Health Alerts - March 2003

Consumers can report an injury caused by a product or obtain recall product information on the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Web site, www.cpsc.gov. To report an unsafe product, click on Report Unsafe Products. To review recalls by date, product or company, click on Recalls/News. To report an injury, call the CPSC’s toll-free hotline at (800) 638-2772. When prompted, press ext. 300 to speak with a hotline representative.

Build-A-Bear Workshop, of St. Louis, Mo., is recalling 80,000 “Founding Bear” stuffed bears because the nose can be pulled or twisted off, posing a choking hazard to young children.

No injuries have been reported.

The recall includes the “Founding Bear” and the “Founding Bear II.” Both are chocolate brown and have cream-colored paws and snout.

The Build-A-Bear Workshop stores and Web site sold these stuffed bears nationwide between March 2000 and December 2002 for about $25.

Take these stuffed bears away from young children and return them to any Build-A-Bear Workshop store for another item of equal value or a gift card. For more information, call Build-A-Bear Workshop toll-free at (866) 236-5683 or visit www.buildabear.com.

Hufco-Delaware Co., of Miamisburg, Ohio, and Evenflo Co. Inc., of Vandalia, Ohio, are recalling 364,000 portable wood cribs because the mattress support platform and mattress can fall to the floor if the hardware used to assemble the crib is not tight.

There have been 41 reports of mattresses falling, and 17 children have received minor injuries.

The portable cribs, which are smaller than traditional baby cribs, were sold under the Gerry and Evenflo brand names. The following model numbers are being recalled: 8212, 8222, 8232, 8242, 8252, 8282, 8301, 8302, 8311, 8312, 8321, 8322, 8331, 8332, 8341, 8342, 8351, 8352, 8381, 8382, 8512, 8522, 8532, 8542, 8552, 8582, 8712 and 8752.

Department and baby products stores nationwide sold these portable wood cribs from January 1991 through December 2002 for about $99.

Stop using these cribs and call (800) 582-9359 for a free kit that provides additional support for the mattress platform. For more information, visit www.evenflo.com.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is announcing the recall of about 30,000 beanbag chairs manufactured in 1999 by Baseline Design, of Linwood, Pa. Some of these beanbag chairs have zippers that can be opened, allowing access to the polystyrene beads inside. This poses a suffocation hazard to young children who inhale the small beads.

Baseline Design is aware of three incidents in which the chairs were unzipped. Two of the incidents involved young children, and one child received medical attention after inhaling beads.

The recalled beanbag chairs have double zippers and came in various designs, including a smiley face, a football shape, a baseball shape, a basketball shape and solid green, yellow, pink and blue neon colors.

Wal-Mart stores in the Northeastern United States sold the beanbag chairs from September through December 1999 for about $30.

If consumers can unzip their beanbag chairs, Baseline Design will provide a free replacement beanbag chair with zippers that do not open. Consumers should be sure young children do not use the chairs if the zipper can be opened and should be sure children are not exposed to the beads inside the chair.

For more information, call Baseline Design at (800) 497-3626, ext. 3046, or visit www.foamex.com.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Cooper Lighting Inc., of Peachtree City, Ga., are warning consumers that nearly 600,000 Regent 500-watt halogen bulbs may pose a fire hazard if used in torchiere floor lamps or other indoor residential fixtures.

These 500-watt light bulbs generate very high temperatures compared to incandescent and lower wattage halogen bulbs and can start a fire if they come in contact with curtains, clothes or other flammable material. These bulbs are intended for use in outdoor work lights and flood lamps.

While Cooper has not received any reports of fires or injuries, the CPSC is aware of at least 290 fires and 25 deaths since 1992 involving halogen torchiere floor lamps.

Current packaging for the Regent 500-watt halogen bulbs, with model numbers WM500Q and BP500Q, does not contain a label warning against using the bulbs in torchieres or other indoor residential fixtures. Cooper has asked retailers to add the label to bulb packaging on store shelves, and new 500-watt halogen bulbs will contain the label.

Wal-Mart, Lowes and smaller retail outlets nationwide sold these 500-watt halogen bulbs from January 1999 to October 2002 for about $4.

Consumers using these 500-watt bulbs in a torchiere or indoor residential fixture should remove them. The bulbs can be used in work lights, flood lamps and similar outdoor fixtures. For more information, contact Cooper Lighting at (800) 954-7145 or visit www.cooperlighting.com.

Zenith Electronics Corp., of Lincolnshire, Ill., is recalling to repair about 80,000 large-screen, analog projection televisions manufactured between 1995 and 1998 because a tear in a gasket can cause coolant fluid to leak from the picture tube assembly. This can cause smoking, charring and electrical arcing inside the television, posing a fire hazard to consumers.

This recall is an expansion of a 1998 recall program involving 111,000 projection television sets.

Since 1998, Zenith has received 45 reports of incidents involving coolant leakage, causing smoking or charring inside the televisions. In four cases, minor property damage occurred outside the unit. No injuries have been reported.

The projection televisions recalled in this expansion and the earlier program have 46- to 60-inch screens and were manufactured in Mexico from April 1995 through July 1997, and August through November 1998. The date of manufacture can be found on a white label on the back of the set.

Major appliance and department stores nationwide sold these televisions from April 1995 through April 1999 for $1,200 to $2,800.

To arrange for a free inspection and repair, call Zenith at (800) 777-5195. For more information, visit www.projorecall.com.