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Commissioner Statements: Two million Snuga Infant Swings recalled due to suffocation hazard after 5 deaths reported
October 12, 2024, cpsc.gov
The Consumer Product Safety Commission and Fisher-Price are announcing the recall of all models of Fisher-Price Snuga Swings. The recall announcement says the swing should never be used for sleep and bedding materials should never be added to it due to the increased risk of suffocation. Consumers should immediately remove both the headrest (by cutting the tether) and the body support insert from the seat pad before continuing to use the swing for awake-time activities.  Fisher-Price will provide a $25 refund to consumers who remove and destroy the headrest and body support insert. The swings are manufactured in China and Mexico.

Joint Statement: Chair Hoehn-Saric/Commissioner Boyle
Statement: Commissioner Trumka

Commissioner Letters: Sent by Chair Hoehn-Saric and Commissioners Feldman, Boyle and Dziak regarding recall of Fisher-Price Snuga swings
October 12, 2024, cpsc.gov
Letter excerpts: “CPSC staff work with your company to ensure that recalled and banned products are not unlawfully sold on the secondary marketplace – in stores or online. We are writing today to inform you about the recall of all Fisher-Price Snuga Swings, a popular infant product that is often listed for sale on the secondary market. We are writing to ensure that you are aware of this recall and are taking action to remove all recalled Snuga Swings from your stores and/or online platforms. We seek your assistance and attention in preventing illegal sales of this product.”

Goodwill Industries International Letter
Meta Platforms, Inc., Letter
Craigslist Letter
eBay Letter
Nextdoor Letter
Mercari Letter

IKEA’s new furniture line includes dressers that put safety at the forefront
October 6, 2024, Better Homes & Gardens
Dressers have long been a hazard for adults and children alike. The Consumer Product Safety Commission even adopted a mandatory rule in August 2023 that enforces standards to prevent injuries and deaths caused by falling dressers: the Stop Tip-Overs of Unstable, Risky Dressers on Youth Act (STURDY). Although previous safety standards were voluntary, the STURDY Act is changing how brands approach their designs through real-world testing. IKEA is now it’s releasing a line of furniture designed to be un-tippable. “At IKEA, we are always looking for ways to be innovative, while also keeping affordability, quality, and safety top of mind,” said Melissa Myers, Home Furnishings Business Leader for IKEA U.S.

La Crosse, WI, airport to go PFAS-free with new foam
October 6, 2024, Firehouse.com
The La Crosse Regional Airport is one step closer to being PFAS-free with a La Crosse committee’s funding recommendation. If approved by the full city council, the airport will have the funding necessary to replace all of its firefighting foam containing PFAS. French Island residents living around the airport have been drinking bottled water after PFAS chemicals were found in most of the town’s private water wells. The airport has historically used AFFF firefighting foam, which contains polyfluoroalkyl substances. These are also known as the carcinogenic “forever chemical” PFAS. With the recent discovery of PFAS’ dangerous nature, the FAA approved an alternative foam called F3 in May 2023. F3 is the only other firefighting foam approved by the FAA.

Opinion: Baby walkers have caused injuries and deaths—so why are they banned in Canada but not in the U.S.?
October 10, 2024, Consumer Reports
Many parents still don’t know that the sit-in baby walkers you can buy all over, including via third-party sellers on Amazon and secondhand on Facebook Marketplace, have been linked to pediatric deaths and thousands of injuries. They’re considered unsafe by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), which has called for a ban on the manufacture and sale of them in the U.S. Since 2004, walkers have been banned in Canada, and experts in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and other places have also called for a ban. From 2004 through 2008, the Consumer Product Safety Commission staff estimate there was an average of 3,000 injuries per year related to infant walkers among children under the age of 15 months treated in hospital emergency departments.

EU questions shopping app Temu over illegal products risk
October 11, 2024, Microsoft Start
The EU on told Chinese-founded e-commerce platform Temu to hand over more information as it suspects the site is failing to do enough to stop the sale of illegal products. Wildly popular in Europe since entering the continent’s market in 2023, Temu said earlier this year it had on average around 75 million monthly active users in the bloc. The European Commission, the EU’s powerful digital watchdog, said it demanded Temu explain what measures have been taken to stop traders appearing and reappearing on the platform “selling illegal products.” The query was made under the EU’s landmark law known as the Digital Services Act (DSA) that forces platforms to do more to protect consumers.

Seven things ER pediatricians would never let kids keep in their rooms
October 8, 2024, Yahoo News
When we hear the term “childproofing,” we often think of ways to make our homes safe for babies and toddlers. But it’s just as important to make sure our kids’ rooms continue to be safe as they get older. “We frequently [consider] safety tips for children 3 and under, but it is [key] to remember that a lot of injuries actually happen more frequently the more mobile your children are,” said Dr. Anita Patel, critical care specialist at Children’s National Hospital. The home is one of the most common places where kids get injured and then end up in the emergency department — and many of these injuries are preventable, added Dr. Brad Sobolewski, emergency medicine physician at Cincinnati Children’s. We talked to Patel and Sobolewski about unexpected items they would never allow in kids’ rooms, why they can be harmful and what to use instead.

Underwriters wary of PFAS amid ‘superstorm’ of litigation, regulation
October 7, 2024, Insurance Journal
As litigation and regulation increase around per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), insurance underwriting is tightening across lines. Insurance professionals who specialize in PFAS say insurers are mandating coverage exclusions and, in some cases, declining to write liability policies at all in PFAS-exposed industries. Robin Kelliher, environmental solutions group counsel at USI, described the current insurance landscape as being hit by a “superstorm” of factors related to PFAS. “The insurance underwriters are just seeing lawsuits, lawsuits, lawsuits,” she said, and they don’t know how those lawsuits are going to play out.

Consumer Reports: Should you ask AI about your health?
October 10, 2024, Consumer Reports
As artificial intelligence chatbots like ChatGPT rapidly move from novelties to everyday tools, can we trust them not to spit out misleading information—or, even worse, information that’s downright dangerous? Technology and privacy researchers at Consumer Reports conducted extensive experiments to find out.

Offshore safety agency final rule bolsters approval process for ‘new or unusual technology’
October 10, 2024, Safety and Health Magazine
A new Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement final rule codifies existing agency practice related to the review and approval of projects that will feature “new or unusual technology” – including equipment used in high-pressure or high-temperature environments. In a press release, BSEE Director Kevin Sligh said the rule, set to go into effect Oct. 29, “is critical to ensuring the offshore energy industry minimizes the risks of harm to offshore workers and the environment, particularly when it encounters more challenging operating conditions.”