2022 children’s product recalls at highest level since 2013: NPR

Clockwise from top left: Wall-mounted goalie basketball goals recalled for injury risk; 4moms MamaRoo Baby Swing, versions 1.0-4.0, recalled for strangulation hazard; Blue’s Clues ride-on toys recalled for injury and fall hazard; Pillowfort weighted blankets recalled for risk of asphyxiation and risk of death.

US Consumer Product Safety Commission

hide caption

toggle caption

US Consumer Product Safety Commission

Clockwise from top left: Wall-mounted goalie basketball goals recalled for injury risk; 4moms MamaRoo Baby Swing, versions 1.0-4.0, recalled for strangulation hazard; Blue’s Clues ride-on toys recalled for injury and fall hazard; Pillowfort weighted blankets recalled for risk of asphyxiation and risk of death.

US Consumer Product Safety Commission

There were more children’s product recalls in 2022 than any other year in nearly a decade, according to a new report.

The Kids in Danger group, which advocates for safe products for children, reported that there were 100 recalls of children’s items in 2022, more than any year since 2013. They accounted for 34% of total recalls Last year.

“Kids In Danger’s latest recall report is a wake-up call – we continue to see deaths and injuries before and after product recalls,” Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., said in a statement. .

There were a wide variety of products recalled last year, including MamaRoo Baby Swings and RockaRoo Baby Rockers, which posed a strangulation hazard and resulted in at least one fatality. Other recalled products listed in the report included a weighted blanket, basketball hoop, toys, clothing and a popular stroller.

Product recalls are reported through the Consumer Product Safety Commission, or CPSC, which works with companies to announce recalls and also educates the public about other potentially dangerous items.

“Whenever we see an unsafe product, especially one intended for children, we urge companies to recall that product and remove it from the marketplace and from consumers’ homes,” CPSC spokeswoman Patty Davis said. in an email to NPR.

“When a company refuses to work with the CPSC on a recall, we issue consumer safety warnings ourselves,” she added.

But critics say more needs to be done. Schakowsky specifically took aim at the fact that federal law prevents the commission from saying much about products it deems unsafe without the companies’ express permission.

“Put simply, it protects businesses rather than consumers,” Schakowsky said, adding that she would introduce legislation to strengthen CPSC in the coming days.

Nineteen of the recalls were related to the risk of lead poisoning. Another 32 recalls involved apparel, the majority of which were pulled from the market for failing to meet federal flammability standards, KID said.

The number of deaths and injuries that occurred before the recalls were announced fell last year, compared with 2021. But the four deaths and 47 injuries related to later recalled products were both higher than other recent years.

There is an important caveat: although the number of children’s product recalls increased in 2022, the number of actual units recalled fell. Among children’s products recalled last year, there were about 5.5 million units, up from more than 19 million in 2021.

The total number of product recalls last year reached 293, the highest since 2016, when there were 332.