Consumer Product Safety Commission

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Family: 'Exploding' Hoverboard Torched Home

Board burst into flames while charging, says Louisiana mom

(Newser) - "It was like fireworks." That's how Jessica Horne of Lafitte, La., describes the first time her 12-year-old son, Hayden, plugged in his new $300 hoverboard, powered by lithium batteries, to charge. Purchased from "Fit Turbo" on Amazon and given to Hayden as a birthday gift a...

Toddler&#39;s Death May Spur Desk-Toy Magnet Ban

 Toddler's Death May Spur 
 Desk-Toy Magnet Ban 
in case you missed it

Toddler's Death May Spur Desk-Toy Magnet Ban

19-month-old swallowed 'Buckyball'-type magnets

(Newser) - The small rare-earth magnets best known as "Buckyballs" are too dangerous to young children to remain on the market, staff at the Consumer Product Safety Commission have decided. Regulators—who vote on a recommendation to ban the desk-toy magnets later this month unless they're large enough to not...

2 Kids Die in Bean Bag Chairs, Prompting Recall

Recall covers 2.2M zippered chairs from Ace Bayou

(Newser) - More than two million Ace Bayou bean bag chairs are being recalled after the company says two children died inside the cushy seats. A 13-year-old Texas boy and a 3-year-old girl in Kentucky are both suspected of opening the chair's zippers and climbing inside, where they were found suffocated,...

Buckyballs Battles Regulators on Child Safety
 Buckyballs Battles 
 'Government Gone Absurd' 
recall drama

Buckyballs Battles 'Government Gone Absurd'

Maker bucking calls to stop selling magnetic desk toy

(Newser) - The interests of business and of government regulators have met head-on in a battle over the Buckyballs magnetic desk toy. The rare-earth magnets are powerful enough to cause horrific injuries when swallowed by children, and while 11 other makers of similar products have complied with a Consumer Product Safety Commission...

Government Bans Killer Cribs
 Government Bans Killer Cribs 

Government Bans Killer Cribs

Drop-side design linked to 32 infant deaths since 2000

(Newser) - If you grew up in the US, chances are you spent some time in a drop-side crib, which allows adults to lower one side so they have easy access to the occupant. T the government is about to ban the popular crib design, which has been linked to 32 infant...

Baby Slings Can Kill, Feds Warn
 Baby Slings Can Kill, Feds Warn 

Baby Slings Can Kill, Feds Warn

Infants can smother if they slip into wrong position

(Newser) - Baby slings can suffocate infants, the Consumer Product Safety Commission is warning. The agency is preparing to issue a warning on the popular infant carriers, AP reports. "We know of too many deaths in these slings and we now know the hazard scenarios for very small babies," agency...

Feds: Zhu Zhu Pets OK
 Feds: Zhu Zhu Pets OK 
UPDATED

Feds: Zhu Zhu Pets OK

Chemical levels don't violate standards

(Newser) - Zhu Zhu Pets robotic hamsters—one of the holiday season's hottest toy crazes—do not violate safety standards, federal toy regulators say after a consumer group raised concerns over the presence of a heavy metal on one model. The toy "is not out of compliance," says a spokesman...

Zhu Zhu Pet Maker: Get Off Mr. Squiggles!
Zhu Zhu Pet Maker: Get Off Mr. Squiggles!
damage control

Zhu Zhu Pet Maker: Get Off Mr. Squiggles!

Watchdog site used cheap equipment to back chemical claim

(Newser) - The maker of Zhu Zhu Pets is aggressively defending one of its toy hamsters against claims by a watchdog group that Mr. Squiggles contains unsafe levels of a dangerous chemical. Tests by an independent lab show the toy does not contain dangerous levels of antimony, as claimed by the GoodGuide...

CPSC Links Chinese Drywall to Toxic Fumes

Owners of some 100K homes told to spend more time outdoors

(Newser) - Americans who live in homes containing Chinese-made drywall should start spending more time outside in the fresh air, the Consumer Product Safety Commission warned yesterday. The commission's investigators found "a strong association" with the imported drywall and the corrosion of metal and wire in homes, and with raised levels...

Millions of Cribs Recalled
 Millions of Cribs Recalled 
safety alert

Millions of Cribs Recalled

Manufacturer, CPSC advise parents to stop using beds immediately

(Newser) - Millions of cribs with drop-down sides were recalled today out of fear they could injure or even kill children sleeping in them. The Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the voluntary recall by Stork Craft of Canada, which distributed an estimated 1.2 million cribs in the US and nearly 1...

Fox to Yard Salers: Unloading Wrong Toy Could Cost You $15M

CPSC launches push to stop the resale of recalled toys

(Newser) - Selling the wrong toy at a yard sale could lead to a fine of up to $15 million under a new government policy, Fox News reports. The Consumer Product Safety Commission's "Resale Round-Up" aims to stamp out the sale of used toys that have been recalled due to high...

Obama Picks New Consumer Safety Chair

Wants SC education superintendent to head expanded agency

(Newser) - President Obama is turning to South Carolina's former education superintendent to head an expanded Consumer Product Safety Commission, an embattled agency that has been criticized by advocates for being too cozy with industry, the AP reports. The president was set today to propose two more seats on the panel and...

Tot's Death Spurs Soccer Goal Recall

Toddler strangled after head became trapped in mesh

(Newser) - Some 190,000 fold-up soccer goals are being recalled after the strangulation death of a Texas toddler, NPR reports. Distributor Regent Sports will replace all MacGregor and Mitre brand nets with a 5-inch grid sent in by customers. The 21-month-old child died last year when his head became entangled in...

NRC Warns of Shoddy Nuke Parts
NRC Warns of Shoddy Nuke Parts

NRC Warns of Shoddy Nuke Parts

Counterfeit parts flood US from China

(Newser) - An influx of shoddy and counterfeit parts from China and elsewhere could pose safety hazards in US nuclear power plants, warn officials of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. A dramatic decline in the number of domestic suppliers is making reliable nuclear parts harder to find, reports the Wall Street Journal. The...

GE Recalls 92,000 Ovens Over Fire Risk

Company offers affected customers rebates, free repairs

(Newser) - GE recalled 92,000 microwave ovens today because the appliances pose a fire hazard, the government said. The ovens, sold at department and appliance stores between January 2000 and December 2003, were sold as GE, GE Profile, and Kenmore products. The company reported no injuries stemming from oven use, but...

New Tests: 35% of Toys Contain Some Lead

Many offenders still on shelves, environmental health groups say

(Newser) - Toy shelves are still lined with lead, according to test results released today from environmental health groups in nine states. Checking 1,268 toys, the groups found lead in 35%, with levels often surpassing federal recall standards. Only 23 of those toys have been recalled. “This is not about...

US Stores Riddled With Unsafe Toys
US Stores Riddled With Unsafe Toys

US Stores Riddled With Unsafe Toys

Lead, choking hazards could be home for the holidays

(Newser) - Despite massive recalls, hazardous toys still crowd US shelves, warn consumer watchdog organizations. Dozens of toys pose choking hazards, contain toxic chemicals, or use dangerously strong magnets, according to an annual toy survey by the US Public Interest Research Group released yesterday. Nine of 100 toys tested by the Center...

White House Proposes New Import Safety Rules

Tougher rules, stiffer enforcement

(Newser) - The White House is set to roll out stiffer safety regulations governing imports today, reports the Wall Street Journal. The proposals, prompted by the wave of recalls this year, represent a move toward what the Journal calls "a prevention-based regulatory system that targets the riskiest products." The FDA...

Product Safety Honchos Get Free Ride

Regulated companies pick up travel tabs for federal agency heads

(Newser) - Leaders of the US agency that regulates product safety have accepted free trips from reps of the industries they oversee, a move critics call a flagrant breach of ethics, the Washington Post reports. Consumer Product Safety Commission chief Nancy Nord and predecessor Hal Stratton have taken 30 trips since 2002,...

Product Safety Boss Balks at Beefing Up Penalties

Says no to more leverage, staff, funding

(Newser) - The chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission doesn't like a Senate bill that would give her agency more clout, the Times reports. Nancy Nord opposes a measure that would amp up penalties for violators, smooth the public reporting of tainted products, protect whistleblowers, and ease prosecution. It would also...

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