Banned Baby Seats Seized By Feds; Choking Hazard Cited

Agents of the federal government today and yesterday seized approximately 3,900 banned hazardous children's bath seats in two Georgia locations because they contain small parts that present a choking risk to children.

The Office of the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia, on behalf of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), initiated the court-ordered seizures of the bath seats marketed by Pansy Ellen Products, Inc. The actions took place in Pansy Ellen's Alpharetta, Georgia warehouse and in the Woodstock, Georgia plant of Underwood Mold Company, Inc., the firm that assembles the seats.

The seized product is "Aqua Tech Safety Bath Seats," model 211, and is labeled for ages six months and up. Made of blue plastic, they combine a bath ring and built-in toy with a seat. The components are connected by three legs which have suction cups at their base.

When the Commission tested the bath seats under the regulations of the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, small plastic pieces separated from the leg assemblies. The Commission alleges that these small parts make the bath seats banned hazardous substances because they present choking, ingestion and aspiration hazards to children.

Pansy Ellen has asserted that the bath seats are exempt from the Commission's small parts regulation. The firm may now contest the seizure actions in Federal District Court or attempt to resolve the matter through a voluntary settlement.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is participating in this action as part of its mission to protect the public from unreasonable risks of injury and death associated with consumer products. CPSC's objective is to help reduce the estimated 28.5 million injuries and 21,600 deaths associated each year with the 15,000 different types of consumer products within CPSC's jurisdiction.