More than 180,000 baby toys are being recalled because their blue metallic fabric can detach, posing a choking hazard for young children.
Infantino LLC of San Diego has received 45 reports of the fabric detaching, but no incidents of injuries. The various infant toys, made in China, were sold at major retailers such as Wal-Mart from June 2007 through February. Model numbers of the affected products are listed here. Consumers can get a free replacement toy by calling the company at (888) 808-3111 or visiting its Web site.
Bikes made by the Electra Bicycle Company of Vista, Calif., are being recalled because the front tray can come loose and make contact with the front tire. Four incidents have been reported to the company, including one that resulted in minor cuts and bruises to the rider.
About 3,000 bikes with these model numbers are affected. Consumers should be able to get a free inspection and repair from Electra bike dealers. For more info, contact the company at (800) 261-1644 or visit its Web site.
Fishing games, baby rattles and pull-a-long cars contain small parts that can easily detach and become a choking hazard for young children. Mini-cars and bubble guns are being recalled because their paints have excessive levels of lead, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced this week.
A total of 39,000 of the recalled toys were made in China and imported by CBB Group Inc. of California. They were sold at various dollar and toy stores from July 2007 through December 2008, and consumers can return them to the place of purchase for a refund.
Photos of the affected toys and their model numbers are here. For more info, call CBB Group Inc. at (866) 628-6238 or visit its Web site.
Nine kids have been injured when a end cap dislodged from an “exersaucer” activity table, causing the play center to fall, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced. One child in Canada suffered a broken collarbone; the other received bumps and bruises.
About 213,000 of the Evenflo ExerSaucer Triple Fun activity centers are affected in the recall. The products, made by Evenflo Co. Inc. of Ohio were sold nationwide from October 2006 through this month. Consumers are advised to stop using the activity table in the “stage 3 position.” Contact the company to receive a free replacement end cap at (800) 233-5921 or visit its Web site.
Two children nearly choked on pieces of a toy tool set that unexpectedly detached. About 20,000 of the Playouse Disney “Handy Manny” tool sets were sold nationwide at the Disney Store from October 2007 until January. Consumers are advised to return the toys, made in China, to the Disney Store for a full refund. Additional information is available from the company at (866) 902-2798 or its Web site.
Starting on Tuesday, parents should be able to shop for toys with some peace of mind. A new federal law bans all toys or products for kids under 12 that contain excessive lead and chemicals called phthalates.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission almost made the law moot by allowing toymakers to keep selling products made before Tuesday, but a judge has closed that giant loophole, USA Today reported. The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Paul Gardephe on Thursday resulted from a lawsuit by consumer advocacy groups.
If the judge hadn’t made the ruling, parents wouldn’t have known which toys had phthlates and which didn’t. The so-called safety commission actually suggested that parents call manufacturers, as if busy moms and dads didn’t have enough to do. Phthlates, used in soft plastic toys such as rubber duckies, have been known to interfere with the human hormone system.
“A trip to the toy store shouldn’t require a guessing game on which toys contain harmful chemicals and which toys are safe,” said scientist Sarah Janssen of the National Resources Defense Council in a statement.
At least 13 kids and adults have been injured by the tops blowing off of caps from the Spa Factory Aromatherapy Fountain & Bath Benefits kits. Pressure from carbon monoxide buildup in the jars have caused the explosions, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced. Injuries have included irritated eyes, a cheek cut and a face gash.
About 516,000 of the kits with purple caps are being recalled; model numbers are listed here. The items, made in China, were sold at various stores nationwide from August 2008 through January 2009. Consumers should contact importer JAKKS Pacific Inc., of Malibu, Calif. for free replacement jar caps that have vent holes. Call the company at (877) 875-2557, visit its Web site or email caps@jakks.net.
About 3,000 toy construction sets are being recalled because they contain excessive lead paint, which can cause severe health problems in young children. The 136-piece Mega Construction Play Set, made in China, was sold at various stores from October through December.
Consumers should contact distributor DDI Inc. of Iowa for a full refund by calling (800) 220-2390 or through the firm’s Web site.
Excessive lead paint is also prompting the recall of about 8,400 skull-and-crossbones necklaces made in China and sold by Spencer Gifts LLC of New Jersey from November 2006 to December. Call the company for a refund at (800) 321-2497 or go to its Web site.
About 131,000 “Grabby” rattles are being recalled because the tail piece on the items can detach and pose a choking danger to babies. Ten people have reported the piece detaching; no injuries occurred, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The baby rattles, shaped like a lion or lamb and made in China, were sold at major retailers between May 2007 and September. Contact manufacturer Infantino LLC of San Diego for a replacement by calling (888) 808-3111 or visiting the firm’s Web site.
Children’s sunglasses imported from China by Axiom International of Montana may contain more lead paint than federal law allows. About 5,300 of the two-tone sunglasses, which have a spider web etched between the eyes, were sold from May 2007 through August.
Consumers can return them to the place of purchase for a refund. More info is available by calling Axiom at (800) 262-0599 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday or visiting its Web site.
About 500 rolling toy xylophones sold at Land of Nod stores have pegs that can break and pose a choking hazard. The Illinois company has received 22 reports of broken pegs, but no one has been injured. The toys, made in China, were sold from October 2007 through March.
Consumers can return the xylophones to the company for a credit of the purchase price and a $10 gift card. Contact Land of Nod at (800) 933-9904 or through its Web site.
Don’t get too attached to some of those Christmas gifts. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a slew of recalls.
Cribs again confirm their status as the most dangerous item in a child’s nursery. At least one child has been diagnosed with lead poisoning after ingesting paint from a crib distributed by Munire Furniture Inc. of New Jersey.
About 3,000 cribs and 6,000 pieces of matching furniture may contain paint with dangerously high levels of lead. The Indonesian-made furniture features black finish paint with red paint underneath and was sold at specialty stores from April 2006 to November 2008. See specific model numbers here.
Consumers may receive a replacement coupon for new furniture. Call the company for more info at (866) 586-9639 or visit the firm’s Web site.
Two Jumbo Snowman Snow Globes have acted like magnifying glasses when exposed to sunlight and caused nearby materials to catch on fire, according to Hallmark Cards of Kansas City, Mo. No injuries have been reported, but the company is recalling the 7,000 items sold in October and November at Hallmark Gold Crown stores nationwide.
Consumers may return the globes for a full refund. Contact Hallmark at (800) 425-5627 or through its Web site.
About 2,800 Calypso steel toy drums are being recalled because the surface paints contain excessive lead. No injuries have been reported, but authorities say that the drums should be taken away immediately from any child.
The items were made in Trinidad for Woodstock Percussion Inc. of New York and sold via mail order catalogues, Web sites and retail stores nationwide for one year, beginning in 2006. Some might have been later sold again online or at secondhand stores.
Woodstock Percussion says it will give consumers a replacement drum and an additional $5 payment or credit. Call the company at (866) 543-2848 anytime, e-mail safety@chimes.com, or visit the firm’s Web site.
Manufacturers can’t seem to remember that jackets for youngsters are not allowed to have drawstrings, which can be a strangulation hazard. About 1,300 hooded jackets distributed by Foursquare Outerwear of Irvine, Calif., and sold at various stores nationwide from June to November are being recalled; no injuries have been reported yet.
Consumers should either take out the drawstrings or get a full refund. Contact Foursquare at (877) 327-4484, visit its Web site, e-mail the firm at info@theprogram.com.
Three candle-powered carousels have caught on fire because the candle holder on the item’s base is too close to the structure. No injuries have been reported, but about 1,500 of the products made in China and distributed by Gardener’s Supply Co. of Burlington, Vt., are being recalled.
The items were sold at Gardener’s Supply retail stores, by catalogue and online from September through November. They can be returned for a full refund. Contact Gardener’s Supply Co. at (800) 876-5520 or on its Web site.
When the government issues a recall on toys, few are actually returned by consumers. Many recalled products end up for sale online and at garage sales and secondhand shops.
As the recession prompts more people to sell their used stuff and others to go bargain shopping, parents are advised to check sale items with recall advisories on the Web site of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
“There are products out there that have killed children in the past,” said Scott Wolfson, a spokesman for the federal safety commission, in an article from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Typically, just 15 to 30 percent of the recalled items are returned to retailers or manufacturers.
Ebay’s online safety adviser says that the company doesn’t have the resources to check the millions of items listed on its site against recall advisories. It’s illegal to sell a recalled product, but many of the amateur vendors may be doing it unintentionally.
A reporter from the Atlanta newspaper found on Ebay listings for toy helicopters that were recalled in July after two caught on fire. Several sellers did not respond to the reporter’s questions, but one wrote back and said the listing would be taken off.
One seller was peddling a Cinderella 12-volt electric ride-on car, which had been recalled after the safety commission recorded 40 incidents of the vehicle’s wiring overheating and catching fire. However, the seller did include information about the recall in the ad and assured that a repair kit had been ordered.
This year, the commission has recalled 7.8 million toys that posed choking, burn, impaling and toxic hazards. The agency received 18 reports of toy-related deaths last year, most of which involved riding toys and small toy balls. About 170,000 toy-related injuries required treatment in hospital emergency departments.
Check Minor Troubles for frequently updated news about recalls. For lists of toy hazards and safety tips, click here.
Nine toy makers, including Mattel Inc., also agreed to speed up the reduction of lead in toys, lunchboxes and other kids’ items.
The state of California and the city of Los Angeles brought the complaint against the toy companies last year after a series of recalls on imported items that contained high levels of lead, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The settlement doesn’t seem to hurt the toy makers too much. Basically, the toy companies are agreeing to take toxic lead out of their products a mere two months earlier than Feb. 10, when they are legally required to do so by the federal government.
Still, to California, it’s better than nothing. “Putting these agreements into effect immediately is absolutely critical because so many toys are sold between Thanksgiving and Christmas, months before new federal standards go into effect,” said California Attorney General Jerry Brown in a statement.
California filed the lawsuit under the state’s Proposition 65, the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act. Lead, which has been listed as a toxin since 1987, is known to cause cancer, mental and physical retardation and developmental problems.
Besides Mattel, the other toy companies that agreed to the settlement are Fisher-Price Inc., RC2 Corp., A&A Global Industries Inc., Crainium Inc., Eveready Battery Co., Marvel Entertainment Inc., Toy Investments Inc., Kids II Inc. and Amscan Inc.
Photo by Matthew Oliphant
Two advocacy groups are suing to force government officials to immediately stop the sale of toxic toys.
The Natural Resources Defense Council and Public Citizen are protesting a recent decision by the Consumer Product Safety Commission to exempt some toys from a new federal law. After Feb. 10, toy makers can no longer use phthalates, a harmful chemical found in soft plastics. But the safety commission has ruled that toys made before that deadline date can be legally sold through Christmas and beyond.
“Parents want to know that the toys they’re purchasing are safe — it’s not too much to ask,” said Dr. Sarah Janssen of the natural resources group, in a news release. “We can’t allow CPSC to continue this confusion at the checkout aisle.”
In response to the lawsuit filed in New York federal court today, CPSC spokeswoman Julie Vallese told Reuters that the commission is committed to protecting families. “When it comes to safety, the CPSC does not look for loopholes,” she said.
In a recent Washington Post story, she said that parents can call the manufacturer if they want reassurance on when a product was made.
The controversial chemical phthalate is used in many common children’s items such as teethers, pacifiers and rubber duckies. Some manufacturers offer phthalate-free goods, especially anything that a young child might put in her mouth. Europe has long banned toys with phthalates, which has been linked to causing reproductive problems.
For previous Minor Troubles postings about product recalls and chemicals in toys, click here.