Health Alerts - March 2001

Kolcraft Enterprises, Inc., of Chicago, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, is recalling 3,356 Tot Rider walkers because the cover on the walker’s removable music center can break off; small parts that fall from the product are a potential choking hazard to young children.

Kolcraft has not received any reports of injuries.

The recalled walker, manufactured from February through August 2000, is model number 14302, which appears along with the manufacturing date on the base of the walker. “Tot Rider,” “Music Center” and “Kolcraft” are shown on the front of the walker. The removable music center features a steering wheel, gear shift, buttons and speaker.

Mass merchandise and juvenile products stores nationwide sold these walkers from February to January 2001 for $40 to $50.

Remove the music center and call Kolcraft at (800) 453-7673 for a free replacement tray.

Kolcraft Tot Riders with model number 14303 are not recalled.

The William Carter Co. of Morrow, Ga., in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, is recalling 600,000 infant jumpsuits for repair because a ribbon that runs through the zipper pull tab can detach, and pose a choking hazard.

Though no injuries have been reported, Carter’s received four reports of children who detached the ribbons, put the detached ribbons in their mouths and started to gag or choke.

The recalled infant jumpsuits have a 6-inch-long satin ribbon tied through the zipper pull tab. The ribbons are solid in color or have “Carter’s” printed on them. Recalled models are either 100 percent cotton-interlock jumpsuits with a teddy bear, bunny or puppy embroidery design on the front; or cotton-polyester blend velour jumpsuits with a teddy bear or bunny embroidery design on the front. They were sold in sizes small (0-3 months), medium (3-6 months) and large (6-9 months).

Outlet, department and specialty stores nationwide sold these jumpsuits from May through December 2000 for $14 to $20.

If consumers discard the ribbon, the garment then can be worn. For more information, call Carter’s at (888) 339-2129 or visit its Web site at www.carters.com/recall2.html.

Seattle Bike Supply, of Kent, Wash., in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, is recalling 1,400 children’s bicycles because their pedals, which are too low to the ground, fail federal bicycle standards. Children can lose control when a pedal strikes the ground, causing falls and injuries.

Seattle Bike Supply has received one report of a 4-year-old boy who fell after his pedal struck the ground, though he was not injured.

The recalled bicycles are all model-year 2001 Torker Blaster 16-inch boys’ bicycles in red, black, blue or chrome, and Sunflower 16-inch girls’ bicycles in yellow, pink or florescent green. The Torker brand name and the model names are on the frames.

Bicycle stores sold these bicycles nationwide from September through December 2000 for $130.

Return the bicycles to the store where purchased for free repair. For more information, call (800) 283-2453, or write to Seattle Bike Supply, 7620 S. 192nd, Kent, WA 98032.

Playskool, of Pawtucket, R.I., in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, is replacing 12,500 Busy School Bus toys because the yellow “awning” piece above the bus’ door can break loose on certain units, posing a choking hazard to young children.

Playskool has received five reports of the yellow awning piece breaking loose, but with no injuries.

Only item number 5527 toys with date codes 91671 through 91883 are being recalled. The item number and date code are printed on the bottom of the toy. A yellow Playskool logo is imprinted on one side, and “made in China” is imprinted on the bottom.

Playskool’s Busy School Bus toy is an 8-1/2-inch-long yellow plastic school bus-shaped toy with a carry handle and blue wheels. The front of the Busy School Bus toy has a smiling face and a male figure that moves up and down when a child rolls the toy. A bell rings both when the toy is rolled and when the sliding red stop sign is moved back and forth.

Mass merchandise and toy stores sold these toys nationwide from June 1999 through January 2001 for $10.

Consumers should take these toys away from young children immediately, and contact Playskool at (888) 510-1561 or visit the Web site at www.hasbro.com/consumer/safety.html to receive a free toy of equal value.

Busy School Bus toys with item number 5527 but date codes lower than 91671 or higher than 91883 are not part of this recall-to-replace program.

Trends Clothing Corp., of Hialeah Gardens, Fla., in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), is recalling 6,600 Ocean Pacific girls’ sweatshirts because they have hood drawstrings. Children can get entangled and strangle in the drawstrings that catch on objects, including playground equipment, fences and tree branches.

CPSC has reports of 16 deaths from neck/hood drawstrings since 1985. CPSC issued guidelines in 1996 for drawstrings on children’s outerwear, which were subsequently incorporated into a voluntary standard.

CPSC and Trends Clothing Corp. have not received any reports of injuries involving the Ocean Pacific sweatshirts.

These navy blue girls’ long-sleeve hooded sweatshirts, sold in sizes 2T through 12 in pullover and zip-front styles, features “OP” on the front of the sweatshirts and on a collar label. “Made in Pakistan” or “Made in Guatemala” appear on a collar label.

Upton’s, Lamont’s, Gottschalks and Sports Authority stores nationwide sold these sweatshirts from August through October 1999 for $30.

Remove the drawstring from these garments immediately, or return the sweatshirts to the store where purchased for a refund. For more information, contact Trends Clothing Corp. at (800) 787-3637.

Designer Classics LLC, of Keasbey, N.J., in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, is recalling 11,000 children’s jeans and overalls manufactured under the Baby Guess and Guess Girls labels because the small decorative metal appliques on the legs of the garments can come loose and separate, posing a choking hazard to young children.

The company has received one report of a child placing a metal piece in their mouth that had separated from the garment.

The denim jeans and overalls, sold in sizes 6 months through 6X, have the following style numbers on the bottom of the care label: KL11450, KH11448, JL21338, JH21408, and JH31288. “Made in Indonesia,” and the size are shown on the front of the care label. The Baby Guess or Guess Girls label can be found above the care label.

Department and specialty stores nationwide sold the garments from October to December 2000 for $36 to $42.

Call the company at (888) 626-4939 for instructions on exchanging the item for another garment of the same size. Garments should be sent to Designer Classics LLC, Attention: Recall, 22351 Wilmington Ave., Carson, CA 90745. Consumers will be reimbursed for standard postage.

Great Southern Laboratories, of Houston, is recalling all bottles of the prescription medication Cydec Drops, lot #02950, because the outer carton bears an incorrect dosage label that, if followed, could cause serious illness or death.

The product was manufactured for Cypress Pharmaceutical, Inc. and contains Cypress packaging.

A chart on the outer carton incorrectly equates a dropperful and partial dropperfuls to a teaspoonful and partial teaspoonfuls. An overdose could occur if instead of using the dropper that is packaged in the carton containing the Cydec Drops bottle, a consumer used the incorrect chart to determine how much of the medication to give a child using a teaspoon.

No reports of illnesses have been reported. According to the manufacturer, the danger from an overdose of this medication depends on the health of the patient and the extent of the overdose.

Packaged in a one-ounce bottle with calibrated dropper in a carton, Cydec Drops contain a product label that reads NDC #60258-439-30, with a 12/2005 expiration date. Each bottle contains 2 mg of carbinoxamine maleate (an antihistamine) and 25 mg pseudoephedrine hydrochloride (a decongestant) in each 1 ml of product.

Cypress distributed 6,135 1-ounce bottles of the medication to wholesalers for national distribution to pharmacies beginning Dec. 19, 2000; these pharmacies are being asked to contact their customers to return the bottles.

Consumers should discontinue use of this product and return it to their pharmacists. Call Great Southern at (800) 747-0783 for more information.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), of Newtown, Conn., in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, is recalling 400,000 gun locks for replacement because these locks can open under certain conditions without the use of a key, providing unauthorized access to a firearm.

The NSSF and its lock supplier, Adstar Inc., of Merrick, N.Y., are not aware of any instances of unauthorized access by adults or children.

The locks resemble a bicycle cable lock and have a red cable with a black padlock. Red vinyl bands around the top and bottom of the locks read, “Project” and “Homesafe.” “Made in China” and “30mm” are imprinted on the bottom of the locks.

The gun locks, packaged in clear plastic cylinders with Project HomeSafe literature, were distributed nationwide by NSSF as part of its Project HomeSafe Campaign for safe firearm storage. Law enforcement agencies distributed the gun locks free of charge from September 1999 through October 2000.

Recipients of the Project HomeSafe gun locks should call (800) 726-6444 to receive a free replacement lock. Until the replacement lock is received, keep the original Project HomeSafe lock installed on the firearm. Consumers are reminded to never put a gun lock on a loaded gun, and to take extra precautions to make sure the gun is secure to keep kids safe.

The replacement lock has an improved locking mechanism and a thicker braided-steel cable.

NSSF encourages communities to enroll in Project HomeSafe by having a law enforcement official contact the NSSF. For more information, visit www.projecthomesafe.org.

Young children, nursing mothers, pregnant women and women of childbearing age who might be pregnant should not eat shark, swordfish, king mackerel and tilefish because they contain high levels of a form of mercury called methyl mercury, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Methyl mercury can harm an unborn baby’s developing nervous system. These long-lived larger fish, which feed on smaller fish, accumulate the highest levels of methyl mercury and pose the greatest risk to the unborn child.

Mercury can occur naturally in the environment, and it can be released into the air through industrial pollution and get into both fresh and salt water.

Because seafood can be important to the diet of pregnant women and women of childbearing age who may become pregnant, the FDA acknowledges that these women can safely eat 12 ounces per week of shellfish, canned fish, smaller ocean fish or farm-raised fish. A typical serving is 3 to 6 ounces.

In conjunction with this advisory, the Environmental Protection Agency advises women who eat fish caught by family and friends (noncommercial fish) to check with their state or local health department for additional advice on the safety of fish from nearby waters. For more information, see the EPA Web site, www.epa.gov/ost/fish.

Though it is not issuing a recall at this time, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning patients not to consume products that contain phenylpropanolamine (PPA), and it has asked manufacturers to discontinue marketing products that contain the ingredient because of an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding into the brain or surrounding tissue).

PPA is used in many cough and cold medications and appetite suppressants. The FDA action is a first step in an initiative to remove PPA from all drug products. “Although the risk of hemorrhagic stroke is very low, FDA has significant concerns because of the seriousness of a stroke and the inability to predict who is at risk,” the report stated.

A recent Yale University study linked PPA products with an increased risk of a hemorrhagic stroke and found that women, especially younger women using PPA appetite suppressants, are at highest risk.

The PPA warning includes more than 400 products, some marketed for children. However, the FDA reports that, if applicable, products may be reformulated without PPA.

Although the FDA did not mandate that all PPA products be removed from sale, some pharmacies have decided to remove the products from their shelves.

Consumers are urged to read product labels for the ingredient “phenylpropanolamine,” or check with their pharmacist or health care provider to determine if a product contains PPA.

For information, contact FDA at (888) 463-6332 or visit www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/ppa/default.htm.

In the wake of carbon monoxide poisonings in three states, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is reminding consumers that every home should have a carbon monoxide (CO) alarm that meets the most recent Underwriters Laboratories 2034 standard or International Approval Services 6-96 standard.

In addition, the CPSC recommends that homeowners schedule annual professional inspections of all fuelburning appliances to detect deadly CO leaks. Check chimneys, flues and vents, as well, for leakage and blockage.

More than 200 people die each year from CO poisoning associated with products such as furnaces, stoves, fireplaces, clothes dryers, water heaters and space heaters. These products also should be inspected for adequate ventilation.

To report an injury caused by a product, go to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Web site at www.cpsc.gov and click on “Report Unsafe Products.” Or call the CPS toll-free hotline at (800) 638-2772. When prompted, press extension 300 to speak with a hotline representative.