Dangerous Children's Products Still in Marketplace Despite New Safety Regulations
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.
