Dangerous Children's Products Found in Many Retail & Thrift Stores
The Consumer Product Safety Commission and many other organizations across the nations work diligently to help identify products, warn consumers and remove unsafe and dangerous children's products from the marketplace. Every year many children are seriously injured and some die because of poorly designed and tested children's products and toys or items which turn out to be defective or have some ingredient, like lead paint, which is harmful to babies and small children.
Kids in Danger released a report on February 13, 2013 about children's product recalls in 2012. They found that although there was a decline of product recalls in 2012 there was a rise in injuries and deaths. Some of the findings in the report included information such as;
- 1/3 of recalls were for nursery products for the most vulnerable - infants and toddlers
- There were 1,232 reported incidents from one item, The Flexible Flyer Swing Set, before consumers were alerted
- 8 children & 1 adult died from dangerous products such as the Nap Nanny, Chill Infant Recliners, crib tents, travel beds, strollers and an inflatable water slide before they were recalled.
- Sleep products seem to pose the highest risk hazard and were associated with 7 deaths
- The CPSC collected over $3 million dollars in fines from companies who violated safety standards and failed to report hazards
Some Manufacturers Continue to Ignore Safety Standards for Children's Products
Manufacturers continue to make products which violate well-established safety standards, according to the report by Kids in Danger. These violations include clothing not adhering to flammability standards, parts that are too small, products containing lead paint, and drawstrings on clothing known for years to cause a strangulation hazard and specifically prohibited by the CPSC.
Additionally there are many unsafe and dangerous children's products in thrift stores and re-sale shops. Many of these children's products, which were handed down and donated over the years, do not meet current safety standards for children's products or toys. They may contain lead or other dangerous chemicals and/or have defective designs or defective materials. The CPSC says that it is against the law for anyone, including thrift stores and re-sale shops to sell any unsafe or dangerous products which have been recalled.
Another problem is that there are many items marketed for babies and very young children which are not subject to any safety standards such as the Nap Nanny and the Pea Pod Travel Bed. Just because children's products are on store shelves parents should not assume they are safe. Anyone living in Georgia who has a child that was injured by a children's product should report it to the Consumer Product Safety Commission and also check with an Atlanta personal injury attorney to see if their case qualifies for seeking damages for those injuries from the responsible party.
In the past many dangerous children's play yards have been responsible for serious injuries and deaths to young children. The good news is that the CPSC just announced that all children's play yards are now required to meet safety standards. Beginning February 28, 2013 manufacturers and importers of children's play yards must test these items and insure that they meet the new safety standards.
These safety standards for play yards are part of a campaign for establishing safety standards for other children's products as well. These safety standards for children's products are part of the Danny Keysar Child Product Safety Notification Act (Danny's Law) which was enacted by congress in June 2012, 14 years after Danny's death. The Chicago Tribune reported how 16 month old Danny Keysar suffocated and died when the previously recalled defective play yard he was napping in at a Chicago day care center collapsed on him.
Georgia Dangerous Children's Product Attorney at The Teiger Law Center Helping Families Recover
A defective children's product can cause more than the terrible emotional burdens brought on by a serious injury or death. Major medical bills and sometimes and/or sometimes a lifetime of ongoing medical care and rehabilitation can drain a families resources. An Atlanta dangerous children's product attorney can help a family to recover financially and be able to provide for the future medical needs of a child who was injured by a dangerous children's product or toy.
If you need help because you have a family member who was seriously injured from a dangerous children's product, or any kind of unsafe or bad product, contact one of our Atlanta personal injury attorneys today at The Teiger Law Center. We are here to help!
