Health Alerts - June 2002

Vermont Precision Woodworks, of Morrisville, Vt., is recalling 990 cribs because the slats can loosen and detach from the drop side rail, creating an opening where a child could become entrapped, resulting in serious injury or death.

Vermont Precision Woodworks has received 21 reports of slats detaching, with no injuries reported.

The recalled cribs include models 7010 Alpine, 7020 Caspian, 7030 Coventry, 7040 Dunmore and 7070 Haystack. The full-size, solid maple cribs are available in natural, colonial, white, cherry and cinnamon finishes. The manufacturing date and model name are on the bottom of the crib.

Juvenile product and furniture stores sold the cribs nationwide from January 2000 through March 2002 for $500 to $800.

Stop using these cribs until they have been repaired.

Call Vermont Precision Woodworks at (866) 869-7974 to obtain free replacement drop side rails.

Estes Industries, of Penrose, Colo., is recalling 140,000 Air Powered Rockets because their foam tips can break off, exposing sharp edges that may cause facial cuts or eye injuries. The rocket systems also have weak pump handles that can break during use, posing a risk of hand cuts.

Estes and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission have received 16 reports of rocket tips breaking off. Six children were struck in the face by the rockets, including two children who suffered detached retinas and four children who suffered cuts that required stitches or sutures. There were 68 reports of broken pump handles, resulting in six hand cuts.

The blue, yellow and black GL-X200 Estes Air Powered Rocket Systems contain two blue rockets with yellow foam tips. Estes Air is printed on the front of the pump.

Department stores nationwide, including Wal-Mart, Toys ’R Us and Zany Brainy, as well as e-businesses, catalog companies and hobby shops, sold these rockets from February 2001 through February 2002 for $20 to $40.

Rocket pumps with a label that reads, “Warning: Stay away from rocket when pumping and launching” are not included in this recall.

Stop using the air rockets and call Estes Industries at (800) 576-5811 to obtain a replacement rocket. For more information, access the Web site at www.estesrockets.com.

Prestige Toy Corp., of New York, N.Y., is recalling 4,600 Duckie Ring rattle/teethers because the rattle may break and cause small beads to fall out, posing a choking hazard to young children.

No injuries have been reported.

The Duckie Ring has a plastic tube with multi-colored balls inside that make a rattling sound. The rattle is attached to a yellow duck with an orange beak by a blue- and yellow-striped teether. Prestige is embossed on the teether. The combination rattle/teethers show model numbers 4576, 44576 and 84576 on the sewn-on label.

Retailers nationwide, including the Fred Meyer Co., the Carters Outlet Stores, Proffits and E.A.T. Gifts, sold the rattles from March through April 2002 for about $7.

Take the rattles away from children and return them to the company for a replacement toy or refund, plus reimbursement for postage. Mail the rattle to Prestige Toy Corp., 131 W. 33rd St., Room 606, New York, NY 10001. For more information, call Prestige toll-free at (888) 268-8999.

Brunswick Corp., of Lake Forest, Ill., is recalling 103,000 Mongoose and Roadmaster mountain bicycles with Ballistic 105 front suspension forks because the forks can break, causing riders to fall and suffer serious injury.

By Us International Co. Ltd. of Taiwan recalled 13,500 of these forks in May 2000 and 40,000 forks in February 2001. By Us International no longer is cooperating with the recall.

Brunswick Corp. is expanding the recall to include all Ballistic model 105 forks sold on the Mongoose and Roadmaster mountain bicycles it manufactured (except the Mongoose A40). The previous recalls were limited to forks with certain serial numbers.

There have been 34 reports of forks on these bicycles breaking, resulting in 31 riders, including children and teen-agers, suffering serious head and bodily injuries, scrapes, bruises and chipped teeth.

The recall includes only Ballistic 105 forks installed on Mongoose and Roadmaster model bicycles manufactured by Brunswick Corp. The forks on these bikes are black with decals that show “Ballistic” and “105” on the sides of the suspension fork legs. A small label on the bottom of the bicycle reads “Brunswick.”

The forks on the Mongoose A40 model bicycles and forks on bicycles not manufactured by Brunswick Corp. are not included in the recall.

Discount department stores and toy stores nationwide sold the bicycles with these forks from June 1998 through December 2000 for $125 to $150. In addition, consumers may have received a Ballistic model 105 fork as a replacement when participating in one of the previous recalls.

Stop using these bicycles and call Brunswick at (800) 508-2762 to obtain a $65 refund for the bicycle fork. This applies to all owners of bicycles with Ballistic model 105 forks manufactured by Brunswick (except the Mongoose A40), even if they received a new Ballistic model 105 fork as a result of participating in a previous recall. For more information, visit www.ballisticforkrecall.com.

InSTEP LLC, of Mendota Heights, Minn., is recalling 4,300 Hitchhiker III Trailer Bikes because the universal joint system can fail, causing a rider to lose control of the bike, with potential injuries to both riders.

InSTEP and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission have received 10 reports of universal joint systems failing, including three reports of consumers who suffered bruises and scrapes.

The recalled Hitchhiker III trailer bikes are attached to a lead bicycle by a universal joint system with two side bolts and a top-mounted quick-release bolt (see photo). The recalled NH300 model trailer bikes have “Hitchhiker III” printed in red on the trailer arm and “InSTEP” on the bottom tube and the safety flag.

Retail stores nationwide, including Toys ’R Us, the Sports Authority and One Step Ahead, sold the bikes from February through May 2001 for $80 to $110.

Stop using these trailer bikes and contact InSTEP at (800) 242-6110 or [email protected] for a free repair kit with instructions. For more information, access www.instep.net.

Specialized Bicycle Components Inc., of Morgan Hill, Calif., is recalling 2,200 bicycles because the rear seatstays, the tube behind the seat that connects the rear axle to the rear shock, can break and cause the rider to crash.

Specialized Bicycles has received 39 reports of the seatstays on these bicycles breaking, with no injuries cited.

The recall involves model year 2002 Enduro-brand bicycles. The Enduro Pro FSR is silver; the Enduro Expert FSR is black; the Enduro Comp FSR is yellow; and the Enduro FSR is blue. The model name is on the top tube, and the brand name is on the down tube.

Specialized dealers nationwide sold these bicycles from September 2001 through February 2002 for $1,650 to $2,750.

Stop riding these bicycles and return them to a local Specialized dealer for a new rear seatstay, which will be installed at no charge. For more information, call Specialized at (800) 214-1468.

Rocky Mountain Bicycles, of Delta, British Columbia, is recalling 660 mountain bicycles because the chainstay that holds the rear wheel in place can fail, causing the rear wheel to separate from the bicycle, which can result in a crash.

Rocky Mountain Bicycles has one report of an incident where the rear wheel separated from the bicycle, and the rider sustained minor scrapes.

This recall involves 16.5-, 18- and 19-inch Slayer and Edge full-suspension mountain bicycles. The Slayer model is black metallic with red decals on the top tube and down tube that read Slayer and Rocky Mountain. The Edge model is royal blue with yellow decals on the top tube and down tube that read Edge and Rocky Mountain.

Specialty bicycle shops sold the bicycles nationwide from January 2001 through February 2002. The Edge model sold for about $1,750 and the Slayer for about $2,150.

Bicycles with the letter “S” stamped on the chainstay yoke are not involved in this recall.

Stop using the bicycles and return them to the store where purchased for a free repair. For more information, contact Rocky Mountain Bicycles at (800) 663-2512 or www.bikes.com.

Hallmark Cards Inc., of Kansas City, Mo., is recalling 7,000 Harry Potter key chains because they can leak petroleum distillates, which pose an ingestion hazard to children.

No injuries have been reported.

The Harry Potter Magic Potion Bottle key chain, made of styrene, has a “potion bottle” filled with purple-colored mineral oil and red-colored water. The 3-inch-tall key chain has a green base and a gold top, with the letters HP printed on the bottle.

Hallmark, Hallmark Card, Wal-Mart, grocery, drug and gift stores nationwide sold the key chains from October through November 2001 for about $5.

Take the key chains away from children and contact Hallmark at (800) 425-5627 for a refund. For more information, access www.hallmark.com.

Ames True Temper Inc., of Camp Hill, Pa., is recalling 647,000 wheelbarrows because the plastic wheel assemblies can break when inflated with high-pressure air hoses, causing plastic pieces to explode from the wheel rims and injure bystanders.

Ames True Temper has received eight reports of plastic rims fracturing; seven of those incidents caused cuts to hands, faces, chests or arms, some requiring numerous stitches. Additional injuries were nasal and other facial bone fractures, finger or knuckle fractures and torn wrist ligaments.

The wheel assemblies have a black plastic rim and a 14-inch diameter wheel. They have red, green or orange tubs or trays made of steel or plastic. The recalled Ames wheelbarrows were sold under the brand name Mustang or Douglas, printed on the label attached to the tray at the time of purchase.

Wheelbarrows with metal wheel assemblies, as well as True Temper wheelbarrows, are not part of this recall.

Hardware stores and home centers nationwide sold the recalled wheelbarrows from January 1993 through December 2000 for $20 to $30.

Do not inflate the tires on these wheelbarrows. Contact Ames True Temper toll-free at (866) 239-2281 to receive a free replacement steel wheel assembly.