Step back from the ledge, makers of lovingly hand-carved wooden dolls: the Consumer Product Safety Commission has lurched into action and tentatively agreed to exempt some materials and items from the lead-testing requirements in the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act.
Quality & Safety
Consumers Union Asks Nancy Nord, CPSC To Do A Better Job Explaining These New Toy Testing Rules
By 1.8.09
In this letter (PDF) sent to CPSC chair Nancy Nord, and released to the public, Consumers Union and a bunch of other consumer interest groups ask the CPSC to please do its part to clear up all the confusion over the coming Toy Testing Apocalypse. Don’t want to read the whole thing? Here’s a much shorter summary:
FDA Is Not Impressed By Diet Coke Plus
By 1.6.09
Last month, the FDA sent Coca-Cola a letter warning that their Diet Coke Plus (“it’s what plants crave”) violates FDA standards for products fortified with vitamins.
By 12.31.08
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Chairwoman of Chinese dairy company pleads guilty in melamine case, may face death penalty. [Reuters]
New Toy Safety Rule Has Collateral Damage: Handmade Toy Manufacturers
By 12.24.08
Thanks to big companies like Mattel, this may be the last Christmas season for a lot of handmade or custom toys from small businesses.
6 New CPSC Recalls
By 12.24.08
The CPSC announced 6 recalls today: some Foursquare jackets, Hallmark Jumbo Snow Globes, Gardner’s Supply Company Candle-Powered Carousels, Munrie “Newport Rubbed Black” Cribs and Furniture, Woodstock Percussion Toy Drums, and Atomic Skis Ski Bindings.
Homeland Security Boss: Before 9/12/01 Hijackings Were "Regular, Routine"
By 12.16.08
BoingBoing’s Joel Johnson recently interviewed departing Homeland Security boss Michael Chertoff — and we all know how much you love “security theater”…
Got Kids? Glass Coffee Tables Can Be Crazy Dangerous
By 12.16.08
An 11-year-old girl from Providence, R.I. recently died after falling into or jumping on a glass table. She suffered a severe puncture wound and died of uncontrollable bleeding.
By 12.9.08
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In which Consumer Reports employees harm themselves or their real estate with consumer products, part 2. In this episode, a CR staffer’s son uses the stove’s self-cleaning feature without removing a plastic cutting board from inside the oven. Yes, the fire department was involved. They had to pull the range out of the kitchen and leave it to cool in the driveway. Awkward. [Consumer Reports]
Careful: Lean Cuisine May Contain Random Pieces Of Plastic
By 12.5.08
She contacted Nestle, the company that makes Lean Cuisine, and they offered her some coupons for more Lean Cuisine. She’s understandably reluctant and would prefer a refund.
FDA Sets Acceptable Melamine Levels For Baby Formula
By 12.2.08
Mommy, I’m hungry, can I have more melamine? Sure thing, sweetie, because the FDA established that 1 part per million of melamine in baby formula is cool, as long as an additional chemical isn’t present.
Lean Cuisine Recalls Chicken Meals For Containing Plastic Pieces
By 11.19.08
Lean Cuisine is recalling 900,000 pounds of its entrees after “several consumers” reported finding blue plastic in the product. If you have the Pesto Chicken with Bow Tie Pasta, the Chicken Mediterranean or the Chicken Tuscan varieties, here are the UPC and production codes of the affected batches.
FDA Detains All China Milk Products
By 11.13.08
Two months after vast quantities of milk from China were found to contain melamine, sickening 53,000 children and sending 13,000 to hospital, the FDA announced all Chinese milk imports will be stopped at the border until they’re proven melamin-free.. While it’s taken them a while to do this, banning entire categories of products from specific countries is a rare move, and it will have long-lasting impact. “It’s impossible to get off the alert list,” said Benjamin England, a former FDA lawyer. Unscrupulous food makers adulterate products with melamine because they fool testing equipment to make the product look high in protein. In spring ’07, about two dozen pets died after eating pet food tainted with melamine.
Tales Of Consumer Reports Employees Injuring Themselves With Products
By 11.5.08
Nobody is perfect, it seems, not even the folks at safety-conscious Consumer Reports. They’ve put together a group of stories from employees who managed to injure themselves with various products.
CPSC Issues Warning For Carter's Tagless Babyclothes Causing Rashes
By 11.2.08
The CPSC has issued a warning about Carter’s “tagless” clothes causing rashes. The warning was made on Oct 24, Consumerist first told you about it on September 5th. Carter’s tagless clothes’ claim to fame is that instead of an irritating flappy label, they use a flat label embedded in these clothes. It’s this very label that’s causing the rashes. The warning only applies to the Carter’s Fall 2007 line which has a raised surface with a solid, instead of a stenciled, background.
Man Finds Mouse Baked Into His Hot Dog Buns
By 10.31.08
A North Carolina man bought some hot dog buns that came with a little surprise inside. No, it wasn’t a prize. “I see the little ears. Clearly that’s a tail. I don’t know what that is, part of his leg or something,” the man told NBC.
Consumer Reports: Why Are Companies Lying About Putting Nanoparticles In Your Sunscreen?
By 10.31.08
Little is known about how nanoparticles — ultra-small particles that are so teeny that they can have different physical properties than “macro” sized particles. For example, says Consumer Reports, carbon becomes 100 times stronger than steel, aluminum turns highly explosive, and gold melts at room temperature. What do titanium dioxide or zinc oxide do? Well, whatever it is — it may be in your sunscreen without your knowledge.
Batteries From Dell, Toshiba, and HP Laptops Recalled
By 10.31.08
35,000 laptop batteries from laptops sold from 2004-2006 have been recalled for fire and burn hazards. There have been 17 fires and 2 burns associated with these batteries, so if you’ve got one, make sure you take care of this issue.
