Flammable Robes Keep Killing People — Recall Reissued
Everyone in the market for a robe wants to be kept warm, but having that robe catch on fire and kill you is quite a bit over the line. Such a foible was discovered in Blair women's chenille robes, so Blair and the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a recall in April.
As is so often the case with recalls, the word didn't exactly spread like, uh, wildfire, because not enough people heard about it and as a result six people have died because of the robes since the recall was issued. Thus, the recall for went out again, the Los Angeles Times reports:
The deaths of six people prompted federal safety officials and clothing retailer Blair to reissue a recall Thursday of 162,000 full-length chenille robes because the garments don't meet federal flammability requirements and can catch fire if they are exposed to an open flame.
Blair of Warren, Pa., and the Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled the women's chenille robes in April because of the fire hazard.
Since then, the company heard from families of six people who died after their Blair robes caught fire, commission spokesman Scott Wolfson said.
News of the deaths caused Blair and the commission to again alert consumers about the recall of the company's chenille robes, Wolfson said.
Consumers are urged to immediately stop wearing the robes and return them to Blair for a $50 gift card, he said.
It's understandable if customers don't feel like using that gift certificate to buy another robe from Blair.
After 6 deaths, recall of Blair women's chenille robes reissued [Los Angeles Times]
(Photo: phototaker)
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Narrator: A new car built by my company leaves somewhere traveling at 60 mph. The rear differential locks up. The car crashes and burns with everyone trapped inside. Now, should we initiate a recall? Take the number of vehicles in the field, A, multiply by the probable rate of failure, B, multiply by the average out-of-court settlement, C. A times B times C equals X. If X is less than the cost of a recall, we don't do one.
Woman on plane: Are there a lot of these kinds of accidents?
Narrator: You wouldn't believe.
Woman on plane: Which car company do you work for?
Narrator: A major one.
Robes don't kill people...robes on fire do.
But seriously, I understand the reasons for the recall, but don't most fabrics catch fire if exposed to flame?
Do snuggies burn very well?
Because we may have found a very good way to curb the plague of the cult of snuggies/wtf blankets.
Competing with the Snuggie: YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG
@pecan 3.14159265: It says they don't meet "federal flammability requirements." Looks like brushed-pile synthetics are particularly prone to go up like a torch and are supposed to be treated to make sure they're not likely to do that. Here's a link that discussed the Flammable Fabrics Act and other relevant safety legislation: [www.fabriclink.com]
6 people died due to this company's product. Why on earth would you post a picture of a woman in a robe eating a Slim Jim and when will it be removed?
@pecan 3.14159265: Also, I don't know if this holds true for adult items, but I know that there are some federal standards for childrens' sleepwear (pjs, robes, etc) where they have to be flame retardant. I think for adult sleepwear, it either has to comply or be clearly labeled otherwise.
Perhaps the flammability standards in Pakistan, where they were made, are different than here. It isn't easy to check on quality control when the plant isn't in the same hemisphere.
@I Love New Jersey: Most clothing is manufactured out of the U.S., though, and still manages to adhere to the standard. So it's clearly not that much of an obstacle.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought "Blair" was one of those shop-at-home catalogs that Grandma likes, like Lillain Vernon. If so, don't they KNOW who each and every owner is?
Side note: I read about it this morning. You can get on the CPSC mailing list at cpsc.gov
The recall noted that they say "100% Cotton" which makes no sense re: polyester going boom.
@pecan 3.14159265: Someone correct me if I'm wrong but "exposed to flame" doesn't have to mean that it's actually in the flames, right? It can just mean that your close enough to the flame for the heat to get to you.
The problem is probably that you don't have to be that close to an open flame for the robe to catch fire. Remember that story about the kid who was burned because the clothes were overdosed with formaldehyde? He was just sitting near a heater. [consumerist.com]
@RevRagnarok: I think it's the fuzziness, not just the material (though I did run into one link that said roughly that since their clothing was all-wool, it was automatically compliant). The Fabric U page has this comment: "he majority of flammability problems have involved lightweight rayons or cotton garments with exposed fuzzy fleece...," and I would imagine that includes chenille.
The word foible used twice in one day? Wow, you just doubled my life-long exposure to that word.
@floraposte: Synthetics are not only super-flammable, but they'll melt into your skin instead of burning away.
I have a friend who's a glass blower and he'll only let you visit his shop if you wear all natural fabrics. Because if you light your cotton bluejeans on fire, you're getting badly burned, but it's burning UP. If you light your chenille on fire, you're melting it into your skin and it's way, way worse.
Inflammable means flammable? What a country!
Seriously, I would have been surprised if six robes of ANY kind caught on fire. But specifically six Blair robes? What are these robe-clad women doing that the possibility of catching on fire is imminent?
I suspect that industry that makes flame retardants might be involved. They put them in everything and they are dangerous. Almost every American has flame retardants show up in their blood. Americans have between 10 and 100 times higher levels in their bodies than Europeans and Japanese. And, Californians have twice as much in their blood as other Americans.
@Whitey Fisk: Exactly what I was thinking. So by just owning one of these robes, you have a 1 in 27,000 chance of it burning you to death? How many people were merely scarred for life, not killed by the flames?
From the article:
Of the six deaths reported to Blair as related to the burning robes, five of the victims were women who were cooking at the time and the sixth was a man wearing his spouse's robe, Wolfson said.
...I'm not quite sure what to make of the sixth 'reason'.
Okay, I don't remember what fabric it was, but I had, as a child, a set of PJ's that if would occasionally "spark".
So I'm not surprised.
I saw the picture and was hoping it was a video of a mannequin as a demonstration. Oh well. I guess a non-moving picture a pretty lady not on fire works, too.
@pecan 3.14159265: Exactly what I was thnking. If there was an open flame in my Cube right now and I got too close to it, I'm pretty sure everything I'm wearing would catch fire.
Was there a recent post with Ben & Meghann wearing Snugglies? Can you put them to the torch test? (the Snugglies - not Ben & Meghann)
@U-235:
I dont get this, how are people dying in these things? Simply because the fire spreads through your house and youre too slow to get out before you burn to death ?
I had a nightgown like that too. I used to get under the covers in the dark and flap the skirt and watch it light up.
@anduin: Here is the progression
Women like candles
Candles use fire
Robe touches candle
Woman is on fire
Any Questions?
I work with a woman whose mother and father were killed by this robe. Her elderly mother was in the kitchen making tea when her Blair robe went up in flames. Her elderly father tried to get the robe off of his wife and he was burned in the process as well. Both died within a month of the injuries.
@anduin: Like velure, this material is probably made of plastic (china does amazing stuff with the plastic garbage we send them) so it bursts into flames and sticks to you fairly easily. You can't get away from it if it is burning and it has adhered to you. Running faster probably makes the situation worse.
Clearly they have been catching fire because of the burning desire their sexy chenilleness elicits. Mrrow.