Jardine expands crib recall a second time

A recall of cribs sold at Babies 'R' Us was expanded for a second time to include seven new models and 96,000 cribs bringing the total of recalled Jardine cribs to 472,450. The cribs were originally recalled in June (320,000), and then again in January (56,450), because the slats can break creating a gap in which a baby can become entrapped and strangled.

Today's recall was made after the company received an additional 31 reports of slats breaking including two reports of children becoming entrapped in the gap created by the broken slat. In 10 of these incidents, parents reported that their child broke the slat while in the crib. There was one report of minor injuries (bumps and abrasions). In the earlier recalls, Jardine reported 61 broken slat incidents in which four children became entrapped, one fell through the gap and several others were bruised.

Included in the most recent recall are these model numbers with the following date codes:  0102B00 (9/2005-1/2007); 0102E00 (9/2005-1/2008); 0302P00 (11/2005-5/2008); 0302C00 (6/2006-12/2006); 0312D00 (5/2006-11/2007); 0308L00 (12/2005-11/2007); 0108C00 (8/2006-11/2007). Model numbers and date codes for the earlier recalls can be found on the June and January recall notices. Look for the numbers on a label on the inside of the bottom rail of the headboard or footboard. Photos of all the recalled models are on the recall notices: April, January, June.

The cribs were sold at KidsWorld, Geoffrey Stores, Toys 'R' Us, and Babies 'R' Us stores nationwide, and at babiesrus.com, from September 2005 through April 2009 for between $220 and $330. Cribs from the earlier recalls had been on the market as early as 2002.

Consumers should immediately stop using the cribs and contact Jardine to receive a full credit toward the purchase of a new crib. Jardine will provide consumers with detailed instructions for purchasing cribs in retail stores and online. For more information, contact Jardine at (800) 646-4106 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the firm's Web site at www.jardinecribrecall.com.

Update: Consumer Reports tested one of the recalled models—the 0102B00—for our most recent crib report and Ratings (for subscribers) but the one we purchased was made after the inclusive dates (9/2005-1/2007) cited in the recall.

Readers respond to advice on unsafe baby products

For 73 years, Consumers Union has not been afraid to tackle controversial subjects. Our recent blog post “Five products not to buy for your baby” is no exception. Its aim was to highlight the unforeseen risks that certain products may pose to babies, not to give parenting advice. But clearly we struck a nerve with mothers who extol the benefits of “baby wearing” and “bed sharing”  (as The New York Times noted). We are not disputing the benefits of either.

But based on many of the comments we received on the blog posting, it’s clear that there’s a lot of misinformation being bandied about. Knowing the facts will help all parents make the best decisions for their babies.

Research conducted by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Consumer Product Safety Commission shows that infants younger than eight months old who are placed to sleep in adult beds are as much as 40 times more likely to suffocate than if they are placed to sleep in cribs. Even when researchers provided a more conservative estimate by eliminating all deaths from parents physically overlying an infant and then doubled the estimated number of infants who may be put to sleep in adult beds, the risk of fatality from bed sharing was still 20 times greater than that of infants who sleep in cribs. The study was published in Pediatrics, the peer-reviewed journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

The practice of bed sharing with infants is increasing, but so too are the numbers of unintentional suffocations and strangulations of babies less than a year old. Carrie Shapiro-Mendoza of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently reported that the rate of accidental strangulation and suffocation of infants increased from 2.8 to 12.5 per 100,000 live births between 1984 and 2004. Although the increase in deaths can’t be directly related to co-sleeping, the quadrupling of the infant death rate is alarming. Deaths can occur when a sleeping parent rolls over on top of a baby, when pillows or other soft bedding obstruct the baby’s breathing, when blankets or sheets get wrapped around a child’s neck, or when a child becomes wedged between the mattress and the wall. We think modern beds consisting of soft pillow-tops or memory foam mattresses may exacerbate the problem. And we don’t think that co-sleeping products make the practice much safer.

Despite the number of cribs recalled in recent years, we still strongly believe that infants are safest when put to sleep in a “bare” crib—one without any soft bedding such as quilts or bumpers and preferably a crib with stationary sides.

Blog readers also commented on sling carriers. Although they have been used for many years, centuries in fact, we believe that today there are better and safer alternatives to slings that achieve the same level of close contact. Soft front carriers such as the BabyBjorn or the Snugli provide the same benefits as slings and have a lower risk factor.

Slings can be very difficult for some people to tie, position and wear securely. Not all are intuitive and it’s easy for caregivers to get them wrong. If they do, the consequence can be dire. Many of the injuries associated with slings happen when the baby falls out of the carrier or bangs his head against a hard surface, say a door frame. There’s also a risk of positional asphyxia, which occurs when a baby is curled up in the sling and the head is pushed so far forward that the airway is closed off.

It may be possible to make sling carriers that don’t pose safety risks and that are not as easy to use incorrectly as many currently on the market. We’ll reserve our judgment until an adequate safety standard can be developed for these products.

Florida attorney general warns of bogus repairs for toxic drywall

As homeowners in Florida, Louisiana and several other states grapple with the problem of tainted drywall from China, another scourge has been visited upon them—home repair scams. Desperate to discover what is turning their mirrors black, corroding air conditioner coils and causing respiratory problems, some affected homeowners have fallen prey to the promise of a quick fix, according to Florida's attorney general. 

At least two types of fraudulent activity involving the defective drywall have been reported to Attorney General Bill McCollum: bogus tests to determine the presence of the product and quick cure remedies that falsely claim to remove the corrosive properties of the drywall. McCollum said the presence of defective drywall cannot be determined by “testing” the air in the home. And if tainted drywall is discovered during a visual inspection, it cannot be remedied with a spray or an ozone generator. In fact, those products can make the problem worse.

Replacement is the only remedy. To help homeowners identify the drywall, photos of suspect drywall and the corrosive effect it has on appliances and electronics are featured on the Web site of the Florida Department of Health.

Senators Bill Nelson of Florida and Mary Landrieu of Louisiana—whose states are most affected—are working with constituents to help them identify and report tainted drywall. (As we reported earlier, they are co-sponsoring legislation asking that the drywall be recalled, among other safety measures.) Nelson has also called for the resignation of CPSC Chairman Nancy Nord saying that her agency isn't doing enough to help homeowners.

Although it has not announced a recall or ban, the CPSC is working with its Chinese regulatory counterpart, the General Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, to investigate the drywall. The most recent video conference call took place last week. The agency has also been monitoring Chinese drywall shipments, taking samples and tracking the building material as it comes into the country, according to the Palm Beach Post, as well as working with the U.S. Geological Survey to determine how the Chinese drywall becomes contaminated.

Last month we introduced you to Richard and Patti Kampf, a Cape Coral, Fla. couple living in a home with Chinese drywall. The couple is still at odds with their builder over replacement of the drywall, according to a recent report in the Fort Myers News-Press.

Update: Read the May 1 letter from Nancy Nord, acting chairman of the CPSC, to Senator Nelson regarding the actions her agency is taking.

FDA and CDC warn of salmonella in alfalfa sprouts

Consumers should avoid eating raw alfalfa sprouts until further notice, according to a warning issued jointly by the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control. The sprouts have been linked to salmonella cases in several states and officials believe that tainted seeds, sold nationwide, may be the cause of the outbreak. Other types of sprouts have not been implicated.

There have been 31 cases of salmonella saintpaul in Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Utah and West Virginia linked to alfalfa sprouts since mid-March, the FDA said. No deaths have been reported. The current outbreak appears to be an extension of an outbreak that sickened more than 100 people in February and March in Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas, and Minnesota, officials said.

Some of those sickened reported eating raw sprouts at restaurants; others reported purchasing the raw sprouts at the retail level, the FDA said. The results of an initial investigation trace the contaminated raw alfalfa sprouts to multiple sprout growers in multiple states.

There have been a number of foodborne illness outbreaks linked to alfalfa sprouts over the past two decades. In 1999, the FDA issued guidance to growers that recommended disinfecting the seeds immediately before the start of sprouting and regularly testing the water used for every batch of sprouts for salmonella and E coli O157:H7 contamination.

The CDC and FDA recommend that persons at high risk for complications, such as the elderly, young children, and those with compromised immune systems, not eat raw sprouts because of the risk of contamination with salmonella or other bacteria. For others, the FDA offers this advice:

• Cook all sprouts thoroughly before eating to significantly reduce the risk of illness.
• Sandwiches and salads purchased at restaurants and delicatessens often contain raw sprouts. Consumers who wish to reduce their risk of foodborne illness should specifically request that raw sprouts not be added to their food.
• Homegrown sprouts also present a health risk if eaten raw or lightly cooked. Many outbreaks have been attributed to contaminated seeds. If pathogenic bacteria are present in or on the seeds, they can grow to high levels during sprouting even under clean conditions.

This week in safety: Power on (safely), dude

Suddenly it's sunnier and homeowners with their power tools are sprouting almost as fast as their lawns and gardens. Also growing are the number of trips to the emergency room for injuries caused by power tools and equipment. The numbers are sobering. In 2007, hospital emergency rooms treated 78,773 people for mower injuries; 26,669 for chain saw injuries; 19,928 for injuries from trimmers and small garden tools and 1,594 for injuries from tillers and cultivators.

In its monthly newsletter, the Consumer Product Safety Commission has some safety tips for power tool users including these three:

1. Never let young children operate power equipment;
2. Use eye, hand and foot protection;
3. Use caution when refueling and keep fuel in child-resistant containers.

More safety news ...
Kansas governor vetoes milk labeling bill
Consumers Union
In a victory for local dairy farmers and consumers, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius vetoed a controversial bill that would have limited rbGH labeling on dairy products in Kansas. Read more ...

Even low lead levels may be harmful to children
Reuters via MSNBC
Even low levels of lead found in the blood during early childhood can adversely affect how a child's cardiovascular system responds to stress and could possibly lead to high blood pressure later in life, new research hints. Read more ...

Delays in product recalls tempt tragedy
The Los Angeles Times
Mega Brands agreed to pay a civil penalty of $1.1 million last week in connection with a defective toy that caused the death of a toddler. Mega Brands didn't actually own the company that made the toy until after the toddler was killed. The case highlights the difficulty that companies and consumers face in obtaining accurate and up-to-date safety data from federal regulators. Read more ...

Toy safety database off schedule
SuperEco.com
You can check to see if your peanut butter is tainted by salmonella. But if you're trying desperately to find out if that Hello Kitty necklace is contaminated by lead you'll have to wait. Read more ...

Consumers left to sweep up as Martha Stewart tables shatter
Consumer Affairs.com
As winter turns to spring, consumers across the country are once again waking up to the sounds of their Martha Stewart Everyday glass tabletops exploding into thousands of tiny pieces. The tables, sold at Kmart, have a long history of spontaneously shattering, not that anyone in authority seems to care. Read more ...

Consumers warned of drywall repair scams
The Miami Herald
As dozens of South Florida homeowners grapple with worries about potential health problems and appliance corrosion caused by the drywall lining their homes, scam artists have found a way to capitalize on the situation. Read more ...

Child obesity is linked to chemicals in plastics
The New York Times
Exposure to chemicals used in plastics (phthalates) may be linked with childhood obesity, according to results from a long-term health study on girls who live in East Harlem and surrounding communities, say  researchers at Mount Sinai Medical Center. Read more ...

Fuel from cooking oil is starting backyard fires
Associated Press via Seattle Post-Intelligencer
Trying to live green and beat high gasoline prices, some enterprising Americans are turning cooking oil into biodiesel in their garages. Problem is, some of these do-it-yourselfers are burning down the house. Read more ...

Former congressman Bill Orton dies in ATV accident
The Salt Lake Tribune
Former Utah Congressman Bill Orton was killed Saturday afternoon in a four-wheeler accident in the Little Sahara Sand Dunes. He was 60 years old. Orton was riding on a mountain-type ATV when he went off a "very steep" dune about and crashed his four-wheeler. Read more ...

Safety news from the CR Blogs

• Babies & Kids: Bare beds are best for baby
• Baby & Kids: Avoid dollar store party favors
• Health: Study shows charred meat increases cancer risk

Don't miss these tecalls
After getting three reports of bathrobes catching fire, including one report of second-degree burns, the Blair company has recalled 162,000 chenille robes. The robes fail to meet federal flammability requirements. They were sold through the Blair catalog and Web site, and Blair stores in Pennsylvania and Delaware from January 2003 through March 2009 for about $20 to $40. For more information, read the recall notice.

Other recalls

• 14,000 Specialized 2009 model bicycles (handlebars can break)
• 3,000 Roubaix Comp and Roubaix Pro 2004 bicycles (cable stop can fail)
• 540 SportsPlay backyard playground sets (lead paint)
• 200 Team-Tex Babyride infant child restraints (incorrect belt routing label)

A word to the wise on recalls

Following our post on the recalled Senseo coffeemakers we heard from a reader who wants to know why, when she returns her recalled $109 deluxe model, the company says it will send her a $70 HD 7810 replacement.

So we e-mailed the folks at Philips, Senseo’s maker, who replied, “We are working with consumers individually as they register their products to replace the old unit with a model of the same value, however we are guaranteeing that consumers will at least receive the HD 7810.”

When we pushed them a bit further, they told us, "When consumers register their product we will do everything we can to exchange it with the same model. It's simply a matter of capacity. Our intention is to make the consumer whole."

That's an important point for consumers, who have a dangerously low rate of returning recalled products and need every incentive. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says return rates are only at most 30 percent.

We think manufacturers should offer incentives that will entice consumers to respond to recalls. We would like to think that the potential of someone in the family getting hurt would be enough to convince consumers to act, but apparently it's not. We would also like to think that all companies feel a responsibility for publicizing recalls widely, but most don't.

Some companies act responsibly. Just last week, the maker of the Bush Hog off-road utility vehicle offered customers $50 to have defective models repaired (850 UTVs were recalled).

We know that no one likes to mess with their morning Joe, but concerns about trading models shouldn’t stop you from getting a recalled product out of your home. If you own one of the recalled coffeemakers, the safest move is to stop using it and follow Philips’ instructions for returning it.

Haier recalls 106,000 toaster ovens

Haier has recalled 106,000 toaster oven/broilers because electrical connections can become loose, posing electrical shock and burn hazards. The company has received two reports of minor burns as well as one report of a minor electrical shock, and one report of minor property damage.

The recall involves toaster oven/broilers with model number RTO1400SS. The units are stainless steel and black plastic. “Haier” is printed on the front and the model number is printed on a label on the back. They were sold at mass merchandisers and specialty retailers nationwide from September 2006 through January 2009 for between $20 and $40.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is telling consumers to stop using the toaster ovens and contact Haier America to receive a free replacement. For more information, contact Haier America at (866) 927-4810 or visit the firm’s Web site at www.haieramerica.com.

Toys 'R' Us to stop selling drop-side cribs

Toys 'R' Us has stopped ordering drop-side cribs because of safety concerns, the company's Chairman and Chief Executive Jerry Storch told the Wall Street Journal. The decision comes as new safety standards for cribs are being considered by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

A record number of cribs have been recalled over the past few years and five infant deaths have been associated with faulty cribs. Drop-side models figured in many of the recalls in which missing or loose hardware caused the drop-side to separate from the crib, creating a gap in which a baby can become trapped or strangle. "There are enough concerns raised about drop-side cribs that we're moving forward and we're going to phase them out," Storch said in the Wall Street Journal interview.

To help parents identify recalled cribs, the CPSC has set up a crib information center on its Web site that lists recalls made over the past two years plus other safety information.

As we've written before, although cribs are regulated by the CPSC, there are no federally mandated durability test requirements. In a meeting at the CPSC yesterday, crib makers and consumer safety advocates, including Don Mays, senior director of product safety for Consumer Reports, began discussions on how to improve the safety of cribs.  We will write about our recommendation for better crib safety standards in a future blog posting.

In March, the group that sets voluntary safety standards on cribs, ASTM-International, accepted a proposal that could effectively eliminate drop sides on full-size cribs. The proposal also took into account the needs of shorter caregivers who may have difficulty reaching over a fixed side by including a design in which most of one side is stationary but a top section folds down giving a parent better access to the baby.  The proposal still needs to be balloted and approved before it can become a voluntary standard for industry to follow.

Consumers Union has been advocating for the elimination of conventional drop sides from cribs pending the development of comprehensive durability tests that can predict the failures that we've been seeing in the field.  For now, we think there are better and safer design alternatives and our first recommendation is for cribs with stationary sides.  See our most recent crib report (free) and Ratings (for subscribers).

Five products not to buy for your baby

New parents are quick to jump on any product they think will make life more comfortable for their baby—and easier for themselves. But some items present safety risks we don't believe are worth taking. Here are five that we think you should skip:

Bedside and other co-sleeping devices
Although sleeping with a baby in an adult bed is a common practice among some cultures, it can be dangerous. The new bassinet-like devices designed to go in between parents or alongside an adult bed don’t necessarily make co-sleeping with a baby safer. One popular Simplicity bedside sleeper/bassinet was recalled after two babies died from strangling or suffocating when they slipped through an opening in the frame.

Currently, safety standards don’t exist for either co-sleepers or bedside sleepers. Until they do, we think the safest place for your baby to sleep is in a crib.

Baby bath seats
Each year, an average of 10 babies drown while using baby bath seats. Nearly all of those deaths occurred when a parent or caregiver left the baby unattended momentarily. The problem is that these seats, intended to make it easier to hold the baby in the bathtub, can give parents a false sense of security. It’s better to use an infant bathtub for bathing and never, even for a second, leave the baby beyond arm’s reach.

Sleep positioners
These devices are intended to keep infants on their back in a secure sleeping position. But the youngest infants, for whom these are designed, are not able to roll over from their backs on their own, which makes this product unnecessary. The soft foam in the sleep positioners can pose a suffocation hazard and our medical experts don’t recommend them. 

Crib bumper pads
Designed to prevent bumps and bruises, crib bumpers can create their own hazards. One study found 27 cases of infant death involving bumper pads or similarly padded bassinets. Most of the deaths occurred when the infant became wedged between the bumper and another object or when the infant’s face was against the bumper.

And since bumper pads cannot be safety secured to cribs with solid end panels and should not be used with toddlers who can stand, we think it’s best to avoid them altogether.

Sling carriers
Over the past five years, at least four babies died and there have been many reports of serious injury associated with the use of sling-type carriers. The incidents include skull fractures, head injuries, contusions and abrasions. Most occurred when the child fell out of the sling. As slings grow in popularity, so do the number of serious injuries. No safety standards exist for slings. We think you should skip the sling and opt for other types of infant carriers, which have safer track records. (Image note: The CPSC recalled 100,000 Infantino slings in 2007.)

Recalls remained high in 2008, says Kids in Danger

The year 2007 was dubbed the year of the recall but 2008 could be called the year of the crib recall, according to a new report released today by Kids in Danger. The report, "Toxic Toys and Faulty Cribs," said that children’s product recalls by the Consumer Product Safety Commission remained high in 2008 with 190 recalls accounting for more than 18 million items, including 12 recalls of cribs responsible for five deaths.

The findings agree with "Still Not Safe," a special report issued by Consumers Union last December that provided an analysis of all CPSC recalls from Oct. 1, 2007 to Sept. 30, 2008.

“These products together caused at least 210 injuries and seven deaths,” said Nancy Cowles, executive director of Kids In Danger. “And those incidents include only those already reported at the time of the recall. More needs to be done to protect children from these hazards."

Highlights from the report include:

• Toys were the largest category of recalled children’s products comprising 41 percent.
• Despite the scrutiny on lead in 2007, 36 percent of the recalls were for lead paint hazards.
• There were five recalls of over one million products with over 18 million units recalled in total.
• Two-thirds of the recalled products were made in China, four percent were made in the U.S.
• Evenflo had the most injuries prior to a recall—94 in its Majestic High Chair.
• Twelve cribs, a record number, were recalled, involving eight injuries and five deaths.
• While CPSC requires monthly updates on Corrective Action Plans, research showed that many companies simply don’t file the report or don’t fill in the requested information. For those that do, the numbers show that most recalled products remain in the hands of consumers.

Kids in Danger, along with with Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) and Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, is advocating for stronger measures in announcing and carrying out recalls including a public database with product and injury data. “We have learned that it is not enough just to post a recall on a Web site and distribute a press release," said Madigan. "The CPSC and product manufacturers must implement more proactive and aggressive measures to ensure that consumers with dangerous products in their homes become aware of the recall and understand how to respond appropriately.”

Read the full report or the summary.