Product safety

April 1, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Lock and Leash™ Locks

Master Lock recalls Lock and Leash™ locks due to violation of lead paint standardUnits: About 27,000

Importer: Master Lock, of Oak Creek, Wis.

Manufacturer: Fullyear-Brother Enterprise Co. Ltd, of Taiwan

Hazard: Red surface paint on the locks contains excessive levels of lead, violating the federal lead paint standard.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.    » read more »

Action will protect health and safety of children

April 1, 2008 -- OLYMPIA – Washington Governor Chris Gregoire today signed landmark legislation to protect children from unsafe toys. House Bill 2647, the Children’s Safe Products Act, was sponsored by Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson, D-Seattle.

Toys: (Photo CC Brent Moore)

Surrounded by youngsters and other bill supporters, the governor noted that the health of young Washingtonians is one of her top priorities.    » read more »

March 28, 2008 -- Washington, DC – U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today called on the U.S. Department of Agriculture to promptly issue regulations to give consumers a list of establishments that sold tainted meat during a recall. Current USDA policy does not allow consumers access to this information.

A similar disclosure requirement was included in legislation introduced earlier this month by Senator Feinstein to improve food safety at slaughterhouses. This will help distributors, retailers and consumers to better identify and more quickly get recalled meat products off their shelves and out of their homes.    » read more »

Consumers urged to cook raw chicken products thoroughly and to avoid using microwave

March 28, 2008 -- State health and agriculture officials said today that two recent cases of salmonellosis in Minnesota have been linked to raw, frozen, breaded and pre-browned, stuffed chicken entrees. The implicated product is Milford Valley Farms Chicken Cordon Bleu with a stamped code of C8021. This product is sold at many different grocery store chains.

This the fifth outbreak of salmonellosis in Minnesota linked to these types of products since 1998. The findings prompted the officials to urge consumers to make sure that all raw poultry products are handled carefully and cooked thoroughly, and to avoid cooking raw chicken products in the microwave because of the risk of undercooking.    » read more »

Illinois AG Madigan Urges Parents To Call Attorney General’s Recall Hotline

March 27 , 2008 -- Chicago - Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan today urged parents to call her office’s product recall hotline at 1-888-414-7678 following the recent recall of an additional 2.4 million magnetic toys. With more than 22 million magnetic toys having been recalled since 2006, Madigan said parents need help identifying dangerous children’s products that may still be in their homes.    » read more »

March 19, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, released the following statement in response to the FDA’s announcement that they have identified the contaminant in the blood thinner heparin, a chemical compound called oversulfated chondroitin sulfate. Senator Kennedy will be sending letters to the FDA and industry later today.    » read more »

March 18, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Galison/Mudpuppy Wire Bound Journals and Calendars Recalled Due to Violation of Lead Paint Standard

Name of Product: Wire-O Bound Journals and Calendars

Units: About 90,000

Manufacturer: Galison/Mudpuppy, of New York, N.Y.    » read more »

Ingested Magnets Pose Aspiration and Intestinal Hazards

March 17, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Magtastik and Magnetix Jr. Pre-school Magnetic Toys

Units: About 1.1 million

Distributor: MEGA Brands America Inc., of Livingston, N.J    » read more »

Statement of Joan Claybrook, President, Public Citizen*

March 12, 2008 -- The study released today by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety adds to the mountain of evidence that the federal government is not doing enough to protect the public from deadly rollover crashes.    » read more »

March 12, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: X Force Commander Toy Airplanes and Super Famous Toy Cars and Motorcycles

Units: About 5,000

Importer: S.U. Wholesale Inc., of Vernon, Calif.

Hazard: The recalled toys contain excessive levels of lead, violating the federal lead paint standard.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.    » read more »

Amendment requires GAO study of current import regulation and recommendations

March 6, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) applauded the Senate's passage of his amendment to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Reform Act (S. 2663), which would help improve government regulation of imported products.    » read more »

Amendment would provide parents with critical information to protect their children from dangerous products

March 6, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senators Barack Obama (D-IL) and Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) today applauded the Senate's passage of their amendment to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Reform Act (S. 2663), which would provide consumers with comprehensive information about recalled products.    » read more »

March 5, 2008 -- LOS ANGELES, CALIF. – Each year, hundreds of millions of toys, fireworks, cigarette lighters, clothes and other consumer products are imported into the United States. In an effort to address the increase of imports, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is announcing new import strategies and a greater presence at the ports.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, DC- U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Mary Landrieu (D-LA) today introduced an amendment to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reform bill that would help protect Americans from dangerous levels of formaldehyde in textiles including clothes, draperies, fabric and carpeting. The amendment would require the CPSC to regulate and test formaldehyde in textiles.    » read more »

March 4, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: LDR 1200 Series Gas Connectors

Units: About 50,000

Importer: LDR Industries Inc., of Chicago, Ill.

Manufacturer: Sai lin Ke, of Beijing, China

Hazard: The gas connectors can leak propane or natural gas, posing a fire and explosion hazard to consumers.    » read more »