The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Recall of the Week: Crib and play yards tents due to strangulation and entrapment hazard

By Rita R. Robison

A voluntary recall to provide refunds to consumers who own crib and play yard tents made by Tots in Mind Inc. is being announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and five retailers. About 330,000 tents are included in the recall.

The commission is warning parents and caregivers who own these products that infants and toddlers are at risk of serious injury or death due to strangulation and entrapment hazards from these products.

Tots in Mind recalled the play yard tents in July 2010 and offered a repair kit that’s no longer available. The company has shut down and all sales have stopped.

The commission staff urges parents and caregivers to stop using these crib and play yard tents immediately. Don’t attempt to repair these products, the commission advised in a statement.

The commission is aware of 27 tent failures including one fatality and one serious injury that occurred between January 1997 and April 2012 from crib and play yard tents made by Tots in Mind Inc.

In 2008, a two-year-old boy died after becoming entrapped between the bottom rail of a play yard tent and the top rail of a play yard. The fatality was reported in a prior recall with the firm in July 15, 2010.

In 2007, a two year old boy had a catastrophic brain injury when the crib tent attached to his crib inverted and the product’s broken rod trapped his neck. The remaining 25 reports to commission involved inverted crib tents – entrapments between the tent and the crib or play yard or failures of the tent fabric and zippers.

Three of these 25 reports also resulted in injuries; in one such case, a parent reported finding her child turning blue and entrapped between the product and the top rail of the play yard.

Since Tots in Mind Inc. is out of business, retailers who sold these products are offering refunds or store credit to consumers.

The crib and play yard tents can present an entrapment and strangulation hazard to infants and toddlers if the dome portion inverts inside the crib or play yard or if the product becomes partially detached from the crib or play yard.

The recalled products were sold at many retail stores including Bed Bath & Beyond/Buy Buy Baby, Burlington Coat Factory, Toys R Us/Babies R Us, Wal-Mart, and online on websites including Amazon.com. The cost was between $60 and $85.

Consumers should contact the store listed below where the crib tent was purchased to receive either a refund or store credit, depending on the retailer. If the consumer is unsure of where the crib tent was purchased, see the return policy for individual retailers below on their website:

• Amazon.com [Amazon.com]
• Bed Bath & Beyond/Buy Buy Baby [bedbathandbeyond.com or buybuybaby.com or 800- GOBEYOND
• Burlington Coat Factory [burlingtoncoatfactory.com or 888-223-2628
• Toys R Us/Babies R Us [toysrus.com or babiesrus.com or 800-869-7787
• Wal-Mart [walmartstores.com or 800-925-6278

The recall includes various models of crib or play yard tents. Consumers can identify their tent by the 2 inch by 1½ inch label with Tots In Mind logo located on the non-mesh portion near the top of the tent.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Recall of the Week: Kennedy International folding step stools due to fall hazard

By Rita R. Robison

13-inch folding step stools

Kennedy International is recalling about 1.6 million folding step stools in the United States and 64,000 in Canada.

The folding step stools can break or collapse unexpectedly when in use, posing a fall hazard to consumers, the company and U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a joint statement.

Kennedy International is aware of at least 15 reports of incidents involving step stools cracking or breaking, including three reports of injuries to consumers using the stools. Injuries included two reports of back injuries and one report of a fractured leg.

9-inch folding step stools

The recall involves 9-inch and 13-inch Kennedy International folding step stools. The step stools are plastic and have a handle for carrying the stools when they’re folded.

The style number is 3575 for the 9-inch and 3576 for the 13-inch step stools. The style number is printed on a sticker on one of the legs of the stool. "Kennedy Home Collection" is also printed on a label on some of the stools.

They were sold in blue, green, gray, red, purple, pink, orange, turquoise, aqua, white, plum, orchid, emerald, sapphire, sangria, ocean, sage, fuchsia, lime, and color combinations.

Manufactured in China, the step stools were sold at HomeGoods, Marshalls, TJ Maxx, and other retailers nationwide from January 2010 through January 2012. The price was $8 to $12.

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled step stools and contact Kennedy International to receive a full refund, the company and commission advise.

For additional information, contact Kennedy International toll-free at (855) 270-8301 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the firm's website at www.kennedy-intl.com.

For details on other recalls, see www.recalls.gov.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Recall of the Week: Banzai in-ground pool water slides sold by Wal-Mart and Toys R Us due to death, serious neck injuries

By Rita R. Robison

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Toys R Us Inc. are recalling of about 21,000 inflatable Banzai in-ground pool water slides.

During use, the slide can deflate, allowing the user to hit the ground underneath the slide and be injured. The slide is also unstable and can topple over in both still and windy conditions and carries inadequate warnings and instructions, the companies and U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a statement.

The commission is aware that a 29-year-old Colorado mother died in Andover, Mass. after fracturing her neck going down a Banzai in-ground pool water slide which had been placed over the concrete edge of a pool. The victim hit her head at the bottom of the slide because it had partially deflated.

The commission and retailers are aware of two other injuries which have occurred in a similar manner, including a 24-year-old man from Springfield, Mo. who became a quadriplegic and a woman from Allentown, Pa. who fractured her neck.

The recall involves Banzai in-ground pool water slides designed for use with in-ground pools. The vinyl slides have a blue base, yellow sliding mat, and an arch going over the top of the slide. By connecting a hose to the top of the slide, water can be sprayed on its downward slope. The words “Banzai Splash” are printed in a circular blue, orange, and white logo, shaped like a wave on either side of the slide.

The recalled slides, which were manufactured in China by Manley Toys, Ltd, were sold at Wal-Mart and Toys R Us nationwide from January 2005 through June 2009 for about $250. The recalled slides have the barcode number 2675315734 and model number 15734. Both the barcode and model number appear on the original packaging but aren’t on the slide.

The commission urges consumers to immediately stop using the product and return it to the nearest Wal-Mart or Toys R Us for a full refund. Consumers can also cut the two safety warning notices out of the slide and just return that portion.

For additional information from Wal-Mart, call 800-925-6278 between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's website at www.walmartstores.com. For additional information from Toys R Us, call 800-869-7787 between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday and between 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday, or visit the firm's website at www.toysrus.com.

For details on other recalls, see www.recalls.gov.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Recall of the Week: Christmas Tree Shops’ Farm Glass & Metal Spiral Tea Light Holders due to fire hazard

By Rita R. Robison

Christmas Tree Shops is recalling about 6,200 Farm Glass & Metal Spiral Tea Light Holders.

Due to the design of the product, the tea lights can burn with a high flame, posing a fire hazard to consumers, the company and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a statement.

Christmas Tree Shops has received one report of a tea light burning with a high flame that resulted in a burn to a consumer's hand.

The recall involves a decorative spiral tea light holder made from a painted glass with a red, orange, and green floral design. The glass has a metal insert for holding tea lights. The metal insert is spiral shaped with places for three tea lights. The metal insert is placed within the glass container. SKU/UPC number 000015931955 is found on a label on the bottom of the glass.

Manufactured in China, the tea light holders were sold at Christmas Tree Shops in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, and Midwest from July 2011 through March 2012. The cost was about $5.

Consumers should stop using the recalled spiral tea light holder and return it to any Christmas Tree Shops store to receive a full refund, the company and commission advise.

For additional information, contact Christmas Tree Shops at 888-287-3232 any time, or visit the firm's website www.christmastreeshops.com.

For details on other recalls, see www.recalls.gov.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Consumer group says U.S. needs better system to track animals to prevent ‘mad cow disease’

By Rita R. Robison

Two consumers that I know don’t eat meat or poultry anymore due to outbreaks of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy or “mad cow disease” in the 1990s.

With a case reported last week in a California dairy cow, I wondered if their plan of action is something I need to consider.

The cow was never presented for slaughter for human consumption and at no time presented a risk to the food supply or human health, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in a statement. In addition, the agency said milk doesn’t transmit BSE.

"The United States has had longstanding interlocking safeguards to protect human and animal health against BSE,” USDA Chief Veterinary Officer John Clifford said.

These include the USDA ban on specified risk materials, or SRMs, from the food supply. SRMs are parts of the animal that are most likely to contain the BSE agent if it’s present in an animal. The USDA also bans all nonambulatory or "downer" cattle from entering the human food chain.

For animal health, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ban on ruminant material in cattle feed prevents the spread of the disease in cattle herds.

"Evidence shows that our systems and safeguards to prevent BSE are working, as are similar actions taken by countries around the world,” Clifford said. “In 2011, there were only 29 worldwide cases of BSE, a dramatic decline and 99 percent reduction since the peak in 1992 of 37,311 cases.”

USDA remains confident in the health of the national herd and the safety of beef and dairy products, he added.

However, the Center for Science in the Public Interest doesn’t agree.

The U. S. has first-world resources and technology but a third-world animal identification system, Sarah Klein, food safety attorney for the center, said in a statement.

“In fact, some third-world countries do a better job of tracking livestock than America does,” Klein said. “Botswana, for one, uses RFID microchips to track its animals up and down the supply chain.”

She said if American cattlemen suffer economic losses at the news of discovery of BSE in the California dairy cow because some consumers reduce their meat consumption, they should blame only themselves and other opponents of a mandatory animal identification system.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Recall of the Week: Expansion of Lenovo desktop computer recall due to fire hazard

By Rita R. Robison

M70z

Lenovo is recalling about 13,000 ThinkCentre M70z and M90z desktop computers. About 50,500 were previously recalled in March of 2012.

A defect in an internal component in the power supply can overheat and pose a fire hazard, the firm and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a statement.

Lenovo has received reports of one fire incident and one smoke incident in the United States. No injuries have been reported.

The recalled all-in-one desktop computers, or PCs, are flat-panel monitors with the PC integrated into the monitor housing itself. The power supplies are also inside the monitor or PC housing.

The computer chassis has a matte black finish with the brand name "ThinkCentre" in the lower left hand corner of the monitor front. The recalled desktop model numbers, M90z and M70z, along with the serial number and manufacturing date code can be found on a label on the underside of the unit.

M90z

Consumers will need to check the serial number on their computer with Lenovo to determine if it’s subject to this recall.

Manufactured in Mexico, the computers were sold: online at Lenovo's websites, by telephone, and by direct sales through Lenovo authorized distributors nationwide from May 2010 through March 2012. The cost was about $500 for the M70z model and $800 for the M90z model.

Consumers should immediately stop using the computers, unplug the power supply, and contact the firm to determine if their computer is included in the recall and to schedule an appointment for a free replacement of the power supply.

Because additional systems and manufacturing dates have been added to the recall, even those customers who contacted Lenovo regarding the March 2012 recall should contact Lenovo again to verify if their system is part of this expanded program.

For additional information, contact Lenovo at 855-248-2194 anytime, or visit the firm's website at www.lenovo.com/aiopsurecall.

For details on other recalls, see www.recalls.gov.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Got drugs? Get rid of unused medicines at drug Take-Back Day

Today, April 28, is National Pharmaceutical Take-Back Day.

Law enforcement, public health, and environmental professionals recommend take-back programs as the safest and most responsible way to dispose of old and leftover medicines to protect your family and to protect the nation’s waters.

Some communities, pharmacies, and law enforcement are paying for ongoing take-back programs to help consumers properly dispose of old medicines in their homes.

The Drug Enforcement Agency’s National Pharmaceutical Take-Back Day is a good one-time opportunity to dispose of drugs, but ongoing solutions also are needed. Year-round programs ensure consumers have ongoing access to safe disposal of leftover and expired medicines.

To locate a Take-Back Program near you, check with your local law enforcement offices or your state health department. Most hours are 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The DEA’s database for drop off sites seems to be jammed or offline now.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Recall of the Week: Gas grills by One World Technologies due to fire and burn hazards

By Rita R. Robison

One World Technologies is recalling about 87,600 gas grills in the United States and 1,400 in Canada.

The regulator on the grill can leak propane gas, which can ignite, posing fire and burn hazard to consumers, the company and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a statement.

The firm is aware of 569 reports of regulators leaking propane gas. No injuries have been reported.

The recall involves STOK Island and STOK Quattro gas grills:

• The STOK Island has a round grill base and two burners. “STOK” is written on the grill cover and a label on the bottom of the grill stand.

• The STOK Quattro gas grill is a rectangular, four-burner grill. “STOK” is printed on the grill’s lid.

To identify whether a specific Island or Quattro grill is included in the recall, look at the grill’s regulator. The recalled grills have regulators on them with the model number “AZF” on the front and a date code between 1046 and 1143 on the back of the regulator.

Manufactured in China, the grills were sold at Home Depot stores nationwide and, in Canada, at Direct Tools Factory Outlet stores nationwide from March 2011 through February 2012 for between $79 and $350.

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled grills and contact One World Technologies for a free replacement gas regulator for the grill, the company and commission advise.

For additional information, contact One World Technologies at 800-867-9624 between 8 a.m. through 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s website at www.stokgrills.com.

For details on other recalls, see www. recalls.gov.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

How’s your Earth Day going?

By Rita R. Robison

Are you celebrating the earth today with a special project? Enjoying the spring weather, if you’re fortunate enough to have some sunshine? Doing yard work or a home repair project? Relaxing after a busy week and weekend?

As soon as I finish this post, I’ll be pulling weeds. It’s a good Earth Day activity because using pesticides is harmful to people and the planet.

I also may go to Target to get a free canvas bag, if they have any left.

Best wishes on Earth Day. I hope you have a great day.

If you want to join an organization to help improve the earth, see "Ways to Help the Planet on Earth Day."

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Recall of the Week: Office Depot chairs due to fall hazard

By Rita R. Robison

Office Depot is recalling about 307,000 Brand Biella Leather Desk Chairs in the United States and 12,000 in Canada

The weld connecting the seat plate to the gas lift can fail, causing the chair to separate from the base. This poses a fall hazard to consumers, Office Depot and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said in a statement.

Office Depot has received 11 reports of the chairs breaking and consumers falling while seated, resulting in reports of injuries, including minor bruises and scrapes.

The recall involves Office Depot brand leather desk chairs. The mid-back height leather chairs were sold in black and have SKU number 130548. “REG. No. PA-25498 (CN)” and “Made in China” are printed on a label located on the underside of the seat.

Imported by Swinton Avenue Trading and manufactured by Wonderful Year Inc., the chairs were sold at Office Depot retail stores nationwide and online at www.OfficeDepot.com from January 2002 through December 2008. The cost was about $55.

Consumers should immediately stop using the chairs and contact Office Depot’s recall hotline to receive a $55 store card that may be used for a replacement chair or other store merchandise, the company and commission advise.

For additional information, contact Office Depot’s recall hotline toll-free at 866-403-3763 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s website at www.officedepot.com.

For details on other recalls, see www.recalls.gov.

Copyright 2012, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist