Children's Product Recalls » Holiday

Halloween Projection Flashlights Recalled by Nygala Corp. Due to Fire and Burn Hazards

CP_Recalls — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 06:25:53 +0000

Name of Product: Halloween Projection Flashlights

Units: About 10,000

Importer: Nygala Corp., of Teterboro, N.J.

Hazard: The flashlights can overheat, blister and melt, posing fire and burn hazards to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received one reported incident involving a flashlight that overheated, blistered and melted.

Description: The black and orange plastic flashlight is 6 ½ inches long and has pumpkins, bats, witches, haunted houses and cats on the handle. The flashlights come with six different plastic lenses that attach to the flashlight to project various images, including a pumpkin, bat, witch, haunted house and cat. The flashlights use two AA batteries. “Flomo,” “HW189” and UPC 677916518266 are printed on the packaging.

Sold at: Discount stores in California, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Texas and Utah from August 2010 through October 2011 for about $1.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled flashlights, remove and properly discard the batteries and return the flashlights to the store where purchased for a full refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Nygala Corp. at (800) 445-5936 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s website www.flomousa.com

Toys Safer This Holiday Season Due to Stronger Safety Rules

CP_Recalls — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 01:28:57 +0000

This article was recently posted on the CPSC web site. I’m glad to see that toys are safer this year, but there’s still a lot of work to do.

Recalls and lead violations are down; 180,000 child injuries per year is too high

It’s that time of year again, when parents, grandparents, and friends begin to prepare holiday toy shopping lists. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) wants consumers to know that while safety should be at the top of everyone’s toy list, stronger federal rules are making a positive impact and restoring confidence in the safety of toys.

New toy safeguards include: establishing the lowest lead content and lead paint limits in the world; setting a stringent limit on the use of certain phthalates; converting the voluntary toy standards into mandatory standards; requiring third party testing and certification of toys designed or intended primarily for children 12 and younger; closing in on new limits for cadmium in toys; and working with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to track shipments in transit from other countries, thereby increasing seizure of dangerous imported toys.

These safeguards, along with safety-conscious steps taken by many toy makers and sellers, have contributed to a continued decline in toy recalls since 2008. There were 34 toy recalls in fiscal year 2011. This is down from 46 toy recalls in fiscal year 2010, 50 recalls in 2009, and 172 recalls in 2008. In 2011, toy recalls related to lead declined to 4, down from 19 in 2008.

“Strong toy standards support the production of safer toys in the marketplace,” said Chairman Inez Tenenbaum. “Parents and toy shoppers also always need to be vigilant by choosing age appropriate toys and keeping small parts, balls, and balloons out of the hands of young children.”

Toy-related deaths to children younger than 15 increased to 17 fatalities reported in 2010, up from 15 reported in 2009. Nearly half of these toy-related fatalities were attributed to choking on balloons, small balls, and rubber balls.

A new report (pdf) released by CPSC today also notes that about 181,500 children younger than 15 years of age were treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments due to toy-related injuries in 2010. Nonmotorized scooters continued to be the category of toys associated with the most injuries. Frequently these injuries involved lacerations, contusions, and abrasions to the child’s face and head. Importantly many of the incidents were associated with, but not necessarily caused by, a toy.

Here are some safety steps that consumers can take while shopping this holiday season:

Balloons – Children can choke or suffocate on deflated or broken balloons. Keep deflated balloons away from children younger than 8 years old. Discard broken balloons at once.
Small balls and other toys with small parts – For children younger than age 3, avoid toys with small parts, which can cause choking.
Scooters and other riding toys – Riding toys, skateboards, and in-line skates go fast, and falls could be deadly. Helmets and safety gear should be worn properly at all times, and they should be sized to fit.
Magnets – For children under age 6, avoid building or play sets with small magnets. If magnets or pieces with magnets are swallowed, serious injuries and/or death can occur.

Once the gifts are open:

Immediately discard plastic wrappings or other packaging on toys before they become dangerous play things.
Keep toys appropriate for older children away from younger siblings.
Charging batteries should be supervised by adults. Chargers and adapters can pose thermal burn hazards to young children. Pay attention to instructions and warnings on battery chargers. Some chargers lack any mechanism to prevent overcharging.

Along with educating the public, CPSC is committed to working with foreign and domestic toy manufacturers, importers, and retailers to help them understand and comply with U.S. toy requirements.

Nurses Choice Recalls Holiday Keepsake Newborn Mittens Due to Choking Hazard

CP_Recalls — Wed, 16 Feb 2011 05:40:19 +0000

Name of Product: Newborn Keepsake Mittens

Units: About 4,700

Manufacturer: Nurses Choice Corp. of Wilmington, N.C.

Hazard: Decorations on the mittens can be pulled off, posing a choking hazard.

Incidents/Injuries: The company has received one report of a decoration falling off a mitten. No injuries have been reported.

Description: The infant mittens are made of white cotton. They have candy cane, teddy bear and “2011″ decorations glued on one side.

Sold at: The recalled products were distributed by hospitals nationwide for free to newborns from October 2010 to January 2011.

Manufactured in: United States

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the mittens and contact Nurses Choice for a free replacement.

Consumer Contact: For more information, contact Nurses Choice at (800) 747-7076 from Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, by e-mail to info@nurses-choice.com or visit the company’s website at www.nurses-choice.com

Dollar Tree Recalls Children’s Halloween Lanterns Due to Fire and Burn Hazards

CP_Recalls — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 22:51:55 +0000

Dollar Tree Halloween Lanterns

Name of Product: Pumpkin, Ghost and Skull Halloween Lanterns

Units: About 682,000

Retailer: Dollar Tree Stores Inc., of Chesapeake, Va.

Importer: Greenbrier International Inc., of Chesapeake, Va.

Hazard: The bulb in the battery-operated lanterns can overheat, posing fire and burn hazards to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received one report of the bulb in a lantern overheating. No injuries have been reported.

Description: This recall involves plastic Halloween-themed lanterns designed to resemble a pumpkin, ghost and skull. The lanterns are about 6 1/2 inches tall and were sold in orange, white and black. Model number 954437-13096-003-1005 is printed on the bottom of the lanterns.

Sold at: Dollar Tree, Dollar Bill$, Occasions, Deal$ and Dollar Tree Deal$ stores nationwide from August 2010 to October 2010 for about $1.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should take the recalled lanterns away from children immediately, remove and properly discard the batteries and return the lanterns to the store where purchased for a full refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Dollar Tree Stores Inc. at (800) 876-8077 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s website at www.dollartree.com

Wow, that’s two recent recalls from the Dollar Tree stores. I think I’d probably steer clear of there for awhile.

Halloween Flashlights Sold Exclusively at Target Recalled Due to Burn Hazard

CP_Recalls — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 06:51:32 +0000

Name of Product: Halloween Flashlights

Units: About 610,000

Importer: Target, of Minneapolis, Minn.

Manufacturer: DGI LLC, of Warren, N.J. and Tien Hsing, of Wanchai, Hong Kong

Hazard: The flashlights can overheat and melt, posing a burn hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received eight reports of flashlights overheating and melting, including one report of burns to the hand.

Description: This recall involves two types of Halloween-themed flashlights: the mini flashlights and flashlights sold with stencils.

Mini Flashlights – The mini flashlights have a key ring extending from the bottom and were sold in a pack of three colors: orange, green and black. The orange and purple packaging has “Mini Flashlights (3 Pack)” printed on the front and “DGI”, “Made in China” and “DPCI# 234-02-1813” printed on the back.

Standard Size Flashlights – Also included in the recall are standard sized flashlights with a black handle and an orange top. The flashlights were sold with six stencils in various colors and images: a pumpkin, ghost, spider, cat, witch and skull & cross-bones. “Flashlight with Stencil” is printed on the front and “Tien Hsing,” “Made in China” and ”234 02 1838” is printed on the back of the packaging.

Sold exclusively at: Target stores nationwide from August 2009 through September 2009 for $1 for the mini flashlights and $2.50 for the flashlights with stencils.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumer should immediately stop using the flashlights and return the product to any Target store for a full refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Target at (800) 440-0680 between 7 a.m. and 6 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.target.com

Halloween Standard Size Flashlight

Halloween Mini Flashlights