Each year more than 18,000 Americans die accidental deaths at home. In fact, the home is the second most common place for such mishaps, following the car, according to the Home Safety Council. To get the word out, Meri-K Appy, the council's president, talked to U.S. News recently about the five leading causes of unintentional home injury deaths and how to prevent them.

According to Appy, these are the five leading home injuries and the number of lives they claim each year.

1. Falls: 6,000
2. Poisoning: 5,000
3. Fires and burns: 3,000
4. Airway obstruction: 1,000
5. Drowning: 800

Headlines
Lead-tainted toys linger on shelves despite law
NPR. org
At many discount toy stores in this country, products that test at dangerously high levels for lead are still on the shelves — despite a new federal law to protect children. Read more ...

Legal life: Watching out for the consumer
The New York Times.com
Earlier this summer I bought a new gas barbecue grill at Lowe’s. I had used it only a handful of times when one morning as I blankly stared at the Star-Ledger, I noticed a line of print announcing a recall of Blue Ember barbecue grills. Read more ...

After snowmobilers killed, parents push for greater safety
The Journal Times (Racine, WI)
For six months after Nathan and Jennifer Kender went out for a morning snowmobile ride in northern Wisconsin and never made it home, their parents have wanted to know why the crash happened. Read more ...

Infant car seats can restrict babies oxygen levels
CNN.com
Infant car safety seats can—and do—save newborns' lives in traffic accidents. However, these seats, which require infants to be placed in an upright position, can also cause breathing problems when babies sleep in them. Read more ...

When food safety fails: E. coli victim fights to survive
The Los Angeles Times
Linda Rivera's mute state, punctuated only by groans, is the latest downturn in the swift collapse of her health that began in May when she curled up on her living room couch and nonchalantly ate several spoonfuls of Nestle Toll House cookie dough. Read more ...

Don't miss these recalls

• 1,400 children’s animal masks and pendants (lead)
• 24,000 SRAM bicycle chains with PowerLock connector links (fall hazard)
• 500 Grizzly Industrial bandsaws (shock hazard)
• 2,300 La Jolla Sport hooded sweatshirts (strangulation hazard)

Safety news from the CR blogs

• Babies & Kids: Dishwasher dangers
  
• Babies & Kids: Safe sleep tips
• Cars: National child passenger safety week
• Cars: Toyota and Volkswagen recalls
• Cars: How to prevent car theft
• Home: Can nonstick pans make you sick?
• Health: Latisse -- long lashes, long list of risks