Nintendo recalls 71,000 character pins that violate lead standard

Nintendo has recalled 12 lapel pins of characters from its popular video games because the metal pins contain high levels of lead. The 71,000 pins were sold at two Nintendo stores—in New York, NY and Redmond, WA—or given away to employees at electronics and game stores nationwide.

The lapel pins vary in size from 1- to 2-inches in height and portray the characters Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong, Kirby, Mario, Mario Kart, Pikachu, Princess Peach, Samus, Starfox, Waluigi and Wario. They were sold individually between April 2004 and November 2007 for between $1.50 and $4. Mario, Princess Peach and Samus were also sold as a set. In that same period, the recalled lapel pins were distributed as promotions to employees at electronics and game stores around the country.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission, which announced the recall, advised consumers to immediately stop wearing the lapel pins and to contact Nintendo to receive a free replacement pin by calling (800) 431-0971 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or visiting the firm’s Web site www.nintendo.com. Images of all 12 pins can be found on both the CPSC and Nintendo Web sites.

Safety alert: Broil King Signet 90 judged 'Not Acceptable'

Most dangers with gas grills are obvious. Our own analysis of data collected by the Consumer Product Safety Commission didn’t reveal many surprises. Almost all of the estimated 11,000 grill injuries treated in hospitals each year are due to burns of the hands, arms and face. About a dozen people are killed each year. Young children are particularly at risk. The U.S Fire Administration  reports that in 2005 gas grills caused approximately 7,200 home-related fires. Grill fires go up during warm-weather months, and have also climbed with the increasing popularity of gas grills. None of this is unexpected.

What is surprising is the type of failure Consumer Reports found with a Broil King grill we tested for our June 2008 issue.  In one of our routine tests to determine how well each grill handles flare ups from fatty foods, the firebox of the Broil King Signet 90 986784LP melted. The result: molten metal dripped down from the firebox onto the area beneath the grill, just missing one tester’s hand. The space beneath the grill is where the propane tank is stored. We subsequently tested two other samples of this grill: in one the firebox again melted and in the other the firebox had begun to crack and deform by the end of the test.

Because we believe that the Broil King Signet 90 is dangerous and poses a serious safety risk, we judged it “Not Acceptable.” We reported our findings to the company that makes the grill, Onward Manufacturing of Canada, the  Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada, a government safety agency in that country. Onward told us that they are developing a retrofit kit to resolve this problem and will soon make it available to owners and Onward dealers. We hope to test the kit when it becomes available. (For more information on the retrofit kit contact 866-434-7455, or send an e-mail to kit@omcbbq.com.)

We’ve been testing gas grills for more than 30 years and have never before seen this type of failure. We do not know why the grill deformed and melted. Our flare-up test for a mid-sized grill such as the Broil King Signet 90 involves putting six steaks on the grill and cooking them with the lid down. We do not believe this test to be particularly severe and it is intended to mimic how the grill is likely to be used by consumers. Our article notes that the grill carries two safety certification marks issued by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), indicating that it complies with applicable safety standards. But those safety standards don’t involve grilling real food. We will lobby CSA to have those standards re-examined and strengthened in the near future.

If you’ve experienced a melting firebox or any other safety hazard with your gas grill, please let us know. Also be sure to report the problem to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.—Don Mays

Recall of LawnBott mower prompted by CU tests

The May 2008 issue of Consumer Reports contains a report of our tests on lawn mowers, including one that we judged “Not Acceptable.”  The LawnBott LB3200 Evolution, a robotic mower that scoots around the yard without an operator, poses a serious safety risk, in our judgment.  When the 25-pound LawnBott was lifted off the ground, its blades kept spinning for nearly four seconds—long enough to cause serious harm to an adult or curious child.  If lifted less than about 45 degrees, the spinning blades wouldn’t shut off at all.  After our tests, we reported our finding to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) as well as to the U.S. distributor for this Italian-made machine, hoping that they would address this safety issue before people got seriously hurt. 

Today, our hopes were realized.  The CPSC has just announced a recall of four LawnBott robotic mowers with model numbers LB2000, LB2100, LB3000, and LB3200, the model we tested.  All models were manufactured by Zucchetti Centro Sistemi S.p.A., of Italy.

The mowers have a docking station for recharging and a shiny plastic cover sold in red, green or blue. ”Evolution” or “Deluxe” is printed on the side of the mower. They were sold nationwide by Kyodo America dealers from January 2006 through December 2007 for between $1,750 and $2,750.

According to the recall notice, the U.S. importer, Kyodo America Industries, of Lawrenceville, GA, has received one report of a consumer lifting the mower from the ground and suffering minor lacerations from the moving blade.

Consumers should stop using the recalled LawnBott mowers immediately and contact Kyodo America to register their lawn mowers for repairs that will not be ready until the end of June.  Although most recalls have a remedy immediately available, in this case the CPSC said it was important to warn consumers about the hazard now while the fix is still in the works.  For more information, contact Kyodo America at (877) 465-9636 or visit the firm’s web site at www.lawnbott.com. —Don Mays

Companies agree to pay $320,000 in fines for violating drawstring guidelines

Eight firms have agreed to pay a total of $320,000 in fines for failing to report the sale of clothing with drawstrings to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, as required by federal law. The clothing, which was recalled over the past two years, posed strangulation and entanglement hazards that can result in death.

In 1996, the Consumer Product Safety Commission staff issued guidelines recommending the removal of hood and neck drawstrings from all children’s upper outerwear sized 2T to 12, and limiting the ends of waist/bottom drawstrings to 3 inches from the garment.  The guidelines were issued because children were being strangled or getting entangled on the neck and waist drawstrings when the drawstrings caught on such items as playground equipment, bus doors or cribs.

From January 1985 through January 1999, the CPSC received reports of 22 deaths and 48 other incidents involving entanglement of children’s clothing drawstrings. In 2006, the CPSC informed manufacturers, importers and retailers of children’s upper outerwear that non-compliant clothing would be considered to be defective under the law, to present a substantial risk of injury to children, and would be subject to CPSC mandatory reporting requirements.

The current penalties range from $25,000 to $50,000, hardly a deterrent for big retailers. However, Julie Vallese, spokesperson for the CPSC, said the “fines are consistent with the violations.  It sends a message that the CPSC doesn’t allow companies to get away with violations.”

In 2006, Black Dog Tavern was fined $50,000 for repeated violations of the drawstring guidelines.  That issue was brought to the attention of the CPSC by Janell Mayo Duncan, Senior Counsel in our Washington D.C. advocacy office.   

The eight companies that were fined this week and the related recalls include the following (click on the recall notices for photos of the garments).

Life is Good Inc.   ($50,000)
April 17, 2007 (1,200 sweatshirts)
April 30, 2007 (400 sweatshirts)

True Religion Apparel Inc. ($50,000)
Sept 14, 2006 (150 sweatshirts)

Neiman Marcus Group Inc.   ($50,000)
September 14, 2006 (150 sweatshirts)

The Cayre Group Ltd.     ($40,000)
Sept. 20, 2006 (4,500 sweatshirts)

Kohl's Department Stores Inc. ($35,000)
September 20, 2006 (4,500 sweatshirts)

DollarDays International, LLC  ($25,000)
November 30, 2006 (180 parkas)

Seena International Inc. ($35,000)
January 10, 2007 (45,000 sweatshirts)

Gildan Activewear SRL   ($35,000)
September 20, 2006 (114,000 sweatshirts)

Shelby Esses: A mother's intuition exposes a toy hazard

When 20-month old Jacob Esses ended up in an inexplicable coma last October, one person was sure she knew the answers that the doctors couldn’t find—his mom. Shelby Esses was certain her son’s frightening state was due to the Aqua Dots beads he had swallowed earlier that day. Esses was so confident that as she waited for news about her son’s condition, she asked her mother and mother-in-law to scour store shelves for Aqua Dots looking for the ingredients on the package. 

Fortunately, six hours after falling into a coma, Jacob woke up.  Determined to find out what had caused her son to become so severely ill, Esses didn't give up her search until she found the answer. And after she did, she took a number of steps that illustrate what one person can do to make a difference.

When her son became sick, Esses did all of the right things: She contacted the company that manufactured Aqua Dots to inform them of her son’s condition. She asked for the toy’s ingredient list and even submitted this list to the toxicology lab at her son’s hospital. The lab results showed that the toy was indeed toxic—it contained ingredients that when ingested metabolized into GHB, also known as the date-rape drug. Her information helped lead to a recall of Aqua Dots on November 7, 2007. The recall of 4.2 million sets was one of the fastest toy recalls in U.S. history.

But Esses didn’t stop at the recall. In the following months, she and several other parents of children who also suffered injuries from toys, played a critical role in lobbying Congress to enact tougher safety rules. She was an articulate spokeswoman who helped to put a human face on the issue.  As she told her story in Congress: “I was angry.  I am still angry. I think that there needs to be a few changes made for toys and other children's products that are sold in the United States.”

Among other things, Esses believes that products should be tested by independent labs to ensure that they do not contain lead or other harmful ingredients and that companies should post phone numbers on their Web sites for parents to call with questions about products.

The good news for all parents, families and caregivers is that both the Senate and the House of Representatives have just passed new legislation governing the safety of toys. The language of the two measures needs to be reconciled so we end up with one powerful bill. We are hopeful that Congress will get to work and do just that in the days ahead. When that happens, we will have Esses, among others, to thank.

For her efforts, we are naming Esses one of our safety crusaders. If you know someone who should be a safety crusader please let us know.

Child's elevated lead level prompts recall of key chain sold at Wal-Mart

Wal-Mart recalled 12,000 charm key chains today after reports that a nine-month-old child who had mouthed one had elevated levels of lead in her blood. Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan alerted the Consumer Product Safety Commission to the problem after the key chain was discovered during an inspection of the afflicted child's home. The CPSC cautions parents to take the key chains away from children.

“There were 34 recalls of costume and children’s jewelry in 2007 for lead. This child’s story is a very real wake up call about the danger that costume jewelry can pose for children,” Attorney General Madigan said. “The consequences of children mouthing this jewelry or potentially swallowing small pieces of the jewelry can be devastating.”

This is not the first time Madigan has stepped in to get the lead out. In December, her office caused the recall in Illinois of a red Fisher-Price toy blood pressure cuff that was discovered to contain lead by testing conducted by Consumer Reports. Two weeks later her office caused the recall in Illinois of a second Fisher-Price toy blood pressure cuff that also contained lead. Madigan's office enforces the Illinois Lead Poisoning Prevention Act, which prohibits the sale of toys, clothing, jewelry or any other product intended for use by children that contain lead in excess of 600 parts per million. The Act is among the strongest lead laws in the country.

Keys and babies are not a safe combination. In our December story, "New worries over lead," we reported that brass keys can be another source of potential lead exposure, as Katrina Barron of South Bend, Ind., found. When her daughter Aurora's blood test revealed an elevated blood lead level of 11 micrograms per deciliter in July 2007, a local health department investigation identified Katrina's house and office keys as one potential source of exposure.

The Wal-Mart recall involves 12,000 "Hip charm" key chains that feature such charms as a button, clover, leaf, heart and sand dollar hanging from a silver-colored chain (see photo). The UPC number 31568 11017 is printed on the packaging. The key chains were sold at Wal-Mart for the past three years, beginning in April 2005, for six dollars. Wal-Mart is offering a refund to consumers who return the item to one of its stores. For more information, contact Wal-Mart at (800) 925-6278 or visit the company's Web site www.walmartstores.com.

More on lead in children's jewlery
Since 2003, nearly 170 million pieces of children's jewelry have been recalled by the CPSC because the items contain high levels of lead. To see if your child owns any of this jewelry, view our photo gallery of recalled items or visit the CPSC's Web site and check recalls.

Canada may designate BPA a toxic substance

Canadian health authorities announced today that they’re formally proposing to designate bisphenol A (BPA) as a toxic substance, a first step in their consideration of a ban on the sale of products with BPA. The chemical is widely used in the manufacture of polycarbonate plastics such as clear, hard, reusable water bottles, baby bottles, and food storage containers. Numerous studies have associated BPA with a range of negative developmental and reproductive effects in laboratory animals and humans. Classifying  BPA as toxic would allow Canadian ministers to regulate its use, and would make that government the first in the world to initiate regulatory action on the chemical.

Perhaps in anticipation of Canada’s decision, several Canadian retailers—including Wal-Mart Canada and Home Depot Canada—announced earlier this week that they were immediately halting sales of certain plastic products containing BPA. We’ve asked the U.S. divisions of several large retailers about their plans for BPA in this country. Wal-Mart told us that, though U.S. regulators have not established any restrictions for BPA in baby bottles, “for several years now we have offered a variety of BPA-free products for customers who seek this option.” Wal-Mart expects all its baby bottles will be BPA-free sometime next year. We’ll be tracking the responses from other retailers as they come in.

The government move also comes in the same week as the release of a draft report by the U.S. National Toxicology Program (NTP). That report summarizes a body of new research suggesting that serious health risks could result from even low exposure.

Experiments in animals and human cells suggest a link between exposure to BPA at levels typical in the U.S. and increased rates of breast and prostate cancer, reproductive system abnormalities, and, for exposure in the womb, a host of developmental problems.  Among its conclusions, the NTP report states that,  “the possibility that human development may be altered by bisphenol A at current exposure levels cannot be dismissed."

Consumer Reports recently noted that the chemical was found to be circulating in more then 90 percent of Americans age six and older who were tested by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  BPA enters the body when it leaches from plastic containers and cans and into food and beverages.

Puffed cereal recalled after 23 people sickened in 14 states

At least 23 people in 14 states have been sickened with salmonellosis caused by the same strain of Salmonella found in unsweetened puffed rice and puffed wheat cereal recalled on April 5 by Malt-O-Meal, the Food and Drug Administration has announced. The Salmonella contamination was found during routine testing at a Minnesota plant that produces and packages dry cereals. Malt-O-Meal, based in Minnesota, is the nation's fourth largest ready-to-eat cereal manufacturer.

The recalled cereal was distributed nationally under the Malt-O-Meal brand name, as well as under private label brands including:

• Acme, America's Choice, Food Club, Giant
• Hannaford, Jewel, Laura Lynn, Pathmark
• Shaw's, ShopRite, Tops, Weis Quality

The cereals have "Best If Used By" dates from April 8, 2008 (coded as "APR0808") through March 18, 2009 (coded as "MAR1809"). A full list of affected brands can be found on the Malt-O-Meal Web site.

Salmonellosis is an infection caused by the bacteria Salmonella. Most of those infected develop diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps 12 to 72 hours after infection. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most people recover without treatment. However, in some the diarrhea may be so severe that the patient needs to be hospitalized. In these patients, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control, the Salmonella infection may spread from the intestines to the blood stream, and then to other body sites and can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics. The elderly, infants, and those with impaired immune systems are more likely to have a severe illness.

Malt-O-Meal on its Web site advises consumers who have purchased any cereal covered by the recall to return it to the place of purchase for a full refund. Consumers with questions may contact the company at 1-877-665-9331. Information regarding the recall, including images of the Malt-O-Meal and store brand product packaging, can be found on the company's Web site at www.malt-o-meal.com/recallinfo.

The FDA said it is working with Malt-O-Meal to determine the cause of the contamination and also with the states and with the CDC to identify and prevent additional illnesses. Stores have been advised to remove the recalled cereal from their shelves but in case they haven't, consumers should be sure to check the "Best if Used By" codes (see image above) to ensure they are not buying a recalled product.

200 lives a year would be saved if all pregnant women wore seatbelts

The myth that pregnant women should avoid wearing seatbelts because they may be unsafe for unborn children has been debunked by a team of researchers at the University of Michigan. The study found that about 200 unborn babies would be saved each year if expectant women properly buckled up every time they get in a car.

“It’s very clear, based on this study, that pregnant women should buckle up every single time they’re in a vehicle,” says senior author Mark D. Pearlman, M.D., vice-chair in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the U-M Health System. An estimated 370 fetuses die as a result of car crashes each year in the United States.

Read more about this important study on our Cars blog including tips for keeping expectant mothers safe from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Toy industry moves toward safety certification program

Recently I attended a meeting jointly held by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), a voluntary standards certification organization, and the Toy Industry Association (TIA), a trade group that represents toy makers. As a result of the record number of unsafe toys recalled last year, the organizations have formed the Toy Safety Coordination Initiative, a developing program that is designed to improve the safety conformance of toys sold in American and to rebuild consumer confidence in the safety of toys in the American marketplace. The program was developed with input from manufacturers, retailers, testing labs, government agencies and consumers.

The program has three components:

1. A requirement for a risk assessment or design hazard analysis to be conducted on all new toy designs;
2. A factory audit and accreditation program that should help ensure that toys be made following Good Manufacturing Practice;
3. Compliance tests of toy samples from the production line to help ensure that toys meet industry and government safety standards.

The end result will be a safety certification mark for toys that pass all three requirements, much like the UL, ETL or CSA listed marks found on virtually all plug-in electrical products.

Although this toy safety initiative is a major step forward in helping prevent unsafe toys from finding their way to the market, at CU we think the proposed program does not go far enough. We are particularly concerned that the program does not require frequent enough sampling of production lots to ensure that toys have been manufactured to high levels of safety. Moreover, it does not require marketplace surveillance to uncover any holes in the safety net. But the toy industry members argue that they are depending on rigorous improvements in factory control processes to result in toys that comply with safety standards.

The safety certification mark, which may appear on packaging and the toys themselves, has not yet been designed. Consumer recognition of a new safety mark will require plenty of marketing and consumer education campaigns. We think the toy industry should seize this unique opportunity to create a mark that not only signals compliance with safety standards but also can be used to communicate the safe age range of a toy.

Similar marks already exist in Europe. Toys sold in the EU are required to carry a CE mark (see image)
that indicates the manufacturer’s self-declaration that the toy meets standards. European toys that have small parts that could pose choking hazards are also labeled with another mark that communicates those hazards. Using an international symbol that shows unsafe use for children in certain age ranges such as 0-3, 0-8 and so forth, can help prevent parents and caregivers from putting children in harms way by giving them age-inappropriate toys.

(The ANSI/TIA team specifically rejected including self-declarations by manufacturers as part of its program. Instead, independent testing and certification would be used.)

We are hoping to see further improvements to the proposed ANSI/TIA Toy Safety Cooperation Initiative. We would also like to see the groups move quickly to put a good process in place that will allow all consumers to breathe more easily when the next holiday season arrives. —Don Mays

Recall alert: CPSC pulls lead-tainted teeth and pens

Plastic "hillbilly" teeth and pens with a seasonal theme were recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission Thursday as part of the agency's ongoing effort to rid the marketplace of products that violate the lead paint standard. Most alarming, because ingesting lead has been linked to developmental and learning disorders, was the recall of 26,000 sets of play teeth in which the gray surface paint was lead-tainted.  The recall was similar to one made last fall of Halloween "ugly" teeth.  More than 310,000 pens sold at Michaels Stores were also recalled. Here are the details:

Funtastic Hillbilly Teeth
How many:  26,000
Description: This recall involves a two-pack of fake Hillbilly Teeth with item # 2657. The item number is printed on the packaging. The gums are brown and the teeth are yellow.
Sold at: Grocery, drug, convenience and mass retailers nationwide from March 2005 through March 2008 for about $2.
What to do: Consumers should immediately take the recalled toy away from children and contact Funtastic for information on receiving a refund by calling (800) 434-5207 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday or visiting the company’s Web site at www.funtastictoy.com.

Michaels seasonal writing pens
How many: 310,000
Description: The pens were sold individually as one of a series of four including Flower Writer, Christmas Writer, Easter Writer and Spooky Writer. Each pen has themed decorations including flowers, Christmas, Easter and Halloween ornamentation.
Sold exclusively at: Michaels retail stores nationwide from August 2007 through March 2008 for about $1.
What to do: Consumers should stop using the recalled pens immediately and return them to any Michaels store to receive a refund. For additional information, contact Michaels’ customer service at (800) 642-4235 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.michaels.com.

What are the safety issues causing airline cancellations?

An avionics mechanic for an MD-80 commercial passenger plane last April confessed to a mistake he made in servicing the wiring of a plane he was working on.

In a report to a database maintained by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, he offered an insight into how mistakes can occur when maintaining the safety of a machine as complex as a jet that conveys hundreds of people miles above the earth.

The mechanic reported that he “unintentionally misinterpreted” the instructions on how to handle wire bundles. It’s not known which airline was involved, and it doesn’t seem as if any danger followed from the work.

But it’s the sort of issue that is forcing airlines to pull hundreds of planes from the sky this week, stranding thousands of passengers and raising questions about the air safety system.

On Thursday, American Airlines canceled more flights to conduct wiring inspections demanded by the Federal Aviation Administration, which increasingly relies on airlines themselves to conduct safety inspections. Alaska Airlines and Midwest were also doing airplane inspections in this latest round.

The growing concern about airline maintenance was highlighted last year in an investigation by Consumer Reports in March 2007 that found two trends profoundly affecting the safety margins: outsourcing of maintenance work and a change in the way the FAA regulates air carriers.

In recent years, more and more heavy maintenance work has been conducted not by the airlines themselves, but by outside repair stations, some of them overseas. At the same time, the FAA is increasingly relying on airlines to police themselves. The FAA uses a statistical system to identify potential problems instead of on-the ground inspections, as in the past.

The issues found new voice today in congressional testimony by Calvin L. Scovel III, the inspector general for the Department of Transportation, which oversees the FAA.

Scovel said that an overly collaborative relationship between FAA inspectors and Southwest Airlines had created a situation in which depending on Southwest to disclose safety violations without coming up with a plan to solve the issues clearly didn’t work.

Scovel also said that the Southwest case revealed overall problems with the way the FAA oversaw safety: “We also found that the events at SWA demonstrate weaknesses in FAA’s national program for risk-based oversight—the Air Transportation Oversight System (ATOS). This allowed AD (airworthiness directive) compliance issues in SWA’s maintenance program to go undetected for several years"

“We previously identified system-wide problems with ATOS, " he continued. "In 2005, we found that inspectors did not complete 26 percent of planned ATOS inspections—half of these were in identified risk areas.”

Clearly, this is not any way to run an airline system. Using new technology to make inspections more efficient makes sense, but only if it really finds and fixes problems. And depending on airlines to police themselves runs the risk of complacency or even misunderstandings in an issue as critical as passenger safety.—Bob Tiernan

Baby sling carriers raise safety concerns

Baby slings may be fashionable among Hollywood stars and other new parents but at a recent meeting I learned about some safety concerns that made me shudder. Over the past 10 years, there have been at least 22 reports of serious injury associated with the use of sling-type carriers. The injuries include skull fractures, head injuries, contusions and abrasions. Most occurred when the child fell out of the sling.

In addition to the injury reports, which were gathered by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, a number of recalls of sling carriers in recent years (including the Infantino pictured) has prompted ASTM-International, a voluntary standards-setting organization, to hold its first organizational meeting to start a standards-development process for sling carriers to address safety problems. Concerns raised by manufacturers, who requested the review, included not only the fractures and bruises but the risk of smothering.  The CPSC information documented a risk of death caused from “positional asphyxia” caused by placing the infant in the sling in a head-forward position that can cause the airway to close.

Some of the incidents with sling carriers were likely due to improper assembly, improper wearing, or failure of rings or other hardware. Most of the sling carriers demonstrated at the ASTM meeting seemed complicated to put on and prone to user error. Clear instructions and perhaps video demonstrations might help prevent mistakes. But, as we all know, consumers may not read the instructions, and misinterpretation or misunderstanding can lead to errors that can endanger precious cargo.

It’s uncertain how an ASTM standard can help make these products safer or error proof. We caution parents who do favor the sling carriers to frequently check the hardware and adjustments—and to do so without the baby on board. For now, we think there are better ways of transporting infants including strollers, hand-held infant carrier/car seats and even other types of soft infant carriers. For additional information on our Ratings for these and other products visit the Babies & Kids section of the Web site or read the Babies & Kids blog. -- Don Mays

Sling carriers recalled by the CPSC

• Ellaroo Ring Sling Baby Carriers (2008)
• Infantino SlingRider Infant Carriers (2007, pictured above)
• ZoloWear Infant Carriers/Slings (2005)

CPSC issues another large recall of toys with small magnets

More than 870,000 dartboards were recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission today because the small magnets at the end of the darts can become detached and pose a hazard to children who may swallow them. If more than one magnet is swallowed, the magnets can attract each other and cause intestinal perforations or blockages, which can be fatal. A similar dart board was recalled in February and last month the CPSC recalled 2.4 million magnetic building toys.

These recalls underscore the dangers that the CPSC highlighted last year when it warned parents about the dangers small magnets pose to children. At the time, the CPSC said it was aware of at least 33 cases of children being injured from ingesting magnets including a 20-month-old who died, and at least 19 other children ranging in age from 10 months to 11 years old who required surgery to remove ingested magnets.

If two or more magnets or magnetic components or a magnet and another metal object (such as a small metal ball) are swallowed separately, they can attract to one another through intestinal walls. This traps the magnets in place and can cause holes (perforations), twisting and/or blockage of the intestines, infection, blood poisoning (sepsis), and death. When multiple magnets are ingested, surgery is required to remove the magnets and sometimes sections of the intestines need to be removed as well.

Like the dart boards recalled in February, the Fun ‘N Games magnetic dart boards were sold at Family Dollar stores nationwide from September 2002 through March 2008 for about $1. Consumers should immediately take the recalled magnetic darts away from children and return them by first class mail to: Henry Gordy International Inc., 809A Market Street, Hermann, MO 65041 for a full refund including tax and shipping costs. For additional information, contact Henry Gordy International Inc., at (888) 790-2700 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. CT Monday through Friday.

Don't get stung by these recalled insects

More than 300,000 plush Cuddly Cousin insect toys were recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission today because the toys have small parts that can become detached and pose a choking hazard. The six different bugs—a lady bug, bumble bee, caterpillar, snail and two butterflies—were sold at dollar stores nationwide from March to December of last year.

The bugs came in a variety of colors with the product number 903995 and UPC of 6 39277 03995 8 with a date code of 71. They were sold at Dollar Tree, Dollar Bill$, Dollar Express, Greenbacks, Only One $1 and Deal$ stores. The CPSC recommends that consumers immediately take the plush toys from their children and return them to the store where purchased for a full refund. For additional information, contact Dollar Tree Stores Inc. at (800) 876-8077 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.dollartree.com.

Evenflo recalls 1,038 more Discovery car seats

Evenflo Thursday recalled 1,038 of its Discovery infant car seats because some of the seats may have been shipped without complete assembly of the red release handle located on the back of the seat. Under certain circumstances, the seat may become separated from the base, possibly resulting in serious injury to the child.

On its Web site, Evenflo explains that that recall involves the "302Z" model seats manufactured on Feb. 4 of this year and sold at Wal-Mart and Target stores from March 11 to 21. The full model numbers are 3021769Z and 3021854Z and can be found on a sticker on the bottom of the seat (see photos).

Evenflo is notifying owners of the car seat who sent in the registration card. Further information can be obtained by visiting Evenflo's Web site safety.evenflo.com. Evenflo is advising caregivers:

• To contact Evenflo directly at 1-800-233-5921 for a free replacement Discovery seat and base.
• To continue to use the Discovery seat without the base while awaiting a replacement car seat.
• To not return the seat to their local retailer. The responsibility for this action rests solely with Evenflo.

In addition in February, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced the recall of one million Evenflo Discovery child safety seats because the seats could fail to adequately protect children in a side impact collision. The seats recalled were Models 390, 391, 534, and 552 manufactured between April 2005 and January 29, 2008.

And by the way, we heard about this recall after signing up for alerts about car seat and tire recalls from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

FDA recalls cantaloupes grown in Honduras

Over the past two weeks the Food and Drug Administration has made 11 separate recalls of cantaloupes produced by a Honduran grower and packer, which have been linked to cases of Salmonella. According to the agency, there have been reports of 50 illnesses in 16 states (and a further nine cases in Canada), which are linked to consumption of the cantaloupes. The melons are from Agropecuaria Montelibano, a grower that produces 2.5 million boxes of cantaloupes each year for the United States.

The recalls involve whole as well as cut fruit from a variety of companies including Fresh Express, Chiquita, Tropifresh, Bounty Fresh and Simply Fresh, among others.  If you have recently bought cantaloupe, the FDA advises you to check with the place of purchase to determine if the fruit came from this Honduran grower. If so, throw it out immediately.

Find seven tips for safer cantaloupe consumption on Consumer Reports' health blog.

NHTSA offers tire and safety seat recall alerts

Hats off to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The agency has just made it easier for people to get important safety information about child seats and tires. Consumers can now sign up with NHTSA to receive automatic e-mail alerts when there’s a government recall of tires or safety seats.

Before introduction of the alert system, consumers had to rely on press reports or a notice from a manufacturer to learn about recalls and they only got the latter if they filled in and then mailed the registration card when buying a car seat or tire. Sadly, recall completion numbers indicate that this is usually not the case. Fewer than one-third of affected consumers respond to tire recalls, while less than half of affected consumers respond to child seat recalls. By contrast, 70 percent of vehicle recalls are completed, says NHTSA spokeswoman Elly Martin, because owners names are on record.

To sign up for the electronic recall notice, simply visit www.safercar.gov. You will be sent all tire and car seat recalls, but there are not so many that they will clutter your in-box—about 20 tire recalls and eight child restraint system recalls a year.

Safercar.gov has also added a feature to make it easier for consumers to register car seats directly with manufacturers. It’s a service we encourage all care-givers to use.

And in further good news, NHTSA’s Martin says the agency plans to extend the automatic e-mail notification service to passenger-car recalls in the future. Hear. Hear.