Tens of thousands of Epic Threads and Greendog Hooded Sweatshirts sold by Macy’s are being recalled for strangulation hazard, said the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). The sweatshirts have a drawstring sewn at the base of the hood, which can pose a strangulation hazard to children.
In February 1996, the CPSC issued guidelines to help prevent children from strangling or becoming entangled on the neck and waist by drawstrings in upper garments, such as jackets and sweatshirts. In May 2006, the CPSC’s Office of Compliance issued an announcement that such outerwear with drawstrings at the hood or neck would be regarded as both defective and a substantial risk of injury to young children.
The latest recall involves about 33,000 Epic Threads and Greendog Hooded Sweatshirts that were manufactured in India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Taiwan and imported by Macy’s Merchandising Group Inc., of New York, New York. The recalled Epic Threads and Greendog products were sold at Macy’s stores nationwide from July 2008 through March 2009 and retailed for between $32 and $50.
The recall includes boys and girls Epic Threads sweatshirts and girls Greendog sweaters with nonfunctional ties in numerous styles. The Epic Threads sweatshirts are white, gray, maroon, yellow, blue, green, and black, with images on the front and/or back. The girls Greendog sweaters are brown and gray. Only sizes small and medium are subject to the recall.
The CPSC is advising consumers to immediately remove the ties from the sweatshirts to eliminate the hazard, or return the garment to any Macy’s for a full refund. Macy’s can be reached toll-free at 1-888-257-5949 between 10:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or at Macy’s Website at www.macys.com
Last month we reported that about 1,300 Children’s Hooded Jackets with Drawstrings were recalled by Jason Evans Associates, LLC of Hewlett, New York because the recalled jackets have a drawstring through the hood which could pose a strangulation hazard to children and that Pumpkin Patch LLC, of San Mateo, California issued a recall for about 800 of its Pumpkin Patch Hooded Girls’ Raincoats with Drawstrings due to strangulation hazard.
In April we reported that the CPSC announced that 14 firms agreed to pay a total of $1,055,000 in civil penalties for failing to report dangerous drawstrings in children’s outerwear, an ongoing and life-threatening problem.
In late March we reported that five separate sweatshirt recalls were issued for strangulation hazard. In every case, the recalled clothing item was manufactured in China. The firms involved in those recalls were: Golden Grove Hooded Fleece Jackets with Drawstrings, La Jolla Sport Children’s Hooded Sweatshirts with Drawstrings, Dysfunctional Clothing Children’s Hooded Sweatshirts with Drawstrings, MM Compound Children’s Hooded Sweatshirts, and Rusty North America Children’s Hooded Sweatshirts with Drawstrings.
The CPSC guidelines are routinely ignored by the clothing industry, and that attitude has had deadly consequences for some children. From January 1985 through January 1999, the CPSC received reports of 22 deaths and 48 non-fatal entanglement incidents involving drawstrings on children’s clothing.
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