This week in safety

It's almost the witching hour so we'd like to share some Halloween safety tips from our fellow bloggers at Consumer Reports. Both the Cars blog and the Baby & Kids blog featured posts on pedestrian safety cautioning drivers to watch out for wee walkers after dusk. But with the clocks being turned back this weekend, those tips will hold true for the rest of the fall and winter as well. Our colleagues on the Home & Garden blog remind readers to change the batteries in their smoke alarms at the same time they reset their clocks. Here's what else was in the news this week.

FDA ignored evidence when calling BPA safe
USA Today
The Food and Drug Administration ignored evidence when concluding that a chemical in plastic baby bottles is safe, according an expert panel asked to review the agency's handling of the controversial substance. Read more ...

Some tainted toys get another turn
The Wall Street Journal
Pixos, a toy marketed by Spin Master Ltd. of Toronto, lets children arrange small beads into designs, then add water to make them stick together permanently. The toy is similar to Aqua Dots, a product recalled last November after several children swallowed beads and slipped into temporary comas. In fact, Pixos is a new version of the same toy, marketed under a different name. Read more ...

Mexican 'vanilla' with coumarin no bargain
Food and Drug Administration
Tourists tempted to pick up bargains south of the border should beware of one bargain that isn't always a good buy—so-called Mexican "vanilla." This flavoring product may smell like vanilla, taste like vanilla, and be offered at a cheap price. But it's often made with coumarin, a toxic substance banned in food in the United States. Read more ...

USFA releases new residential and buildings fire report
U.S. Fire Administration
Cooking (41 percent) and heating (13 percent) are the leading causes of residential building fires. Cooking also accounts for approximately 25 percent of fires that injure civilians. Smoking (20 percent) is the leading cause of fatal residential building fires. Read more ...

More Marines killed on motorcycles this year than in Iraq
CNN.com
Motorcycle accidents have killed more Marines in the past 12 months than enemy fire in Iraq, a rate that's so alarming it has prompted top brass to call a meeting to address the issue, officials say. Read more ... Our Cars blog explored the rise in motorcycle fatalities earlier this year.

Don't miss these recalls

• 135,310 Firestone and 26,941 Le Mans tires (insufficient tread)
• 35,000 Sony lithium-ion laptop batteries (fire and burn hazard)
• 17,000 DYMO  power adapters used with printers (burn hazard)
• 54,500 Fit & Fresh smooth blend mixers (laceration hazard)
• 370,000 Homelite chain saws (chain brake failure)
• 19,000 Cybex treadmills (fall hazard)
• 6,100 Serta zipper-covered mattresses (flammability)
• Mars Petcare Special Kitty dry food (Salmonella)

Illinois attorney general files suit against distributor of deadly bassinet

The attorney general of Illinois has launched an aggressive offensive against the manufacturers and distributors of unsafe baby products, including a lawsuit against a company that claims it bears no responsibility for recalled bassinets blamed for the deaths of two infants.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan says she decided to take action after months of calling on the the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to hold manufacturers and distributors accountable for defective and often dangerous products.

In addition to filing the lawsuit, Madigan's office has put together a comprehensive guide that highlights information on recently recalled cribs, bassinets, and play yards to help parents identify whether they have these dangerous products in their homes. (Unfortunately, these products often end up on the secondhand market.) Consumers can download the free guide called "Rest Assured" by visiting www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov or request a hard copy via mail by calling Madigan’s product recall hotline at 1-888-414-7678.

At issue in the lawsuit are 900,000 Simplicity brand bassinets, which were recently recalled by retailers nationwide due to a dangerous design flaw (see video). The lawsuit alleges that SFCA Inc., a venture capital firm based in Bethesda, MD, that bought the Simplicity brand and inventory this spring, continued to supply the design-flawed bassinets to Illinois retailers despite knowing the products had caused two deaths. Simplicity eventually changed the design.

SFCA refused to participate in the recall of the bassinets, claiming it wasn't responsible for the design flaws, according to the lawsuit. Ultimately, retailers stepped up and removed them from shelves.

The lawsuit shines a spotlight on what Madigan calls one of the biggest weaknesses in CPSC’s recall policy—allowing manufacturers to issue cheap repair kits as remedies instead of offering consumers replacement products, refunds or store credits. That means many defective products are allowed to remain on the market.

For example, when the CPSC issued a recall of more than one million Simplicity cribs last year, fewer than 50,000 repair kits had been ordered in the five months following the recall, leaving hundreds of thousands of dangerous cribs in homes, day care centers, and secondhand outlets, according to Madigan.

The lawsuit asks the court to prohibit SFCA from selling and distributing the unsafe bassinets in Illinois and requires the company to:

• Hire an independent consultant to develop a product safety protocol and review all of SFCA’s product designs to ensure compliance with safety standards;
• Recall all Simplicity bassinets that use the flawed design;
• Provide refunds to retailers who issued refunds or store credits to consumers who returned Simplicity bassinets;
• Notify the public of CPSC recalls by advertising in newspapers throughout Illinois.

In addition to filing the lawsuit and putting together the guide to recalled cribs and bassinets, Madigan is calling on the CPSC to change its recall policy. She asks that when a defective crib or bassinet results in a fatality that manufacturers be required to offer full refunds only—not repairs.

“When a child has died in a defective crib, bassinet or play yard, the burden must remain on the manufacturers and distributors to remove them from the market and help to make families whole,” Madigan said. “A cheap repair kit fails to do either.”

Madigan says the CPSC’s current recall procedure creates an unfair burden on consumers to interpret the cumbersome and confusing language issued with its notices.

"For busy families, it is virtually impossible to keep track of these recalls," says Madigan. "The information from manufacturers and the CPSC is often unnecessarily complicated and confusing, and too often the recall notices contain long lists of model numbers and lack model names or retailer information that would help families in easily identifying whether their crib or bassinet is covered by the recall."

Madigan urges parents in her state and beyond to check their crib, bassinet or play yard, and to use the "Rest Assured" guide when shopping for secondhand items online at sites like Craigslist and eBay or at community resale shops and garage sales.

CPSC busts 44,000 ghosts for safety hazards

The Consumer Product Safety Commission asked consumers today to give up the ghosts—44,000 in fact, including Casper—because of fire and lead paint hazards. The agency announced two recalls: the first of 30,000 ghost-shaped tealight candle holders that can burst into flame and the second of 14,000 Casper the Friendly Ghost figurines that were covered with lead paint.

The CPSC has gotten five reports of the tealight holders, sold by Crate & Barrel,  igniting and one report of the holder becoming excessively hot. Two consumers suffered burns to the hand. Minor property damage to furniture has also been reported. No injuries have been associated with the Casper recall. Here are the details.

Crate & Barrel tealight holders

The recalled tealight candle holders are metal in the shape of ghost and are white with a black base. They were sold by Crate & Barrel from August 2008 to October 2008 for about $10 as a set of 3 (SKU #370-846 and/or Catalog Item #X2006). They were also sold by other retailers in that time period as individual units (SKU #770123) for between $3 and $5. The SKU can be located on the product’s packaging.

Crate & Barrel is asking consumers to stop using the tealight holders immediately and to return them to the store where purchased for a full refund. Consumers can contact Crate & Barrel at (800) 451-8217 between 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. CT Monday through Sunday. For items purchased elsewhere, contact the Trade Associates Group toll-free at (888) 621-8350 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.tagltd.com.

Coyne's & Company Casper figurines

The recalled Casper the Friendly Ghost mini-figurines are made of resin and paper, and are three inches tall. They were sold in mini bags decorated with a spider and web design. The figurines are dressed as: Dracula in a red bag, skeleton in a green bag, devil in a spider bag, mummy in an orange bag, Casper in a blue bag, and Wendy the Witch in a yellow bag. The figurines are stamped with TM & ©Harvey Ent. “Coyne’s & Company” and “CP1030” are printed on a white sticker on the bottom of the bags. They were sold by gift, specialty, card, and drug stores nationwide from June 2005 through September 2008 for between $1 and $3.

Coyne's is asking consumers to take the figurines away from children and contact the company to receive a full refund or credit at (800) 336-8666 anytime, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.coynes.com.

Melamine: One treasure you won’t want to find

With Halloween in the offing, we'd like our Canadian readers to take note. Pirate’s Gold Milk Chocolate Coins, made by Sherwood Brands, have just joined the ever-expanding list of recalled, made-in-China products containing the contaminant melamine.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall of the candy, which the company says was sold in Canada but not the U.S.  Canadian Costco stores carried the coins in 240-piece containers; they may also have been sold in bulk packages or by the piece in dollar and bulk stores throughout Canada. Sherwood says the candy was produced before the melamine warning was issued in September, and that all production and shipments have since stopped.

The contaminant has been showing up in a frightening array of products around the world, from baby formula to pet food to edible adult novelty spreads (really!)

Melamine is a chemical added to plastics and other non-edible products. It’s not approved for use in food, but because it is high in nitrogen and can artificially boost apparent protein content, is sometimes added illegally. For more information on melamine, read the CDC's FAQ.

Fraidy cats and scaredy dogs: Keep pets safe on Halloween

You’d think dozens of cat toys would keep Ozzie and Freddie busy, but no. Like most kittens, they’d much rather make their own fun. That means jumping up on the kitchen counter and batting tomatoes and cherry peppers off the windowsill. It’s bad enough that the cats are on the counter where they’re not allowed, but their last expedition got so lively that they pushed the screen out, tripped the burglar alarm, and got a visit from the police.

If two kittens and some veggies can cause so much trouble, imagine the potential of your own pet and a lit candle. As critical as it is to keep kids safe on Halloween, it’s equally important to recognize the dangers that abound for pets, and in turn for their owners, around this time of year.

Candy can be toxic to pets. Chocolate in all forms—especially dark or baking chocolate—can be very dangerous for dogs and cats. Symptoms of significant chocolate ingestion may include vomiting, diarrhea, hyperactivity, increased thirst, urination and heart rate—and even seizures. Candies containing the artificial sweetener xylitol can be poisonous to dogs. Even small amounts of xylitol sweetener can cause a sudden drop in blood sugar, which leads to depression, lack of coordination and seizures.

And cute as it might seem to dress your feline friend or canine companion in a costume, bear in mind that a frightened dog in a cape is nobody’s idea of fun (especially not the dog’s). Here are some guidelines from the Humane Society of the U.S.  (including a video) and the ASPCA  for keeping pets and the people around them safe at Halloween.

• Keep your pet in a quiet place, away from trick-or-treaters and other Halloween activities.  Dogs and cats could become frightened or agitated by the unaccustomed sights and sounds of costumed visitors.
• Cats—black ones in particular—often fall victim to pranksters. Keep them safely indoors.
• Place live flame decorations like candles and jack-o'-lanterns out of your pet's reach. Curious cats or rambunctious dogs can easily knock over a candle with a paw or a wagging tail.
• Don't leave the litter. Ingesting tin foil and cellophane candy wrappers can pose a choking hazard or cause intestinal blockage.
• Don't let the family dog accompany the kids on their trick-or-treat outing. Children may have a difficult time handling a pet during the festivities and your pooch could get loose, especially if she is spooked by neighborhood goblins.
• Keep decorations that pets could chew on—like streamers and fake spider webs—and wires and cords from electric decorations out of reach. If pets chomp on Halloween decorations they could choke or become ill and, if they chew on electrical cords, they risk a potentially deadly electrical shock.
• IDs, please! Always make sure your dog or cat has proper identification. If for any reason your pet escapes and becomes lost, a collar and tags and/or a microchip can increase the chances that he or she will be returned to you.

This week in safety

A couple of items about teens caught our eye this week. The AAA reported that parents often underestimate the danger of teens riding with their peers. And a group of scientists is asking the Food and Drug Administration to regulate energy drinks because the high caffeine content puts young drinkers at possible risk. And one of this week's recalls involves an item popular with teens—a wireless guitar that works with the Wii gaming system.

Canada labels BPA a toxin
USA Today
Canada declared a chemical widely used in food packaging a toxic substance and will now move to ban plastic baby bottles containing bisphenol A. The toxic classification makes Canada the first country to classify the chemical commonly used in the lining of food cans, eyeglass lenses and hundreds of household items, as risky. Read more ...

New regulations make bunk beds safer
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Thanks to new design requirements, bunk beds sold in the United States today are safer than ever -- but parents still need to exercise caution to prevent bunk bed-related injuries among children and adolescents, according to the American Home Furnishings Alliance. Falls are the most common cause of bunk bed-related injuries. Read more ...

The hazards of teens riding with teens
AAA Exchange
Though an overwhelming majority of parents understand the dangers associated with teens riding with their peers, nearly half of parents say their teen rides with another teen driver at least once a week, according to a new AAA survey. Read more ...

Petition calls for FDA to monitor energy drinks
USA Today
One hundred scientists and physicians have written a letter to the Food and Drug Administration asking for more regulation of increasingly popular energy drinks because their high caffeine content puts young drinkers at possible risk for caffeine intoxication and higher rates of alcohol-related injuries. Read more ...

Carter’s advises parents of rashes associated with heat transferred, or 'tag-less,' labels
Consumer Product Safety Commission
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Carter’s, Inc., of Atlanta, Georgia, are advising parents and caregivers that they have received reports that a small percentage of babies and infants have developed rashes on the upper back after wearing Carter’s clothing with heat-transferred, or “tag-less,” labels. Read more ...

Don't miss these recalls

• 57,000 Rage wireless guitars (chemical burn hazard)
• 35,500 Leapfrog gaming system batteries and recharging station (burn hazard)
• 24,000 Gas Match and Ready, Aim…Fire multi-purpose lighters (burn hazard)
• Hartz Mountain chicken-basted rawhide chips  (Salmonella contamination)

Hard facts for easy riders

A couple of home truths about motorcycles: wearing the right helmet in a crash is good; avoiding the crash altogether is better.

With that in mind, we note a couple of safety developments in the past few weeks. The first is a proposed new rule from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that would strengthen the tests that motorcycle helmets must undergo to be certified by the Department of Transportation and that would require manufacturers to put larger, tamper-proof certification stickers on their helmets.

Why should you care about the sticker? Because legitimate stickers can be stripped off qualifying helmets and applied to novelty helmets, and fake stickers made or sold for the same reason. And why should you care about the strength of the helmet? Because deaths from motorcycle crashes have more than doubled in the past 10 years—to almost 5,000 annually—and head injuries were the leading cause of those deaths.

Novelty helmets may look cool, but they don’t adequately protect a rider’s head as it smashes onto the pavement or a guardrail or any other lethal surface. Makers of novelty helmets often include a disclaimer that they’re not intended for protecting wearers from injury. So true—recent tests show that novelty helmets fail every performance requirement for motorcycle helmets.

It makes sense to wear the best helmet possible, even if the law in your state doesn’t require one.

The second development came this week  when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released tandem studies (here and here) showing that both the frequency of accidents and the rate of fatal crashes drop among motorcycles with antilock brakes. That may seem like a given, but it is, in fact, a departure from real-world experience with autos. (Years of Consumer Reports’ tests of antilock brakes have found them to be very effective in preventing the brakes from locking up, and allowing the driver to keep control of the car in a panic stop. Unfortunately, many drivers don’t use ABS correctly, and their potential hasn’t translated to effectiveness on the road.)

Because of the inherent instability of a motorcycle, locking a front or back wheel can cause the bike to fall over or throw the rider. ABS allows a rider to apply maximum braking force without locking a wheel.

Still, antilock brakes on motorcycles are relatively new, and almost always available only as optional equipment on larger bikes. Concerned riders have to make an effort to find a bike with these brakes and resign themselves to paying extra for them. 

Fiesta recalls 47,000 Blue Ember grills

Fiesta has recalled 47,000 of its Blue Ember gas grills because improper assembly of the grill poses a fire hazard. Fiesta has received 14 reports of grill fires although no reports of injuries.

The recall, announced by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, comes two months after we called upon the agency to issue a safety alert after learning of the potential fire hazard caused when the hose that carries gas to the burners is improperly routed behind instead of in front of the heat shield. Instructions that came with the grill were unclear leading some consumers, including an engineer who formerly tested grills for Consumer Reports, to assemble the grill incorrectly.

The recall includes the FG50069 model that we rated a CR Best Buy as well as the FG50057. The exact serial numbers can be found on the recall notice.  The grills were sold at various home centers and retailers across the country from November 2007 through June 2008 for $450.

The CPSC says that consumers should immediately stop using the grills, and inspect the burner hoses to make sure they have been properly assembled. If the hose is behind the heat shield, the grill has been improperly assembled and consumers should contact Fiesta for replacement hoses, assembly instructions, and, if necessary, for assistance in examining the grill.

For additional information, contact Fiesta toll-free at (866) 740-7849 between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, visit the firm's Web site at www.fiestagasgrills.com or email the firm at mnorman@fiestagasgrills.com.

Faulty tire valves may have been installed on 2007 Fords

Federal safety regulators have opened an official investigation on faulty tire valves that may have been installed as original equipment on more than one million 2007 Ford cars and trucks.

The valve stems in question were made for Dill Air Control Products of Oxford, N.C. by Shanghai Baolong Industries Co. in China. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration started investigating the valve stems this past May after they were linked to a rollover crash of a 1998 Ford Explorer that killed a Florida man a year ago. Cracks in valve stems can cause tires to lose air, and such air loss at highway speeds can result in tire failure and a loss-of-control crash.

NHTSA says it has identified 37 complaints of cracked and leaking tire valves in 2007 models of Ford vehicles. The models identified include Grand Marquis, F-150, Mustang, Edge, Fusion, Expedition, Explorer, MKX, MKZ, Milan, Focus and Escape.

Eleven complaints allege that loss of tire pressure caused by a cracked and leaking valve resulted in under-inflated tires needing replacement. In addition, 23 of the 37 complaints said more than one valve was found to be severely cracked or cracked and leaking and needed to be replaced.

Dill informed NHTSA that as many as 30 million of the suspected valve stems have been distributed in the North American market. Soon after the original investigation was opened in May, one U.S. auto parts distributor, Tech International of Johnstown, Ohio, issued a recall on some of the faulty tire valves it had sold under the Topseal brand, also manufactured by Shanghai Baolong. Ford Motor Company uses valves stem supplied by Topseal as original equipment on its vehicles.

In documents on the newly-opened Ford probe, NHTSA says the original equipment snap-in tire valves may crack due to poor ozone resistance. "Air leakage from a cracked tire valve may result in tire damage, which could affect vehicle control," said NHTSA.

Most consumers will have a have a hard time figuring out with any certainty if they have any of the defective valve stems on their tires. That's because there is no visible identification of the valve once a valve stem is installed, The only way to to view the manufacturer’s identification and part number found on the base of the valve is to remove the tire from the wheel and inspect it from the inside.

Consumer Reports says motorists should conduct a visual inspection of their valve stems to check for cracks. Move the top of the stem around, checking for any sign of cracks in the base of the stem where it meets the wheel. Consumer Reports also recommends that you check your tire pressure every month and if one or more tires continually needs to be topped-off, it may be a sign of a leaking valve stem or tire puncture. If a valve stem is found to have cracking, have it replaced as soon as possible and as a precaution replace all the other valve stems at the same time.

Dill has posted photos on it Web site of what consumers should look for when they inspect valve stems.

Delta recalls 1.6 million cribs after deaths of two infants

After the death of two 8-month-old babies in separate incidents, Delta is recalling almost 1.6 million cribs with drop sides because of two different defects that can cause a baby to become entrapped between the mattress and the drop side. The cribs were sold from 1995 to 2007. The two recalls do not involve Delta cribs made this year but the Consumer Product Safety Commission cautions that the cribs may be on the secondhand market.

The larger of the recalls, including 985,000 cribs, involves missing safety pegs that allow the crib locks to disengage when the drop side is lowered below the peg hole. According to the CPSC, in May 2007 an 8-month-old girl from Bryan, Texas, died because the safety pegs on her crib were missing. The crib’s side detached, leaving a gap in which she got trapped and suffocated. The CPSC has also gotten reports of two entrapments and nine disengagements in cribs with missing safety pegs.

A second death prompted the recall of 600,000 cribs. In that incident, in July 2008, an 8-month-old boy in Tallahassee, Fla., suffocated after a spring-loaded safety peg failed allowing the side of his crib to detach. The CPSC has gotten reports of another entrapment as well as one incident in which the drop side detached. The hazard with these cribs is that the spring pegs in the base of each leg of the crib can be pushed back into the lower track, becoming nonfunctional. This can cause the drop side to detach from the crib and create a gap that can entrap an infant or toddler.

Taken together, this is the largest crib recall in history supplanting the massive Simplicity crib recall of one million units in September 2007 for similar failures of drop side hardware.

On the Today show this morning, CPSC spokeswoman Julie Vallese demonstrated the hazards the cribs pose. Here are the details of each recall:

Missing safety pegs
This recall involves all Delta cribs manufactured in Taiwan or Indonesia, with the "Crib Trigger Lock with Safety Peg" drop side hardware design. The model numbers and country of origin can be located on the mattress support board label: 4320, 4340, 4500, 4520, 4530, 4532, 4540, 4542, 4550, 4551, 4580, 4600, 4620, 4624 (production dates 01/06 through 11/07), 4640, 4660, 4720, 4735, 4742, 4750 (production dates 01/95 through 12/00), 4760, 4770, 4780, 4790, 4820, 4840, 4850, 4860, 4880, 4890, 4892, 4900, 4910, 4920, 4925-2, 4925-6, 4930, 4940, 4943, 4944, 4947, 4948, 4949, 4950, 4958, 4963, 4968, 4969, 4980.

The recalled cribs have date codes ranging from 1995 though December 2005 and one model (4624) was made in 2007. The model numbers are located on the top of the mattress support board. The cribs were sold at major retailers including Wal-mart, Kmart and Target.com from January 1995 through September 2007 for about $100.

Spring peg failures
This recall involves all Delta drop side cribs manufactured prior to 2006 that use "Crib Trigger Lock with Spring Peg" drop side hardware design. The recalled model numbers include: 4340, 4343, 4520, 4600, 4620, 4624, 4625, 4629, 4660, 4665, 4720, 4750, 4751, 4850, 4855, 4857, 4880, 4920, 4925-2, 4925-2B, 4925-6, 4980, and 8605. The model number, country of origin and manufacture dates are located on top of the mattress support board. The recalled cribs have Delta’s name and address on the mattress support boards and Delta’s logo on the teether rail.

The cribs, which were made in China, were sold at major retailers nationwide from January 2000 through January 2007 for between $33 and $200.

What to do if you own a recalled crib
The CPSC and Delta urge parents and caregivers to immediately stop using the affected cribs and to contact Delta to receive a free repair kit. Call Delta toll-free at (1-800-816-5304) anytime after 5 p.m. today or visit the company's Web site www.cribrecallcenter.com to order the free replacement kit. Delta also has photos on its Web site that show each defect in detail.

Advice for crib buyers
If you are in the market for a new or used crib, take heed.  We think it's safest to choose a crib with stationary sides.  If you already own a crib with a drop side, be extra vigilant in ensuring that the hardware is tight and intact. If the hardware is missing or broken do not use the crib or try to fix it yourself.  Contact the manufacturer for replacement parts.   

What the CPSC should do
Given today's announcement, we sincerely hope the CPSC will use this opportunity to promulgate the strongest possible crib durability standards. It was announced today that the CPSC staff is recommending adoption of a tougher standard that will address issues with hardware, wood quality, assembly and instruction problems. The agency should follow the lead of Canada and the European Union, which already have stronger durability standards, as well as Underwriters Laboratory (UL), which currently publishes a voluntary standard on crib durability.