Surge in Recall of Children’s Products in 2016
Dangerous Ikea dressers and defective McDonald’s fitness wristbands led to the largest number of children’s product recalls in 2016, the most in more than a decade. According to a news report in The Chicago Tribune, despite this surge in recalls, companies still aren’t moving quickly enough to get these hazardous products off the shelves. In 2016, there were 76 children’s products and nearly 67 million units recalled. This is according to an annual report released Monday by Kids in Danger, a Chicago-based nonprofit.
Prominent Recalls of 2016
Ikea’s deadly Malm chests and McDonald’s activity wristbands accounted for about 29 million units each. The Ikea recall was prompted by the deaths of three toddlers who were crushed after the unstable dressers collapsed and fell on them. Three other fatalities were also attributed to other lines of Ikea furniture. The Swedish furniture retailer agreed in December to pay out a $50 million settlement to the families of three boys killed by Malm dressers.
In August, McDonald’s recalled its Step-iT activity wristbands distributed in Happy Meals after dozens of children developed skin irritations. Other prominent recalls last year included nearly 2.3 million units of Tommee Tippee sippy cups, which developed mold in spite of efforts to clean them. The cups were recalled after reports of more than 3,000 incidents and 68 injury reports.
Nursery products accounted for nearly a third of the product recalls. However, for the first time in 10 years, no cribs were recalled. The increased use of social media by companies as well as the Consumer Product Safety Commission helped spread the word about dangerous and defective products and recalls last year, safety advocates said.
Choosing the Right Products
There are several steps you can take to make sure that you provide your children with safe products. First and foremost, check CPSC’s website to make sure that the product you are about to purchase has not been recalled. It is important that you exercise even more caution if you get hand-me-downs or are about to purchase a used product. Do not buy certain products such as child car seats used. If the car seat has already been in a crash, it might have already become weakened and might not protect your child in the event of a crash.
If your child has been injured as the result of a dangerous or defective product, you may be able to hold the at-fault product manufacturers accountable. Contact an experienced product defect lawyer to find our more information about pursuing your legal rights.