Health Alerts - January 2006

American Greetings Corp., of Cleveland, Ohio, is recalling 14,200 packages of DesignWare Fairy Wands because the party favors can break apart, exposing sharp wires that pose a laceration hazard to children.

The recalled wands are pink or purple with multicolored beads, feathers and ribbons. They were sold at discount, toy, drug, grocery, party and specialty gift stores nationwide from March 2003 through September 2005 for $4.

Consumers should take the recalled wands away from young children. Call(800) 777-4891 for a coupon redeemable wherever American Greetings products are sold. For details, visit http://americangreetings.com.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., of Bentonville, Ark., is recalling 7,200 10-in-1 activity trunks by Kid Connection because some of the toys contain small parts, posing a choking hazard to young children.

The toy set provides 10 different activities, including a pounding bench,puzzle, stacking rings, bead maze/runner, blocks and train engine. One side of the trunk contains an abacus, and the other side contains a shape sorter.

The trucks were sold at Wal-Mart stores nation-wide from July through September 2005 for $15.

Consumers should take these toys away from young children and return the products to Wal-Mart for a refund. For details, call (800) 925-6278 or visit www.walmart.comand click on Product Recalls.

American Public Co., of New York, is recalling 3,400 boys hooded sweatshirts because they have drawstrings, which pose a strangulation hazard to children.

The recalled sweatshirts were sold in navy and burgundy, and in youth sizes S, M, L and XL. RN number 90614 is located on the collar tag.

The sweatshirts were sold through J.C. Penney's catalog and Web site from June through August 2005 for $25. Consumers should remove the drawstring to eliminate the hazard. For details, call (800) 222-6161 or visit www.jcpenney.com.

Sycamore Kids Inc., of Fort Collins, Colo., is expanding a recall of Mountain Buggy Urban Single, Urban Double and Breeze strollers because the handlebar can crack or break, causing it to detach while in use. This poses a risk of injury to young children.

The recalled strollers have a metal frame, cloth seat with a sun canopy and a gray handlebar button. They were sold in a variety of colors, including navy, red, black, silver and orange.

The recalled Mountain Buggy Urban Single strollers have item number U1204-002 and serial numbers between 000000 and 012893. The recalled Urban Double strollers have item number U2204-002 and serial numbers between 000000 and 006957. The recalled Breeze strollers have item number B1204-002 and serial numbers between 000000 and 000191.

The strollers were sold at juvenile furniture retailers, baby product stores and Web retailers from December 2004 through July 2005 for $400 and$640.

Call (866) 524-8805 to find an authorized repair center to receive a free replacement handlebar ratchet.

Juvenile Products Corp., of Miami, Fla., is recalling 10,000 Vapor-Eze Waterless Vaporizers and 5,000 Vapor-Eze Aromatherapy Diffusers because a defective internal heater can cause sparking and emit flames while in use. This poses a fire, burn and shock hazard to consumers.

Twenty-five incidents involving these products have been reported,including at least six fires and two burn injuries.

Model 1070, 2070 or 3070 and Juv. Prod's. Corp are printed on the bottom of the units.

The vaporizers and diffusers were sold at discount department and drug stores, including Wal-Mart, from June through September 2005 for $20.

Consumers should stop using the recalled waterless vaporizers and aromatherapy diffusers and return them to the place of purchase for a refund.

The manufacturer of these products is out of business. Consumers who purchased the recalled vaporizers or diffusers at Wal-Mart should call (800)925-6278 or visit www.walmart.com. Consumers who purchased the products elsewhere should contact the retailer or the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission's Hotline at (800) 638-2772.

International Playthings Inc., of Parsippany, N.J., is recalling 6,000 Flexitoys Monster-Size vehicles and 1,900 Viking Chubbies toy cars because small parts can detach, posing a choking hazard to children.

The Flexitoys Monster-Size vehicle models included in the recall are dump truck (model 9000-1), race car (model 9000-2), tractor (model 9000-3), SUV(model 9000-4), fire truck (model 9000-5) and digger truck (model 9000-6). The vehicles were sold at specialty toy stores nationwide from May through September 2005 for $4.

The Viking Chubbies toy sedans were sold with two figurines. The heads on the figures can detach. Viking Toys, Sweden and Made in Thailand are printed on the bottom of the multicolored plastic cars, which were sold at specialty toy stores nationwide from June through August 2005 for $14.

Call (800) 445-8347 or visit www.intplay.comfor information on returning the product for a free replacement item of similar value.