Polaris is expanding an ATV (All Terrain Vehicle) recall for a fourth time because a defective part may overheat and cause a fire. According to the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), Polaris has received six more reports of the part - called an Electronic Control Modules (ECM) - malfunctioning. Two of those malfunctions resulted in fires.

The original Polaris ATV recall was announced in May 2005. At that time, Polaris recalled more than 14,000 ATVs with defective ECMs. The recall involved Polaris 2004.5 ‘Sportsman 500,’ 2005 ‘Sportsman 400,’ ‘Sportsman 500,’ ‘Sportsman 600,’ ‘Sportsman 700,’ and 2005 ‘Scrambler 500′ ATVs. The recall was prompted by 26 reports of the ECM overheating. (more…)

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (UPSC), in cooperation with QuinCrafts of Dexter, Michigan, today announced a voluntary recall of the Makit & Bakit Jewelry Sets and Suncatcher sets as the clasps on some of the jewelry contains high levels of lead.

About 70,000 of the Makit & Bakit Jewelry Sets and Suncatcher sets are being recalled and included those QuinCrafts products containing children’s jewelry.  The recall includes the following items.  Item numbers can be found printed on the back of the packaging: (more…)

Little Tikes Toy Cell Phones have been recalled because they may pose a choking hazard to small children.  Kids Station Toys, the maker of the recalled Little Tikes Toy Cell Phones, says it has received one report of a child who started to choke on a small piece that came apart from the toy.

The recall involves about 1 million Little Tikes Chit ‘N Chat Toy Cell Phones.  The toys were sold at department, juvenile product, and drug stores nationwide from June 2006 through March 2008 for about $8 (individually) or about $20 (set).  (more…)

Reports of children becoming unconscious after swallowing Aqua Dots beads resulted in a recall in November and a seizure of merchandise in December.  At the time, it was widely reported that the potentially toxic chemical 1,4-butanediol—BD—was used in place of the benign, nontoxic, yet more expensive 1,5-pentanediol—PD—in the manufacture of the beads.  A new study, led by Dr. Jeffrey Suchard of the University of California, Irvine confirms these reports and that Aqua Dots contained no 1,5-PD at all, but instead contained a very high level—nearly 14 percent—of extractable 1,4-BD.

Thousands of cartons of the dangerous Aqua Dots toy were recalled by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and seized at the port of Savannah last December following the November recall.  The cartons were bound for American shores from China and represented about $2 million dollars worth of the poisonous toys.  When mixed with water, the toys formed GHB, the date rape drug, a banned and hazardous substance. (more…)

Many are concerned about the nation’s meat inspection system.  Given that responsibility for food regulation is spilt among 15 federal agencies, this is no small concern.  And, while, almost 12 million cattle nationwide are being prepared for slaughter this year, the nation’s meat supply and the agency that oversees it are at issue.

Ranch owner Gary Teague—whose 25,000-acre ranch is home to 20,000 cattle—says, “There are over 800,000 beef producers like myself across the country [that] are working hard every day to ensure that the product we put out there is safe and wholesome.”  Teague’s ranch is small in comparison to the entire industry, which has an estimated annual value of over $100 billion. (more…)

Nancy Nord, head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), said a new federal standard limiting lead in toys and other children’s products “might prove to be overly broad.” Nord, an appointee of President Bush and former lobbyist for corporate interests, has long been criticized for seeming to be disinterested in ensuring the CPSC fulfills its mission of protecting the public.

The limit on lead is part of a product safety bill currently under Congressional consideration and would require the CPSC to set a standard limiting lead in children’s products to trace amounts of 100 parts per million for the content and 90 parts per million for paint or coatings. (more…)

Ford Motor Company has announced a recall of some of its Super Duty pickup trucks because of a faulty gas tank.  Ford says that defective mounting on the tanks need to be strengthened to prevent a gasoline leak in a head-on crash.  Meanwhile, Ford says a massive recall of vehicles with faulty cruise control switches is nearly complete, but at least one consumer website says the switches are still a danger.

The Ford Super Duty truck pickup recall covers 65,000 2008 F-250 and F-350 trucks, Ford said in a letter posted on the Web site of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)  Ford dealers will add a bracket to help secure the fuel tank, at no charge to motorists. Owners will be notified beginning in late May when the parts are  available.  Ford said the affected trucks are F-250 and F-350 4×4 models with a single set of rear wheels and a 156-inch wheel base. (more…)

Several firms that sold children’s clothing with drawstrings that posed a strangulation hazard have agreed to pay  a total of $320,000 in fines, the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) announced today.  According to the announcement, the firms failed  to report to the CPSC, as required by federal law, that their children’s hooded sweatshirts or jackets were sold with drawstrings at the hood and neck.

Since April 1, 2007, there have been 17 recalls of more than 190,000 units of children’s clothing because they had drawstrings in the hood or neck.  This despite the existence of an 11-year old voluntary industry standard that instructs manufacturers not to use drawstrings in the neck area of children’s outerwear and to make sure drawstrings at the waist are of a certain length, have no toggles or knots, and are sewn in the back so they can’t move.  The CPSC has similar guidelines on the books, and both New York and Wisconsin have made the standard mandatory. (more…)

The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization—a California asbestos victims advocacy group—filed a lawsuit Friday against CBS Corporation, a toy maker, and several retailers over the sale of a crime scene toy based on the CBS series “CSI:  Crime Scene Investigation.”  The group said laboratory tests confirmed the CSI Fingerprint Examination Kit contained asbestos in a powder used for fingerprint dusting.  Planet Toys, Inc., manufacturer of the CSI Fingerprint Examination Kit, removed the  dangerous toys from the market late last year; however, it maintains that multiple tests did not reveal asbestos.

The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, said tests showed the kits’ fingerprint powder contained “substantial quantities of tremolite asbestos,” which it described as “one of the most lethal forms of asbestos.”  On its Web site, Planet Toys indicated it issued a “stop sale” on all “’CSI Fingerprint Kits’ until further information can be ascertained as to the discrepancy between our respective test findings.”  The asbestos group wants to stop sales of the kits unless they carry a hazardous material warning and is seeking full refund for return of the kits. (more…)

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in cooperation with two toy firms announced voluntary recalls of two children’s toys due to excessive lead paint levels.  Consumers should stop using these recalled products immediately, ensuring they are taken away from children.

The first product, Hillbilly Teeth, was imported by FUNTASTIC, of Houston, Texas and is being recalled because the gray surface paint on the teeth contains excessive levels of lead, violating the federal lead paint standard.  Approximately 26,000 of the FUNTASTIC Hillbilly Teeth toys were sold in two-pack packages with item # 2657 printed on the packaging.  The toy’s gums are brown and the teeth are yellow.  The FUNTASTIC Hillbilly Teeth were manufactured in China and sold at grocery, drug, convenience, and mass retailers nationwide from March 2005 through March 2008 for about $2.  Consumers should immediately take the recalled toy away from children and contact FUNTASTIC for information on receiving a refund at (800) 434-5207 between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Central Time, Monday through Friday or visit the company’s Web site at www.funtastictoy.com (more…)