Some summery traditions can be a dog's pet peeve

Two things you probably like about summer: Fireworks and a long day at the beach. Two things your dog probably hates about summer: Fireworks and a long day at the beach.

Why would dogs like fireworks? They're loud, they smell bad and smart as your Marley (at right ) may be, he just doesn't get the link between the founding of our country and that terrifying boom.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) has lots of tips for keeping your pet safe over the Fourth of July and other holidays. Among them:

• Leave your dog at home when you go to see fireworks. If he's crate trained, you might put him there, where he feels the safest.
• Don't feed your dog from the picnic table or grill. Bones, potato chips and cookies could make him sick.
• No matter how fun the party gets, never give your dog alcohol.
• Remember that, while the beach seems like a treat for you, a hot day on the sand can leave your dog sunburned, dehydrated and sick from drinking salt water. Follow the AKC's guidelines  to keep your pet healthy and happy throughout the summer.

Marley and his friends will thank you.

And the rockets red glare ...

We’ve been mulling over some numbers lately, and they more or less come down to this: More and less.

We’re talking about fireworks. The American Pyrotechnics Association, an industry trade group, tracks injuries relative to sales. While use of fireworks doubled from 1997 to 2007, injuries per 100,000 pounds dropped 40 percent.

That’s good news, of course, but it doesn’t mean much to the 9,800 people who ended up in emergency rooms in 2007 because of fireworks, and it means even less to the 11 people who died.

As we close in on the Fourth of July holiday, when fireworks injuries peak, it’s a good idea to know both the laws for your state (five states ban all consumer fireworks; five more allow only sparklers) )
and the best ways to stay safe around all those incendiary devices.

We wondered whether there’s any way to tell whether one rocket is safer than another. So we called the American Fireworks Standards Laboratory, which tests about 85 percent of consumer fireworks sold in the U.S. (Yes, really tests; they pull samples from cases of product manufactured by their member companies and set them off in a lab in China.)

Products that meet safety standards get a certification sticker. The problem is you’ll never see it, because it goes on the shipping carton, not the retail packaging. So AFSL recommends you make sure that any fireworks you buy are from one of their members.

Does your pool meet the new safety rules?

Here in the northeast, temperatures went from the mid 30s at night to the mid 80s during the day within the space of a week. Welcome to our part of the country. The sudden warmth and approaching Memorial Day weekend has everyone thinking “pool.” This year, that means a lot more than usual.

New regulations (the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act) governing pool drains went into effect last December to prevent entrapment from the powerful suction.  Municipalities, clubs, hotels and homeowners who are opening pools for the first time since then may be scrambling to comply.

We’ve heard there’s been some confusion about the new rules, and it’s possible that the pool you swim in is not up to code. We continue to advise that before you dive into the pool at a U.S. hotel, swim club, or apartment complex, confirm with the manager or engineer that the pool meets the new regulations. He or she should be able to tell you specifically that the drain systems conform to the new standards.

And keep in mind that while the new, safer drains reduce the risk of entrapment, drowning is still the second-leading cause of accidental death in children ages one to 14. Each year 300 children younger than age five drown in pools and spas, according to new data released today by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

So take every precaution possible to secure your own pool and keep your family safe. The CPSC has these pool safety tips:

• Employ layers of protection: Barriers, such as a fence with self-closing, self-latching gates, completely surrounding pools prevent unsupervised access.
• Beware of entrapment: Suction drains in pools and spas can cause entrapments involving hair, body parts, clothing and jewelry, which can lead to death and serious injury.  Do not allow children to play in a pool or hot tub/spa with missing or broken drain covers.
• Look in the pool first: Precious time is often wasted looking for missing children anywhere but in the pool. 
• Drowning is silent: Parents may think that if their child falls in the water, they will hear lots of splashing and screaming,  however, children can slip under the water silently. 
• Never leave a child unattended: Designate a “Water Watcher”, someone who can concentrate on kids in the water.

This week in safety: What's in that basket?

This week a colleague drew our attention to edible Easter grass being sold to stuff those baskets of goodies that children will soon be finding. Although one brand calls the product "Grass-Tastic!" we disagree. This product falls into our basket of things we think should not be marketed to children because they blur the line between what's safe to eat and what's not.

We wrote about the confusion between toys and food earlier when Kellogg's was selling colored, gummy candy blocks shaped like Lego bricks and some other companies were marketing "candy" perfume and crayons.

It's not illegal to sell candy that looks like toys or vice versa, but it's a really bad idea. Adults know the difference between green plastic grass and "edible" grass but small kids don't. In the U.S., however, it is illegal to embed non-edibles in sweets. That is exactly what Kinder eggs do. We've been told by their faithful fans we just don't understand how great they are. But the eggs have been banned in the U.S.  since 1997, when the Consumer Product Safety Commission warned that the toys could pose a choking hazard to children under three. Enjoy the holidays and the rest of this week's news.

CDC to Americans: Don't trip over your dog
The Wall Street Journal
We found an item in this week's CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report inexplicably fascinating: A detailed accounting of the ways Americans trip over their pets. This is not, as it turns out, a trivial issue: More than 86,000 Americans wind up in the emergency room every year because of falls related to cats or dogs. Read more ...

Prosecutor accuses Macy's of stalling investigation of tainted jewelry
The Los Angeles Times
Macy's department store has refused to give prosecutors the names of customers who purchased children's jewelry made with potentially toxic lead, according to an official with the Los Angeles district attorney's office. Read more ...

What's In my plastic? A closer look at phthalates
NPR.org
Phthalates have long been used to make plastics soft and flexible, but recent public concern has prompted lawmakers to ban six of these chemicals in toys and other kids' products. However, the Consumer Product Safety Commission, charged with enforcing the ban, found that the exposure from kids' toys is too low to be a risk. Read more ...

San Mateo brings pool up to snuff with new law
The San Francisco Examiner
Just in time for warm weather, the city of San Mateo is upgrading its public swimming pool to meet standards required by a new federal law. Passed in December, the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act requires that every pool in the country be fitted with special drain covers to prevent injuries, and possibly death. Read more ...

Brain injury no accident, MD says
The Toronto Star
In his four decades as one of Canada's top neurosurgeons, Dr. Charles Tator has seen thousands of catastrophic brain and spinal cord injuries. But he has seen precious few "accident" victims wheeled through his operating room doors. Tator's patients have one thing in common. "In more than 90 per cent of cases, the trauma was preventable," he says. Read more ...

Texas senators say feds fall short on child safety
Dallas Morning News
Two Texas state senators think the Consumer Product Safety Commission could beef up warnings to parents about recalls of child products. The feds send out news releases just fine, the two say, but little other action happens. The dangerous toys and equipment stay in circulation. And, as a result, an average of 100 kids die annually. Read more ...

An important recall
This week there was a relatively small recall of a crib with mesh sides but we want to bring it to the attention of parents because children have died in this type of crib before. The sides of the crib are made of mesh that expands, creating a gap between the side and the crib's mattress. A young child can slip into this gap and become entrapped or suffocate. This week's recall involved 1,900 SunKids convertible cribs. Although there have been no injuries reported with this crib, the CPSC is aware of the death of a 5-month-old child in August 2008 involving another company's nearly identical crib that was recalled. The child became entrapped between the mattress and the mesh side and suffocated.

Other recent recalls

• 45,000 Conair steam irons (fire hazard)
• 18,000 RadioShack Illuminated Round Rocker switches (shock hazard)
• 15,000 Horizon Hobby Spektrum DX6i radio transmitters (impact and laceration hazard)
• 13,300 Insignia 26-inch flat-panel LCD model IS-LCDTV26 televisions (fire hazard)
• 12,000 Brave Products log splitters (amputation hazard)
• 4,000 Lakeshore Learning 'What's Inside?' soft toy boxes (choking hazard)
• 1,400 Rocketfish Model RF-INV80 Universal AC/DC/USB portable power source (fire hazard)

Looking ahead while checking the rear view mirror

2008 was certainly a banner year for product safety. Despite ongoing problems with the safety of products imported from China, we made some major strides toward enhancing product safety in the future. Most importantly, the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act of 2008 was signed into law in August. Among other things, this massive bill will breathe some fresh air into the foundering Consumer Product Safety Commission, place tighter restrictions on how children’s products are made and sold, and require manufacturers to test children’s products before they’re sold.

Other important laws were passed in 2008. The Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act addresses some automobile dangers—it enhances rearward visibility of vehicles to prevent back-over incidents, makes power windows safer, and helps prevent the accidental roll-away of vehicles. The Children’s Gasoline Burn Prevention Act closes a loophole that had exempted gas cans from requiring child-resistant closures. In addition, the Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act took effect just a two weeks ago. This bill helps eliminate drain entrapments in pools and spas, and earmarks federal funds for education campaigns to reduce drowning incidents, the second leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1 to 14.

Consumers Union helped to get these laws passed by testifying before congressional committees, discussing the issues with congressional representatives and their staffs on a regular basis, speaking out at press conferences on Capitol Hill, and engaging our consumer activists to help push our safety agenda. And of course, we used the power of the media, including this blog, to keep consumers informed.

There’s more to do. In the year ahead we will continue to actively watch how the new administration enforces the safety laws. We will continue to push for new regulations that will make vehicles safer. We will work to develop stronger safety standards for children’s products, including cribs. And we will focus our efforts on enhancing the safety of our food supply to prevent contamination from chemicals such as melamine and from bacteria like salmonella. We’re pleased with the safety achievements of 2008 and look forward to meeting the challenges of 2009.

Happy New Year!

Happy holidays from the safety blog team

When we first started this blog more than two years ago, we wondered whether we'd have enough material about safety issues to provide regular postings. But then came a steady flow of recalls of toys and other children's products, contaminated foods, and defective auto parts. We quickly discovered the inability of our government agencies to stem the tide of unsafe goods imported from China. We bemoaned the lack of regulations that would allow such unsafe products to be sold in our marketplace and the inadequate funding that left agencies unable to fully do their jobs.

Now, nearly 500 blog postings later, we find we have no shortage of topics. Our goal is to deliver you the product-safety news you can use to protect yourself and your family. Although you might not always agree with our opinions and analysis, the mission of the blog remains true to Consumers Union -- to work for a fair, just, and safe marketplace for all consumers and to empower consumers to protect themselves.

The nation is on the cusp of change. Though we realize that we live in one of the safest countries in the world, we look forward to an even safer marketplace in the future. And at this year's end, we pause to reflect on what we have, and to wish you all a happy and safe holiday season.

From the Consumers Union Safety Blog team:
Don Mays -- Director
Mary Farrell
Bob Williams
Jonea Gurwitt
Carolyn Cairns

This week in safety

As we write this, snow is falling fast outside our offices in Yonkers, N.Y. blanketing cars, streets and sidewalks.  It's a lovely sight, especially if you can appreciate it from indoors. But for those of us who have to, ugh, shovel out, the snowfall brings to mind some safety cautions. Fortunately, we have our fellow bloggers at Consumer Reports to help us out. Writers on the Health blog give readers three ways to prevent snow shoveling injuries. And our Home bloggers have some safety tips for those who plan to clear their sidewalks or driveways with snow blowers. The Home blog also gives some important cautions about how to safely use a generator if you are unfortunate enough to lose power. And if you are snowed in and adding the finishing touches to your holiday decorations, please remember the safety tips we offered recently. Here's what else happened in safety news this week.

The safety geeks who rescue us before disaster happens
Christian Science Monitor
The best indication that John Drengenberg has been doing his job well, for 40 years, is that you've never heard of him. Most of the things he makes his living worrying about have probably never bothered you, either. Read more ...

The most toxic toys
Forbes
In February 2006, a 4-year-old boy in Minneapolis, Minn., accidentally swallowed a small heart-shaped locket that had broken off of an eight-inch long bracelet. In most circumstances, the locket would have passed through the boy's system or been removed in a medical procedure. But this wasn't "most circumstances." The silver-colored locket contained a high concentration of lead. The boy died. Read more ...

Companies try to take frustration out of packaging
Financial Post
Finally, a gift for every parent whose Christmas morning begins with stab wounds and muffled curses: The dreaded "clamshell" packaging that imprisons toys behind hard plastic is on the way out. Read more ...

Be wary of recalled products when shopping at thrift stores
Chicago Tribune
With the economy putting a real cramp on budgets this year, more consumers are likely to turn to second-hand stores and Web sites to do their holiday shopping. But when bargain hunting for children's products, experts say, keep in mind the risk of unsafe, recalled items that may have fallen through the regulation cracks. Read more ...

Guerrilla toy testers take aim at lead
The Wall Street Journal
Consumer watchdogs wielding handheld X-ray guns are testing toys on shelves for unsafe levels of lead and other chemicals, giving retailers -- from Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to mom-and-pop stores -- a case of heartburn this holiday season. Read more ...

Family sues Disney over bassinet death
Chicago Tribune
The family of a child who died this year in a Winnie the Pooh bassinet has sued the Walt Disney Co., alleging the company allowed sales of the bassinets despite a flawed design that had been linked to another baby's death a year earlier. Read more ...

Tips for keeping older houseguests out of harm's way
Stamford Advocate
Harriet Cooper did not see the dog bed, which she describes as more like a "mat." It was only a few inches high and about a foot long, but it was enough to take her down and hurt her. With another round of holidays approaching it's probably a good time to consider "parent proofing" your home. Read more ...

For kids, car crashes and obesity don't mix
Los Angeles Times
Add one more risk to the list of hazards for overweight kids: car crashes. Safety experts already knew that obese adults were more likely to suffer serious injuries in an automobile wreck, and a new study published online in the journal Injury Prevention shows that children share the risk. Read more ...

Don't miss these recalls

• 10,000 Artic Cat snowmobiles (fire hazard)
• 245,000 Bagi Shumanit Super Cold grease removers (chemical burn hazard)
• 1,600 Phil & Ted's Dash Buggy strollers (fall hazard)
• 9,000 Fingerhut Chef's Mark 15 piece cookware sets (burn hazard)

'Tis the season to avoid folly

It's not often that you see a safety story, especially a positive one, on a gossip blog. But this week, there was Keri Russell, television (Felicity) and film (Waitress) actress, on GossipGirls.com talking about holiday fire safety with representatives from New York's bravest—the FDNY. Russell's appearance was in partnership with the Underwriters Laboratories holiday safety campaign, "Just look for UL," which teaches consumers to look for the UL mark that certifies electric products for fire safety.

"I'm so pleased to be working with UL to help spread the word not just about holiday safety, but safety in general," said Russell, whose son, River, is a toddler.  "As a parent, keeping my son safe and protected is important to me."

Just as folks are beginning to deck their halls and trees, Russell reminded revelers to look for the holographic UL Mark on light strings and electrical decorations. UL certifies lights for indoor or outdoor use. Light strings intended for indoor-only use have green holographic UL Marks, while those intended for both indoor and outdoor use have red holographic UL Marks. Lights without the mark may be counterfeit or pose a fire hazard.

Last year, we wrote about the warning labels on holiday string lights that say they contain lead.  Lead is often used as a thermal stabilizer in the PVC insulation for electrical wire and cable. It helps keep the string lights flexible in a wide range of temperatures. But Consumer Reports tests found that the lead in the wire’s insulation can rub off on your hands. Some labels may also advise washing your hands after handling. We agree that that's a good practice.

We also recommend that you:

• Check last season's lights carefully and discard them if wires are frayed, cracked, or otherwise damaged, or if they have loose connections or broken sockets.
• Keep small bulbs and fuses away from young children as they can pose a serious choking hazard.
• Replace all broken or missing bulbs.
• Don't plug more than three standard-sized sets of lights into a single extension cord; it puts too much of an electrical load on the cord.
• Discard light sets that have been used for more than three seasons.

Lights and ladders
Hauling out the ladder and hanging lights can be a tedious and surprisingly hazardous ritual. Ladder-related injuries account for about 150 deaths and send some 180,000 people to the emergency room each year, many serious enough to require hospitalization. The hazards associated with conventional ladders are as old as the holidays themselves, and our tests show that for the most part, ladder designs have done little over the years to reduce the risks.

Tree trimming
If your household is one of the more than 33 million American homes that feature a natural tree in its festivities, follow the U.S. Fire Administration's suggestion: Keep the tree watered. Last holiday season there were about 200 residential Christmas tree fires, caused primarily by faulty lights and resulting in 10 deaths and more than $10 million in property loss, according to the CPSC. If you keep your tree well watered, chances of a damaging fire are reduced. Dry and neglected trees can cause a real threat as this dramatic video from the USFA shows.

If you're buying an artificial tree, the CPSC says to look for the “Fire Resistant” label. “Although this label does not mean the tree won’t catch fire, it does indicate the tree is more resistant to burning,” says the CPSC. Whether the tree is real or artificial, be sure to place it away from fireplaces, radiators, and candles. And unplug the lights when you go to bed or leave home.

Candle safety
Candles are another cause of house fires—about 14,000 are started each year by misplaced or mishandled candles, causing 170 deaths and $350 million in property loss, says the CPSC. The highest number of candle fires are reported on Christmas, Christmas Eve, New Year's Day and New Year's Eve, according to the National Fire Protection Association. And with the majority of house fires occurring overnight from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. it is vital to turn off lighting decorations and blow out candles before falling asleep.

To learn more about candle safety, take our quiz.

We may sound like the Grinch in our annual safety cautions, but in fact we love the holidays. We just want to help families be especially alert to the most important ways to ensure a safe, peaceful New Year. And we'd like to pass along this gift from the CPSC: a printable brochure of more holiday safety tips.

Something to be thankful for—a safe holiday

When you go over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house this Thanksgiving, take some safety tips along. The holiday offers a bounty of safety challenges resulting from a combination of traveling, cooking and visiting unfamiliar surroundings with kids in tow. But since most of us wouldn't have it any other way, we'd like to serve up some reminders on ways to make the holiday weekend a safe one.

On the road
This time of year the roads are busier, making travel more risky, especially if you have to drive through the white and drifted snow (oh!)  The holiday season between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve is one the most dangerous on the roads, due to a high incidence of alcohol-related traffic crashes, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration.

Before you hit the road, make sure your car is properly maintained and equipped. Some areas of the country have already experienced a first snow storm—or two—so refresh your winter driving skills. The Automobile Association of American also has some good ways to vaccinate your car against the cold.

If the car is going to be packed with kids, food and luggage, make sure you pack it safely. Parents of children eight and younger who may be traveling through other states, should check the booster and car seat laws in those states to make sure you comply. Laws vary from state to state. All occupants should follow the advice in the public service ad: "Cluck, cluck, Buckle up."

If you get lost along the way and need to check directions, pull over before talking on your cell phone or texting for help. Both are dangerous practices that take your eyes off the road. And in many states you can be fined. A GPS may be of help, but only if it's not obscuring your vision or causing a distraction.

If a flat tire, mechanical breakdown, or empty fuel tank forces you to stop driving, pull your vehicle as far off of the road as safely possible and call for help. If you are traveling a long distance, you should prepare your own roadside emergency kit.

Away from home
Parents of small children may want to check with their hosts beforehand to make sure that breakables and other hazards have been removed from common areas. But just to be sure, here are some quick ways to childproof other people's homes when you arrive.

If you are staying the night, either there or in a hotel, make sure your child has a safe sleeping environment. Not all cribs and playyards are safe and you should never place your baby on an air mattress to sleep.

In the kitchen
The risk of cooking fires doubles on Thanksgiving, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Too often cooks get distracted by arriving guests or other demands and leave food unattended instead of turning off the burner. Stove tipovers are another kitchen hazard and can occur when a turkey is placed on an open oven door causing the range to topple forward.

And as we've reported here before, Thanksgiving plans can go up in flames when things go awry with a propane-powered deep fryer. (See video)

Foodborne illnesses don't take a holiday just because we do. When you are cooking your turkey, use a meat thermometer to make sure it reaches a temperature high enough to kill bacteria. And remember to keep your cooking surfaces clean to avoid cross-contaminating foods. Here's the 411 on foodborne illness.

We hope these warnings haven't ruined your appetite. As the old song goes, Hurrah for Thanksgiving Day!

This week in safety: Toys, toys, toys

Just before parents hit the stores on Black Friday—and beyond—comes news about toys from several fronts. In its 23rd annual survey of toys, U.S. PIRG advises parents to remain vigilant about what they buy their children because tougher new federal safety laws have not yet taken effect. A group called WATCH (World Against Toys Causing Harm) issued a 10 worst toys list and MSN questions whether toys have become safer and features a photo gallery of all the toys recalled this year.

Trouble in Toyland: The 23rd annual survey of toy safety
U.S. PIRG
The recall of 45 million toys and other children’s products in 2007 and continued recalls in 2008 reminded Americans that no government agency tests toys before they are put on the shelves. Read more ...

2008 '10 worst toys' list
W.A.T.C.H.
W.A.T.C.H.'s—World Against Toys Causing Harm—annual "10 Worst Toys" list nominates representative toys with the potential to cause childhood injuries, or even death. Read more ...

Bad toys: What went wrong with recalled toys?
MSN
Nothing sucks the joy out of holiday toy shopping like a fresh batch of gruesome safety warnings. But 'tis the season when "choking hazard," "chemical burn risk" and the classic "violation of lead paint standard" dance in parents' heads. Read more ...

• Gallery of recalled toys

Toys with phthalates can be sold after U.S. ban takes effect
USA Today
Stores may continue selling plastic toys made with hormone-like chemicals next year, even after a law that was supposed to ban them takes effect, according to a legal decision from the federal agency that oversees consumer safety. Read more ...

Vendors urge relaxed lead-safety rule
The Wall Street Journal
Before new laws even take effect, manufacturers and retailers of children's products are asking the government to relax a requirement that they stop selling any inventory that doesn't meet tough new lead standards, beginning Feb. 10. Read more ...

BPA leaches from 'safe' products
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Products marketed for infants or billed as "microwave safe" release toxic doses of the chemical bisphenol A when heated, an analysis by the Journal Sentinel has found. The newspaper had the containers of 10 items tested in a lab. Read more ...

Keep bathroom chemicals locked up
U.S. News
If you are expecting little visitors over the holidays, the bathroom may be full of potential dangers and temptations. Here are suggestions to prevent little hands from getting into bathroom chemicals or medications. Read more ...

Counterfeit holiday lights pose hazards for consumers
International Business Times
Counterfeit Christmas lights—including those with fake Underwriters Laboratories, Inc. (UL) labels—pose a threat to consumers for their potential inability to meet electrical safety and fire codes. The traditional holiday decorations are part of the rapidly growing crime of counterfeit electrical products. Read more ...

Don't miss these recalls

• 7,000 Century Cookware stainless steel stockpots (burn hazard)
• 24,000 pairs Arizona newborn and infant denim pants (JC Penney) (choking hazard)
• 20,000 bottles DuPont Heavy Duty Acidic Cleaner (skin irritation)
• 365,000 Target dive sticks (impalement hazard)