Health Alerts - January 2000

Franklin Sports of Stoughton, Mass., Huffy Sports of Sussex, Wis., and Lifetime Products of Clearfield, Utah, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, are recalling 900,000 toy and youth basketball sets because children can strangle on the loops and openings that come unhooked from the rim.

Franklin Sports has received one report of a 3-year-old boy getting his head and neck caught in a basketball net without injury. Huffy Sports and Lifetime Products have received no injury reports.

The basketball sets come in a variety of colors and include a nylon net and plastic or metal hoop attached to a plastic pole that adjusts from 3 feet to 6 feet high. The recalled sets are Franklin Sports’ Slam Dunk Youth Basketball Set, Huffy Sports’ Youth One-On-One and Lifetime Products’ Shoot Case.

Toy, sporting goods, mass merchandise and discount department stores nationwide sold the basketball sets from 1993 to 1999 for $13 to $40.

Manufacturers will send consumers new nets that securely attach to the rim and do not have sliding knots. Consumers should not return the product to stores.

To contact Franklin Sports for a replacement net, call (877) 730-1962. To contact Huffy Sports, call (800) 558-5234 or access www.huffysports.com. To contact Lifetime Products, call (800) 242-3865 or visit www.lifetime.com.

Sunbeam Corp. of Boca Raton, Fla., in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, is recalling about 560,000 glow-in-the-dark humidifiers because they can develop an electrical short, presenting a fire hazard.

Sunbeam has received 87 complaints about the humidifiers, including 42 reports of fire. Three consumers reported smoke inhalation and one suffered minor burns to her hands.

The humidifiers are white with green-, blue- or rust-colored covers and have Sunbeam, Hanscraft or SunMark written on their plastic covers. The recalled humidifiers have a date code between I001 and J226 stamped on the plug.

Discount department and drugstores nationwide sold the humidifiers from March 1995 through December 1997 for $8 to $15.

Consumers should stop using the humidifiers and contact Sunbeam for instructions on how to return the product for a free replacement: (800) 440-4668 or www.sunbeam.com.

Vanilla, lavender and other scented candles may release harmful levels of lead, mercury and other toxins into the air, according to the American Lung Association (ALA). The candle emissions can be especially dangerous to children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.

Scented and slow-burning candles often have metal core wicks containing or made entirely of lead. The lead particles can float through the air, settling on furniture and carpets where they can be touched or eaten by children, adults and pets. In large amounts, they can harm the nervous system, heart and circulatory system, the ALA says.

Consumers should avoid purchasing candles with metal cores. The ALA also warns consumers to keep candles away from drafty places where the wind can blow toxins into the air.

Dynacraft Industries Inc. of San Rafael, Calif., in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, is recalling about 3,000 Magna “Great Divide” 21-speed mountain bikes because the handle bar stems might not tighten sufficiently, causing the front wheel to turn improperly and cause falls.

Dynacraft has not received any injury reports involving these bicycles.

The recalled bicycles have the words “Great Divide” written on the cross-tubes and “KALLOY” on the handlebar stems. The following model numbers, found on the left side of the seat post, have been recalled: girls’ bikes, purple, model 8504-50; women’s bikes, purple, model 8547-84; boys’ bikes, blue, model 8504-51; men’s bikes, black, model 8547-85.

Fred Meyer stores in Alaska, Arizona, Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Washington sold the bikes from December 1998 through August 1999 for about $160.

Consumers should take the bikes to the Fred Meyer store of purchase for a free inspection and repair, or call Dynacraft Industries Inc. at (800) 551-0032 for a free replacement handlebar system.

J.C. Penney Co. Inc. of Plano, Texas, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, is recalling about 20,000 USA Olympic brand boys’ jackets because the 7-inch drawstrings at the bottom can catch in vehicle doors, causing injury or death.

J.C. Penney has not received any reports of injuries or deaths from these jackets.

The recalled jackets are reversible. One side is made of navy nylon fabric with gray and white stripes on the sleeves and has the USA Olympic logo on the chest. The other side is made of gray fleece fabric and has the USA Olympic logo on the back. The jackets come in boys’ sizes 2T to 5T and 4 to 7.

J.C. Penney stores nationwide sold the jackets from June to November 1999 for about $30.

Consumers should remove the drawstrings from the jackets or return them to the nearest J.C. Penney store for a refund. For more information, call J.C. Penney toll-free at (888) 333-6063 or access its Web site at www.jcpenney.com.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recalls and news releases are available by e-mail. To receive these messages on the same day they are issued on the Internet, put yourself on the CPSC list server. Send an e-mail message to [email protected], and in the message area, enter “join CPSCINFO-L.” You will receive (electronically) every recall notice and news release that CPSC issues.