NEWS RELEASE
Apr 28, 2000

Department of Community Health Supports Recall Round-Up to Get Hazardous Products Out of Consumers' Homes
hi

 

Michigan Department of Community Health Director, James K. Haveman, Jr., today urged Michigan residents to pay close attention to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recall round-up to get hazardous products out of people's homes. Despite recall notices and public warnings, the CPSC has found that many products with the potential to cause serious or fatal injuries are still being used by consumers.

"We want to prevent needless tragedies, which is why it is so important for people to check their homes for old products that could be hazardous to children," said Haveman. "The CPSC can get dangerous products off of store shelves, but the real challenge is to get them out of families' homes."

The Michigan Department of Community Health and Michigan SAFE KIDS are distributing information to the public about the hazardous products. Local SAFE KIDS coalitions in Grand Rapids, Holland and Kalamazoo are also conducting exchanges of stationary baby walkers for wheeled walkers that are brought in by parents. Capitol Area SAFE KIDS conducted a wheeled baby walker exchange at Sparrow Health Systems on April 9, where over 100 stationary baby walkers were given to families who brought in wheeled walkers to exchange.

Although wheeled baby walkers are not one of the specific items involved in this recall, more children are injured by wheeled baby walkers than any other nursery product. The CPSC estimates that in 1997 walkers were involved in 14,300 hospital emergency department-treated injuries to children under 14 months of age and in 34 deaths since 1973. Most children sustained injuries when their walker fell down stairs. The CPSC has worked with the juvenile products industry to develop new safety standards for walkers. Each new walker meeting this standard must be too wide to fit through a standard doorway, or must have a gripping mechanism which will stop a walker at the edge of a step. Another alternative is to use one of the many types of stationary walker-activity centers, which do not have wheels.

People should check their homes for the following hazardous products that are on this year's Recall Round-Up list:

Infant car seat/carriers where the handles can unexpectedly release, causing the seat to flip forward and the infant to fall. The recalled carriers are: Evenflo Model 207 and 492 made before July 27, 1997, by Evenflo Company; Cosco "Arriva" and "Turnabout" models made before September 9, 1997, by Cosco Inc.; and Kolcraft "Infant Rider," "Secura," and other models made from January 1,1993, through June 30, 1999, by Kolcraft Enterprises. People should call the company to get free repair.

Pokemon Balls included with Burger King kids meals may pose a suffocation hazard to children under 3 years of age if either half of the ball gets stuck on the child's face, covering the nose and mouth. More than 25 million "Pokemon Balls" were distributed in November-December, 1999. Take the "Pokemon Balls" (including the clip) away from children under the age of 3 years and discard the ball or return both halves to a Burger King restaurant for a free small order of french fries.

Swimming Pool Dive Sticks can cause rectal or vaginal impalement if children jump into a shallow pool and fall or land on the dive stick. CPSC knows of nine impalement injuries and three non-impalement injuries to children 5 to 11 years old. People should stop using the hard plastic dive sticks and throw them out, or depending on the dive sticks owned, consumers can receive a refund, replacement, or repair.

Television carts made by Sauder Woodworking Co. and by Bush Industries Inc. can tip over and injure children and adults when the cart and the TV fall. There have been 15 reports of these carts tipping over, resulting in 3 injuries including a 3-year-old girl who suffered a skull fracture. The carts were sold ready-to-assemble and had a bottom cabinet with hinged double doors. People should remove their televisions and VCR's from the carts and contact the manufacturer to get a free repair kit to help prevent the cart from tipping over.

Tubular metal cribs made by Cosco Inc. before September 1997 can entrap or strangle a baby. These metal cribs can be mis-assembled with the mattress platform used as a side rail, creating a distance between the side rail slats that allows an infant to become entrapped. In addition, the mattress can compress and be pushed between the bars on the crib's platform, permitting a baby to slip between the bars on the crib's platform and become entrapped. Call the company to make sure the crib is properly assembled and to get a new, safer mattress.

Old cribs and other products made before CPSC's safety standards can choke, strangle or suffocate children. Old cribs with more than 2 3/8 inches between crib slats, corner posts, or cut-outs on the headboard or footboard present suffocation and strangulation hazards. Bunk beds with spaces bigger than 3 ½ inches can cause entrapment and strangulation. Old chest freezers can suffocate children. Hair dryers without built-in shock-protection devices in the plug can cause electrocution. Drawstrings around the neck of jackets and sweatshirts can strangle a child. Destroy these old hazardous products. Do not sell them at garage sales or give them to thrift stores.

Consumers may also get a recall list by on the CPSC web site at http://www.cpsc.gov or by calling the CPSC Hotline at (800) 638-2772.