CPSIA

Makers of toys and other children's products won a reprieve Thursday from federal regulators trying to implement legislation Congress passed more than a year ago after a holiday season marred by scores of lead-tainted toy recalls. The Consumer Product Safety Commission voted to delay for another year — until February 2011 — the certification and independent third-party testing rules on the amount of lead allowed in children's products. Those rules were set to kick-in last February but have been delayed twice. Manufacturers and importers still must test their products to make sure they're safe and meet federal limits on lead. But the commission's decision ... Read Full Story

Todson Inc. is recalling about 24,000 Zefal bicycle tire inflators sold at Walmart. The pressurized cartridge containing carbon dioxide (CO2) can forcefully separate from the pump head, posing a risk of injury to the consumer. This recall involves Zefal CO2 bicycle tire inflators with a small pressurized carbon dioxide cartridge. The metal cartridge is threaded into the inflator head, which allows for the controlled release of carbon dioxide into the bicycle inner tube. The recalled inflators have “Zefal EZ+ CO2 inflator” printed on the front of the package. Model number 5602 and UPC number 798661556020 is printed on the back. The inflators, made in ... Read Full Story

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Home Depot Inc is recalling about 2,000 dehumidifiers sold through May 2007 from November 2000 after getting reports of the appliances catching fire due to a faulty internal component. The home improvement chain issued a voluntary recall of the devices -- used to reduce the humidity level in air -- with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on Thursday. An internal component can fail causing the "Hampton Bay" labeled dehumidifiers to overheat, posing fire and burn hazards, the CPSC said. CPSC urged consumers to immediately stop using the dehumidifiers, which were made in China, and contact Home Depot to ... Read Full Story

With the Christmas shopping seasion shifting into high gear, dangerous or toxic toys can still be found on America's store shelves, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group said in its 24th annual "Trouble in Toyland" report. The latest Trouble in Toyland report, along with a new interactive tool accessible via smart phone or computer -- toysafety.mobi or www.toysafety.net -- can help parents and other consumers avoid some common hazards. And if toy buyers discover they have bought a dangerous toy, they can report it to U.S. PIRG using the new interactive website. Consumers also should report dangerous products to the Consumer Product Safety Commission ... Read Full Story

About 24,000 Amby Baby Motion Beds are being recalled after two infant deaths. The hammock-like beds are marketed to parents of fussy babies with colic or reflux. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says the side-to-side shifting or tilting of the hammock can cause an infant to roll and become trapped or wedged against the hammock's fabric or mattress pad, posing a suffocation risk to babies. Two infants suffocated this summer. The beds are made by Amby Baby USA of Minneapolis. CPSC says there is only one model of the hammock available. It has a label sewn onto the hammock that says, "Amby — Babies ... Read Full Story

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says results from a major indoor air study of 51 homes combined with initial reports from two studies of corrosion in homes with Chinese drywall shows a strong association between homes with the problem drywall and the levels of hydrogen sulfide in those homes and corrosion of metals in those homes. By identifying this association, the Interagency Drywall Task Force plans to move forward to develop protocols that will identify homes with this corrosive environment and can determine the effectiveness of remediation methods. "We now have the science that enables the Task Force to move ahead to the next ... Read Full Story

After scores of deaths, the federal government is taking a closer look at off-road recreational vehicles, known as ROVs. The Consumer Product Safety Commission voted Wednesday to write mandatory rules to regulate the four-wheel vehicles, following more than 100 deaths since 2003. Riders have suffered dozens of injuries, too — some leading to amputations. ROVs, also called side-by-sides, are two-passenger motorized vehicles designed for drivers 16 years and older. They resemble a cross between a rugged-looking golf cart and a miniature-Jeep, and have a roll cage — metal bars framing the cab. The industry proposed voluntary regulations for side-by-sides, but CPSC staffers said they ... Read Full Story

After scores of deaths, the U.S. government government is taking a closer look at off-road recreational vehicles, known as ROVs. The Consumer Product Safety Commission voted Wednesday to write mandatory rules to regulate the four-wheel vehicles, after more than 100 deaths since 2003. Riders have suffered dozens of injuries, too — some leading to amputations. ROVs, also called side-by-sides, are two-passenger motorized vehicles designed for drivers 16 years and older. They resemble a cross between a rugged-looking golf cart and a miniature-Jeep, and have a roll cage — metal bars framing the cab. The industry proposed voluntary regulations for side-by-sides, but comission staffers said ... Read Full Story

Under fire for the pace of her agency's investigation, the nation's top consumer safety official is promising to move swiftly to probe a flood of complaints about suspect drywall imported from China. Homeowners, mostly in the Southeast, say the drywall is making them sick and corroding wiring throughout their homes. Lawmakers from Florida, Louisiana and elsewhere have pressed Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairman Inez Tenenbaum for answers about the safety of the drywall. Tenenbaum, who took over the agency in June, told lawmakers the investigation is "extremely complex and that there probably will not be a quick fix," but she pledged to get to ... Read Full Story

The federal government is taking a closer look at off-road recreational vehicles, known as ROVs, after dozens of deaths. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has voted to write mandatory rules to regulate the four-wheel vehicles, following more than 100 deaths since 2003. Riders have suffered scores of injuries, too — some leading to amputations. ROVs, also called side-by-sides, are two-passenger motorized vehicles designed for drivers 16 years and older. They resemble a cross between a rugged-looking golf cart and a miniature-Jeep, and have a roll cage — metal bars framing the cab. The industry proposed voluntary regulations, but CPSC staffers said they fell short. ... Read Full Story