Consumer Product Safety Commission Keeps the Recalls Coming

Washington, DCA common thread ran through all five products subjected to voluntary recalls on May 31 by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). While the products ranged from candles to cribs, all of them were made in Asia—primarily, China.

Founded in 1972, the CPSC is the federal government's leading watchdog group for defective and unsafe consumer products.

Recall number one concerned pinecone candles distributed by Royal Products of Brooklyn, New York. Made in China, Royal sold about 2,700 of these candles between October 2005 and December 2006.

"The candle's exterior coating and beads can ignite and catch fire," stated a May 31 press release from the CPSC. "The fire resulting from the coating and beads on the exterior of the candle could ignite nearby combustibles."

Translation: these pinecone candles burn a little too well and might cause great big fires.

"Consumers should immediately stop using the candles and return them to the place of purchase for an exchange or full refund," advised the CPSC.

Number two recall covered childrens' cribs sold by Song Lin Industrial of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma and made in China. Said cribs were sold across the U.S. from January 2005 until March 2007, for roughly $600 apiece.

Thanks to faulty instructions regarding assembly and mattress placement, the crib presented a "fall hazard to children who are able to sit or stand up in the crib," said the CPSC.

The object of the third recall was a piece of scuba diving regulator gear called a swivel. Made in Taiwan and sold by Innovative Scuba Concepts of Colorado Springs, Colorado, the swivel retailed for about $40 between January 2006 and March 2007.

"The swivel, which is attached to a diving regulator, could separate while diving," warned the CPSC. "This will result in a complete and sudden loss of the diver's air supply, causing the diver to engage in emergency ascent procedures. This poses a risk of decompression sickness due to rapid ascent, and air embolism or drowning if the diver panics or the emergency ascent procedure fails."

According to the CPSC, Innovative Scuba Concepts recorded "one report where the swivel separated during a dive and caused the diver to ascend ... no injury was reported."

Recall number four also concerned a piece of water recreational equipment, in this case, a kayak paddle float sold by Moscow, Idaho company NRS. The CPSC described the kayak paddle float as "an inflatable device that is attached to one side of the paddle to help the kayaker re-enter the kayak in open water."

Problem is, "the plastic tubes used to inflate the paddle float could break and deflate, posing a drowning hazard to consumers," stated the CPSC.

NRS sold about 1,000 of the kayak paddle floats between July 2006 and March 2007. The company "received five reports of paddle floats breaking and deflating" said the CPSC.

The kayak paddle float was made in—you guessed it—China.

The final voluntary recall focused on children's metal jewellery sold by a company called Tween Brands of New Albany, Ohio. Tween Brands sold over 100,000 kiddie necklaces, bracelets, earrings and charms between September 2005 and May 2007, for between $2 and $10 apiece.

Unfortunately, "the jewellery contains high levels of lead which can cause adverse health effects and is toxic if ingested by young children," stated the CPSC.

Like most of the other products recalled by the CPSC on the last day of May, this jewellery was manufactured overseas in communist turned hyper-capitalist China.