumers.
• Importing 10,200 units of non-compliant tin pail toys with Thomas and Friends, Curious George and Primary Colors graphics from late January 2002 through March 2002, and distributing about 4,700 of them to its retail customers for sale to consumers.
• Importing as many as 3,600 units of non-compliant Winnie-the-Pooh style spinning top toys between April and May 2003, and distributing them to its retail customers for sale to consumers.

Although it eventually reported these toys to the CPSC in 2007, Schylling knew or should have known by 2002 that most of the toys did not comply with the lead paint ban, and failed to report this information to the government in a timely manner, the complaint said.

The toys were recalled in August 2007 and November 2007.

“Manufacturers, importers, distributors and retailers have a legal obligation to ensure that no banned products are introduced into or distributed in the U.S. marketplace, and to inform CPSC as soon as they become aware of information that must be reported under our laws. We will continue to penalize companies that do not follow these basic requirements,” said CPSC Chairman, Inez Tenenbaum.

Tinkerbell's fairy dust laced with lead

It’s a wonder Tinkerbell could fly, carrying all that heavy metal. Turns out she can't. Yesterday, Playmates Toys, of Costa Mesa, CA, recalled 252,000 Disney-branded Tinkerbell charms for lead content that exceeds federal limits.
 
The recall involves charms sold with the Tiny Tink and Friends toy jewelry sets. The charm is attached to a cord using a metal ring and cylinder and included with the sets as a separate accessory that children can attach to the toy necklace, bracelet or key chain. The cylinder is the problem piece.
 
The sets were sold from November 2008 through November 2009, so kids may well have gotten them as holiday gifts or stocking stuffers. If your child has one, take it away immediately and contact Playmates Toys at (888) 810-1133 or www.playmatestoys.com for a replacement or refund.
 
Another gift that keeps on giving the wrong thing: Birthday cards with lead-laden bracelets attached.  Schurman Fine Papers (sold at Papyrus and other card stores) is voluntarily recalling 174,000 wood-bead bracelets that came with birthday cards because the paint contains excessive levels of lead. The colorful bracelets—sold from 2004 to 2009—include a bead in the shape of a butterfly. They should be taken away from kids immediately and returned for a refund. Consumers can call Schurman at (888) 990-9095 for instructions.

Tinkerbell isn't the only Disney character on the recall list. Last week the CPSC recalled necklaces from The Princess and the Frog because they contained dangerous levels of cadmium.

Toys 'R' Us wants your broken baby products

The last time Toys 'R' Us sponsored a trade-in of unsafe baby products, it ended up with a warehouse full of broken buggies, crippled cribs and busted bassinets. Now the retailer is ready to fill up another one.

The chain's "Great Trade-in" is in full swing at stores across the nation. From now until February 20 they are accepting trade-ins of used cribs, car seats, bassinets, strollers, travel systems, play yards, high chairs and toddler beds. And what do consumers get in exchange? A 25 percent discount on the purchase of new baby items from participating manufacturers.

Granted it's a good way to get customers in the door but it's also a good way to get damaged and unsafe products out of homes and off the secondhand market. During the store's first event in September, it got many items that were decades old and definitely not compliant with today's stricter product safety standards.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission advises against buying used children's products that have a history of safety issues such as some cribs, play yards and bassinets. Hand-me-down car seats are also problematic and may not offer the protection that parents expect. Even if you don't plan to trade in your baby products, it's a good time to check them for wear and tear and to double check the CPSC's recall database.

Teaming up to prevent TV tipover

Today our local district attorney, Janet DiFiore, paid us a visit to help get the word out about the dangers of TV and furniture tipover. With consumers considering new television purchases for the upcoming Super Bowl and Olympic Games, her timing couldn't have been better.

DiFiore said her staff had recently investigated the death of a four-year-old child in Westchester County who was killed when a 32-inch tube television fell off a dresser. The DA's office is responsible for determining whether such incidents involve a crime (no charges were filed) and then turning over the information to the county's Child Fatality Review Team.

Tipover incidents can occur in an instant, as two of our staffers demonstrated with a TV that had been place atop a dresser. When a 50-pound weight—the equivalent of a small child—was placed in one of the drawers, the dresser fell forward onto the "child" (a doll) and the television crashed to the ground. Gasps could be heard from some of the journalists at the press conference. (See the video.)

Between 2000 and 2006, there were 87 fatalities reported in the U.S. related to televisions falling and 95 percent of those fatally injured were children less than 10 years of age. To help prevent such accidents DiFiore's office along with Consumer Reports is offering the following tips, Preventing TV tipovers, which are also included in a PDF you can print out.

• Place televisions on furniture that is sturdy and appropriate for the size of the TV.
• Furniture holding the TV should be anchored to the floor or wall using brackets, screws or braces.  It is best to use hardware provided by manufacturers. 
• Avoid placing TVs on dressers and chests, as children may be tempted to use the drawers to climb and may cause the furniture or TV to topple
• Make sure that the TV does not hang over the edge of the furniture base and that it is positioned as far back as possible
• Place electrical cords out of a child’s reach, and teach children not to play with the cords
• Keep items that might be attractive to children, such as toys and remote controls, away from the top of the TV or TV stand

Fire at Underwriters labs underscores danger of smoldering ash

The next time you set fire to your mattress just to see what happens, remember this cautionary tale from Underwriters Laboratories: The fire might look like it’s out, but it’s not.
 
Fortunately, the labs of the product-safety testing and certification group are designed to withstand fires, since setting things ablaze is all in a day’s work. The Chicago Tribune reports that over the weekend, mattresses in the burn room at the test facility reignited after everyone went home.

"My feeling is that something was smoldering that they didn't catch (on Friday)," Patrick Crown, Northbrook Fire Department district chief told the Chicago Tribune. "And it just smoldered and smoldered and it finally ignited when everyone was gone."
 
If one of the most experienced labs in the country can make this mistake, so can the rest of us. You’re probably not burning mattresses in your house, but you might well be using your grill or, especially this time of year, cranking up the wood stove or fireplace. So it’s good to know the facts about smoldering ash.
 
The Oshkosh, Wisconsin fire department has seen a marked increase in the number of fires caused by smoldering ash, from one or two a year  to five or more this year. And that's just one fire department. John Holland, public education specialist for the department, says that falls in line with the growing popularity of outdoor fireplaces. (One homeowner stashed the ash under his wooden deck.You can guess the rest.)
 

To keep this trend in check, the Oshkosh Fire Department has put together some tips on the proper disposal of ashes.

—Jonea Gurwitt