Washington, D.C. – Despite recall notices and warnings, consumers continue to use products that have the potential to seriously injure or kill, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The CPSC today unveiled a list of many common hazardous consumer products and urged consumers to use the list to check their homes and destroy or fix unsafe products.
“These products have previously received substantial attention because they were recalled or addressed by safety standards. But they continue to be used each year, leading to deaths, injuries, and property damage,” said CPSC Chairman Hal Stratton. “These products may be in any home. They may be sold at yard sales or donated to charity or thrift shops. Some of them can be fixed, but most simply need to be destroyed,” he said.
“We don’t want to see deaths or serious injuries caused by previously recalled products or by products that don’t meet current safety standards. We want to prevent these needless tragedies,” said Stratton.
“Through recalls, safety standards, and consumer information, CPSC helps make American homes safer by taking hazardous products off the market and identifying those products that need to be fixed to be safe,” Stratton said. He showcased the products on the “most hazardous” list at a news conference today at CPSC headquarters.
Consumers can view the current list of dangerous products below, or to receive the list by mail, they should send a postcard to “Recall Round-Up List,” CPSC, Washington, D.C. 20207. Consumers can also register to receive automatic announcements of all future CPSC recalls at the agency’s Web site: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.asp
Consumers can also view a video clip about some of the products covered by this year’s Recall Round-up (standard version or a higher quality version – broadband connection recommended) (transcript) . This is in “streaming video” format.
Below are some of the hazardous products that consumers are most likely to find in their homes:
- Old Extension Cords that present a fire or shock hazard. Old extension cords, power strips and surge protectors may have undersized wires, loose connections, faulty components or improper grounding. Old extension cords may fail to meet current safety standards and can be overloaded easily. In a recent year, electrical cords and plugs were involved in about 5,200 fires resulting in 40 deaths. Look for cords with the label from an independent testing lab such as UL (Underwriters Laboratories) or ETL. Use cords that have polarized plugs or grounded three-pronged plugs to reduce the risk of shock. Don’t overload cords with too many appliances.
- Halogen torchiere floor lamps that can cause fires when combustibles such as drapes come too close to the bulb. These lamps need a wire or glass guard and a bulb that is 300 watts or less to help reduce the fire risk. More than 40 million halogen floor lamps made before 1997 by numerous firms were recalled because they have no guard to protect against fire. CPSC knows of 290 fires and 25 deaths since 1992 related to halogen torchiere floor lamps. People can get the free wire guards by sending a postcard to Catalina Lighting Consumer Services, 18191 NW 68th Avenue, Miami, FL 33015.
- Cadet Heaters that could cause a fire. CPSC is aware of more than 320 reports of Cadet and Encore heaters (models FW, FX, LX, TK, Z, ZA, RA, RK, RLX, RX, RW, and ZC) that smoked, sparked, caught fire, emitted flames, or ejected burning particles or molten materials. These incidents have allegedly resulted in four deaths, two serious burn injuries and property damage claims exceeding $4.3 million. Due to Cadet’s bankruptcy, the opportunity to obtain discounted heaters expired on February 17, 2002. CPSC strongly urges consumers to stop using these 1.9 million recalled Cadet and Encore heaters and replace them. In addition, some RM and ZM model heaters sold separately or provided as replacements for some of the previously recalled heaters can overheat and cause a fire. Cadet will arrange for a free service call for affected RM and ZM heaters. The Cadet recall hotline is 800-567-2613 and the Web site is http://www.cadetco.com/recall/recall_program.htm
- Disposable and novelty lighters that are not child-resistant. CPSC set a standard (effective in 1994) requiring disposable and novelty lighters to be child-resistant. Since the standard took effect, there has been a 58 percent reduction in fires caused by children under age 5, representing the prevention of hundreds of deaths and injuries and thousands of fires. However, in a recent year there were still 2,400 fires resulting in 70 deaths and 480 injuries because of children under age 5 playing with lighters. Keep all cigarette lighters away from children and make sure all of your lighters are child-resistant.
