The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced this week that Nordstrom has agreed to pay a $60,000 civil penalty for failing to report the sale of clothing with drawstrings to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, as required by federal law. As the saying goes, this news was deja vu all over again. In August, as we wrote, nine companies were fined $355,000 in civil penalties for the same failure and in April, eight firms agreed to pay a total of $320,000 in fines for drawstring offenses. (The drawstring clothing sold at Nordstrom was recalled in February and March.)
Here is some other news of the week that bears repeating:
Suit challenges agency over phthalates ruling
The Wall Street Journal
Two consumer advocacy groups filed a lawsuit challenging the Consumer Product Safety Commission's decision to allow makers of children's products containing phthalates to continue selling those goods as long as they were made before a congressional ban takes effect on Feb. 10. Read more ...
Toymakers settle suit by agreeing to limit lead amounts
San Francisco Chronicle
Several major toy manufacturers agreed to limit the amount of lead in children's toys as they settled a lawsuit filed against them by California Attorney General Jerry Brown. The manufacturers, including Mattel and its subsidiary Fisher-Price, Marvel Entertainment, Cranium Inc. and others, agreed to ensure that toys made from Monday forward meet federal lead standards that do not legally take effect until Feb. 10. Read more ...
Grim figures on babies sleeping in parents' bed
Houston Chronicle
At least 170 children have died in the past year in Texas while sleeping with parents or an older child, a number that far surpasses drowning, long thought to be a leading cause of accidental child deaths, according to statistics released by Texas Child Protective Services. Read more ...
Site aims to untangle Web's food safety info
The Washington Post
Is the leftover turkey still okay to eat? A new food safety Web site lets consumers know that cooked poultry can be refrigerated for three to four days before bacteria pose a risk. The site also has an extensive list of local, regional and national food recalls. Read more ...
New products bring side effect: Nanophobia
The New York Times
It sounds like a plot straight out of a science-fiction novel by Michael Crichton. Toiletry companies formulate new cutting-edge creams and lotions that contain tiny components designed to work more effectively. But those minuscule building blocks have an unexpected drawback: the ability to penetrate the skin, swarm through the body and overwhelm organs like the liver. Read more ...
Pennsylvania woman sues Crocs after son injured on escalator
The Baltimore Sun
A Pennsylvania mother yesterday filed a multimillion-dollar federal lawsuit against the makers of the popular Crocs footwear after her 6-year-old son's shoe was caught and trapped in an escalator at the National Aquarium in Baltimore this spring, mangling his right big toe. Read more ...
Accidental child poisonings still a major problem
The National Post
Despite safety advances in product packaging, tens of thousands of U.S. preschoolers visit the emergency room each year for accidental poisonings from medications, supplements and household products, researchers reported. Read more ...
Don't miss these recalls
A small recall of 100 sets of children's hats and mittens announced by the CPSC caught our eye this week because the hazard was an unusual one for clothing: magnets. As we've written before small magnets in toys, and now clothing, pose a danger because if two or more magnets are swallowed, their mutual attraction through the walls of the intestines can cause severe blockage resulting in infection, blood poisoning, and even death.
Other recalls
- 5,400 OKK Trading army figures (lead paint)
- 9,200 Groovy Fashions Sassy Jammies doll clothing sets (lead paint)
- 1,000 Reebok-CCM hocky helmets (chinstrap disengages)
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