Welcome to CPSC’s Podcast for Monday, October 29, 2007. I’m Patty Davis. Halloween is right around the corner. CPSC has simple safety tips to keep this year’s celebration a safe one for you and your family. Joining me to talk about Halloween safety is CPSC spokeswoman Nikki Fleming. Hi Nikki.

[Nikki:] Hi how are you doing?

[Patty:] Nikki, what should parents look out for this Halloween?

[Nikki:] The number one thing parents should look out for is to make sure the costumes they choose are either flame resistant or are made of an inherently flame-resistant fabric. Um and those types of fabrics would include nylons, polyesters. That would be best.

[Patty:] And what if you make your costume?

[Nikki:] Definitely, if you make your costume, you don’t want to use 100 percent cotton. That can be extremely dangerous and, if in contact with any kind of an open flame, can shoot up in flames immediately.

[Patty:] You may also want to put reflective tape to make sure that your children are seen?

[Nikki:] Correct. You want to choose light, bright colors when you choose the color of the fabric, and in addition to that you can add reflective tape which you can purchase at a hardware store to add visibility to your children.

[Patty:] And treats. That is what every child has his or her mind on as they go out for Halloween, besides what they are dressed as. What are some tips for safe treats?

[Nikki:] Obviously, you don’t want to allow your children to eat any of treats until you get home and an adult is able to look over each individual piece of candy to make sure it has not been tampered with or opened.

[Patty:] Have there been any recalls this year that are Halloween-related that we need to watch out for?

[Nikki:] Yes in fact CPSC has recalled about 200,000 total products, three different particular products. A purple Halloween pail with a witch decoration, a Frankenstein tumbler cup, and skull pails filled with Halloween candy mix. All of these were recalled due to lead paint on the exterior surface on the products.

[Patty:] So if you have them what should you do?

[Nikki:] You want to stop using them immediately and they all can be returned to the place where purchased for a full refund.

[Patty:] All right. Thanks Nikki. You can find out more about Halloween safety at www.cpsc.gov, and about all the recalls announced by CPSC. That’s it for this week’s podcast. Thanks for listening.

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