Way to go, China! You’ve turned our “Chinese Poison Train” into something literal. Good job!
cpsc
CPSC Broken, Can't Issue Involuntary Recall Of Dangerous ATV For Children
By 6.8.07
Meet the Kazuma Meerkat 50 Youth All-Terrain Vehicle. It has no front brakes, no parking brake and can be started in gear. It is meant for 6 to 11 year-olds. Why isn’t it being recalled?
Roller Shoes Send 1600 Uncoordinated People To The Emergency Room
By 6.7.07
Here’s a shocking update, putting little wheels on the bottom of your shoes is dangerous. No! Yes! 1600 emergency room visits last year were blamed on roller shoes or “heelys.” For those of you not familiar with “heelys” they’re the wheeled shoe that sends children floating past you like the nun in Blues Brothers as you walk around Target shopping for paper towels and Diet Coke.
Recall Round-Up: Your Toddler Could Be Drowning Right Now
By 5.24.07
Let’s all do the safety dance, it’s time for the CPSC Recall Round-Up:
CPSC Still Unable To Form Voltron
By 5.24.07
For those who resent government interference in industry’s ability to make baby strollers that don’t fit through doorways, Baroody’s withdrawal of his nomination as CPSC commissioner has an ancillary benefit.
BREAKING: Baroody Withdraws CPSC Nomination
By 5.23.07
Michael Baroody withdrew his nomination for head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
2.5 Million GE Potentially Flammable Dishwashers Recalled
By 5.17.07
A plague of burning dishwashers sounds like something that would happen after the 6th seal has been opened, but no. It’s real and it’s happening now. You may have a dishwasher in your very home that is, at this very second, thinking about lighting itself on fire. From the CPSC:
GE has received 191 reports of overheated wiring including 56 reports of property damage. There were 12 reports of fires that escaped the dishwasher. Fire damage was limited to the dishwasher or the adjacent area. No injuries have been reported.
This recall involves a huge number of dishwashers, so you’ll want to check this list to see if your GE dishwasher is part of the recall. If it is: “stop using the recalled dishwashers and contact General Electric for a free repair, a $150 rebate towards the purchase of a new GE dishwasher, or a $300 rebate towards the purchase of a new GE Profile or GE Monogram dishwasher.”
Baroody To Receive $150,000 Pay Off From National Association of Manufacturers
By 5.16.07
This is re-goddamn-diculous. From the New York Times (emphasis ours):
A senior lobbyist at the National Association of Manufacturers nominated by President Bush to lead the Consumer Product Safety Commission will receive a $150,000 departing payment from the association when he takes his new government job, which involves enforcing consumer laws against members of the association.
This guy has no business being the head of the CPSC. The reason there is a Consumer Products Safety Commission in the first place is so that there is something to keep tabs on people like Michael Baroody and the companies he represents.
Mr. Baroody said in the letter that the payment would not prevent him from considering matters involving individual companies that are members of the manufacturers’ association, many of whom are defendants in agency proceedings over defective products or have other business before the commission. Nor would it preclude him from involvement with smaller trade groups like those representing makers of home appliances and children’s products that have alliances with the association.
Oh no, $150k won’t influence his opinion. It doesn’t need to, his opinions are already known. He’s a lobbyist, for pete’s sake.
Panopticon Of CPSC Hazardous Product Illustrations
By 5.11.07
We find ourselves oddly captivated by this gallery of product warnings we unearthed on the Consumer Product Safety Commission site.
Lead Poisoning/Choking Hazard Recall Round Up
By 5.3.07
There have been quite a few lead poisoning and choking hazard related recalls lately, so we thought we’d just round them up for you. Here they are:
Stop Michael Baroody
By 5.3.07
A campaign to stop Michael Baroody from getting nominated as head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission sprung up at StopBaroody.com. While Baroody was Executive Vice President of NAM, the manufacturer’s lobby:
Tell Your Senator To Oppose Nominating Guy Who Hates Product Safety As Head Of Product Safety
By 4.27.07
Eight consumers groups have united to oppose the nomination of Michael Baroody for the head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Baroody is the executive vice president of the National Association of Manufacturers, which has consistently worked to undermine the very efforts of the organization Bush knighted Baroody to helm.
CPSC Recalls Magnetix Magnetic Building Sets, Warns "Small Magnets Are Injuring Children"
By 4.23.07
Mega Brands is recalling 4 million Magnetix Magnetic Building Sets over concerns that children may ingest small magnets that can detach from the sets.
To date, CPSC and Mega Brands are aware of one death, one aspiration and 27 intestinal injuries. Emergency surgical intervention was needed in all but one case. At least 1,500 incidents of magnets separating from the building pieces have been reported.
The recalled sets contain over 250 plastic building pieces. Sets manufactured after March 31, 2006 bearing a warning about the magnets are not included in the recall.
Vending Machine Jewelry Poses Lead Poisoning Risk
By 4.17.07
If your child bought a vending machine necklace for $0.25 this past year, you might want to take it away from him or her and throw it away. According to the CPSC the paint on some of the jewelry (about 900,000 necklaces and bracelets) contains high levels of lead and should not be handled by children.
Walmart Disney Princesses Easter Basket Recalled For Choking Hazard
By 4.5.07
A Disney Princesses Easter basket sold exclusively at Walmart has been recalled by the CPSC today. The silver beads and ribbons attached to the basket can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children. Parents can return the basket to Walmart for a full refund.
Recalls: Faulty Ventilator Motor May Burn Your House Down
By 3.31.07
Venmar is recalling 75,000 heat recovery ventilators manufactured between 1991 and 2001. The ventilators, designed to bring fresh air into a home, contain a motor that can overheat and catch fire. Four motors have already caught fire, with one in Michigan causing $1 million in damage.
Target Bikes Recalled For "Frame Failure"
By 3.29.07
If something is going to fail on our bike, the frame isn’t our first choice. The CSPC has issued a recall of two bikes, sold exclusively at Target for about $100. Triax PK7 and Vertical PK7 Bicycles have a frame that can crack “while in use, causing the rider to lose control and suffer injuries from a fall or collision.”
Recalls: Attack Of The Unsafe Washing Machines!
By 3.22.07
Hazard: Water leakage onto the electrical connections to the washing machine’s thermal sensor could cause an electrical short and ignite a circuit board, posing a fire hazard to consumers.
