Jebus. Everything is out to kill us.

Looks like lead wins this weeks contest.

Hasbro's "My First Methlab" - Trailer Park Fires

Seriously, the "drawstring" strangulation recalls are idiotic. Does no one WATCH their children anymore?

I wish someone would come out with a vaccine against lead so we could quit having all these recalls.

Also, what a great invention - that high chair - they put the "fold up now" button RIGHT where the kid can kick it! Great idea!

I actually found a pretty serious defect in a baby safety product last week. I emailed the company and reported it to the CPSC. I got the typical "we take this seriously" response promising a callback by the end of the week. If I don't get a callback I'm planning to submit to the Consumerist. Maybe we can all learn something about the process.

@KyleOrton: What was it?

They recalled a single brand/model of trampoline because of a falling hazard? I thought that was kind of the deal with trampolines - people fall off of them.

Seriously, what's up with China? It's literally insane that we're still seeing these problems. Recalls are incredibly expensive, you think that they'd all spring for some lead tests every once and a while.

I should be surprised when a product named "Predator" turns out to be dangerous?

@perruptor: Is its enemy an Alienware?

@Oranges w/ Cheese: On one hand I want to give the company a chance to fix it, but on the other I would have a problem if someone was hurt between now and then. Conscience wins.

It is a flexible lock set for securing cabinet doors. Right out of the package I went to use it and the flexible portion snapped into a small piece and the whole thing fell apart. Had I tightened it a bit less, it would have fallen apart if my daughter tried to use it to pull herself up, opening a cabinet full of glassware and creating a choking hazard on the plastic piece.

I'm submitting it to the tip email now.

@Canino: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelation_therapy

@Mad Dog McCree: Not all of the products came from China. The Fisher-Price chair for instance, was manufactured in Mexico. The FloraCraft kits were manufactured in the U.S. as well as China. The Human Touch chair was made in Thailand.

@perruptor: I think they win bonus points for Truth in Advertising.

@KyleOrton: Um yeah, that does kind of suck! Good luck!

@magic8ball: I plan on being a fairly laissez faire parent - except regarding trampolines. No trampolines! Or firearms. I know, total bummer, but that's a line that won't be crossed.

These types of recalls are why I get short-tempered at all the hand-wringing over CSPIA. Yes, it needs to be modified a bit and, yes, the timetables are ridiculous, but there is no basis for assuming that any product is lead-free. The default assumption should be that it must be tested, and I haven't seen any reason to start relying on any untested product from any manufacturer or any country. As pecan pie pointed out, it's not just China. It's sad, but there's no safety w/o testing.

@Canino: Like a giant magnet? Wait is lead magnetic?

No drawstrings! how hard is it? This has to be the most common recall.

@Canino: Or perhaps quit worrying about it. Back in the 30s & 40s kids used to play with toy lead soldiers, for poop's sake. My dad and his generation seemed to make it through just fine.

Regarding the "Perfect Chair"...

Yeah. It's comfortable. It could also be called, "The Most Comfortable Chair In The World". (Yes, like that sofa in "The Tick" or the couch in "Invader Zim")

@Canino: I hope you are kidding.

This isn't a disease that can be vaccinated.

[en.wikipedia.org]

@lotussix: This isn't a disease that can be vaccinated.

Not yet...

Since my mercury vaccine I've been able to enjoy plenty of liquid metal goodness.

@magic8ball: It's actually that the frame collapses (and one adult was injured assembling one, which kind of makes me laugh--if you recalled everything that had injured me during my assembly of it, you'd be left with a world of fluff).

But I'm kind of with you, oneandone, on trampolines in general. Last weekend the kids in the house behind me pulled theirs to the side of their house and were jumping off of the roof onto it. Yikes.

@Oranges w/ Cheese: Do you watch your 10 year old playing on the playset in your own backyard 100% of the time standing no more than 5 feet away from them at any given point in time so that when the drawstring gets caught on the edge of the slide and their full weight of their body is transfered to the drawstring that is around their head and the child can not get oriented to remove their body weight from the drawstring, you will be ready to lift the child up and save them from strangulation? Doubtful. The concern is not kids tightening the drawstrings to make them look like Kenny on Southpark, the concern is that the strings will get caught in something while the kids are playing and strangle themselves.

As kids get older parents will watch by opening up a window and listening for the kids who are running and laughing (eerything is fine), crying (kid fell down and hurt themselves, or silence (usually means trouble). If you are not letting your 10-12 year old more than a arm's length away from you they will probably have social issues to deal with as they become adults.

The bigger question is why are manufacturers still after 12 years of this issue coming to light still not replacing the drawstring with elastic?

@Rachacha: Don't most drawstrings come out - I mean, that's what they do - they tighten on both sides from the middle and will come loose if you pull only on one end.

@Oranges w/ Cheese: Take a look at this image [images.google.com] and I think you will get an idea of how easily a child could become strangled by a drawstring if the free end were to get caught on a piece of playground equipment.

@Oranges w/ Cheese: Uh, kids are sneaky and a handful, and I do not want a drawstring that could choke them near them. If you turn away to pet the dog and they strangled themselves, something tells me you would be suddenly up in arms about the drawstring.

@Oranges w/ Cheese: And it's a JACKET! Do you watch your children closely so they don't choke on the clothing they wear? Something tells me ... no.

@Oranges w/ Cheese: If the drawstring is a choking hazard it shouldn't be there in the first place and you shouldn't have to "fix" it yourself. That's kind of the job of the manufacturer. To make it as safe as possible to begin with. PERIOD. This has nothing to do with parents not watching closely enough, and everything to do with a poorly made, dangerous jacket for children. That could choke them. Better safe then sorry, no? I don't see the complaint here at all.