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| New Baby Crib Standards To Take Effect |
(IRN) -- Citing 12 million crib recalls since 2007 and dozens of infant deaths related to crib accidents, Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced that "the toughest crib standards" in the world took effect this week. Faulty hardware, breaking slats and dangerous drop-side design flaws in baby cribs have spurred the recalls over the years. But Madigan says new standards will make the flaws a thing of the past. "It's taken too long for this day to come. There are 32 infants who died in dangerous cribs that the Consumer Product Safety Commission confirmed died because of the flaws in these cribs. That is far too many deaths," said Madigan.
The new law makes it illegal to sell cribs that don’t meet the new standards, which include a ban on drop-side designs, new durability testing of the cribs, and clearer instructions for crib assembly.
"These cribs that can only be sold today have to meet the new federal standard," said Nancy Cowles, executive director of consumer group Kids in Danger. "Unfortunately, there was no similar requirement for the law that there be a seal on the product that tells the parents that they met that standard."
Cowles says when purchasing a new crib, parents should ask the retailer if the crib complies with the newest federal standards. Standards set in 2008 don't encompass the new rules outlined in this year's standard update. The standards for this year’s law are 16 CFR 1219 for full size cribs or 16 CFR 1220 for non-full size cribs.
"Parents who are using older cribs can continue using them. In other words, this law does not come into your home," said Cowles. "However, we would suggest that you consider replacing them, especially if they're drop-side cribs."
Cowles also noted that cribs cannot be sold at garage sales or donated to charity.
Both Cowles and Madigan urged consumers to call the recall hotline number at 888-414-7678, or the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission at 800-638-2772.
(Illinois Radio Network) |
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| 06 29 11 by Newsroom |
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