Welcome to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Podcast for November 27th, 2006.
Recently, CPSC unveiled its top five safe shopping tips for gift givers prior to the holiday season. The number one tip on that list concerned toys with magnets. We advised shoppers to avoid building sets and other toys with small magnets for children under 6. If swallowed, the small magnets with these toys, can cause serious injuries or death.
Last week, CPSC and Mattel Inc. announced the recall of about 2.4 million Polly Pocket dolls and accessories with magnets. An additional 2 million play sets were sold worldwide.
Tiny magnets inside the dolls and accessories can fall out undetected by parents and caregivers. The magnets can be swallowed, aspirated by young children, or placed by a child in their nose or ears. When more than one magnet is swallowed, the magnets can attract each other and cause intestinal perforation, infection or blockage, which can be fatal. Aspiration to the lungs requires immediate surgery. Magnets placed in the nose or ears can cause swelling and be difficult to remove.
CPSC is aware of 170 reports of the small magnets coming out of these recalled toys. There were three reports of serious injuries to children who swallowed more than one magnet. All three suffered intestinal perforations that required surgery. A 2-year-old child was hospitalized for seven days and a 7-year-old child was hospitalized for 12 days. An 8-year-old child was also hospitalized.
The recalled Polly Pocket play sets contain plastic dolls and accessories that have magnets measuring 1/8 inch in diameter.
Visit CPSC’s Web site for more details about which Polly Pocket items are included in the recall. Consumers should immediately take these recalled toys away from children and contact Mattel to arrange for the return of the sets and to receive a voucher for a replacement toy of the customer’s choice, up to the value of the returned product. Sets currently on store shelves are not included in the recall.
For additional information contact Mattel at (888) 597-6597 anytime, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.service.mattel.com
In other recall news, Pottery Barn announced the Recall of 68,000 Gourd candles. The candles can have excessive flame height and could fail to self-extinguish when burning down to the bottom of the candle, posing fire and burn hazards to consumers.
No incidents or injuries have been reported.
This recall involves five styles of individual gourd-shaped candles and a set of eight mini-gourd candles. They were sold at Pottery Barn stores nationwide, the Pottery Barn catalog and PotteryBarn.com from September 2006 through October 2006 for between $12 and $24.
Consumers should immediately stop using these candles and return them to Pottery Barn for a full refund. For additional information, contact Pottery Barn toll-free at (888) 922-9245 or visit the firm’s Web site at www.potterybarn.com
For more on these and other recalls and safety news, visit our Web site at www.CPSC.Gov. And, until next time, stay safe.
End.