Q4 2021 Consumer Product Recalls Analysis
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Recall Analysis
There were a total of 46 consumer products recall notices issued by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) from October - December 2021. Notably, 10 recalls from Health Canada were done jointly with the CPSC.
Sports & Recreation accounted for 6 recall notices, mainly for fall and injury hazards. Furniture accounted for 5 recall notices, including laceration, strangulation, fall, lead poisoning, tip-over, and entrapment and/or risk of death. Appliances accounted for 5 notices, including fire and/or burn, tip-over, injury, and carbon monoxide poisoning hazards. All-terrain vehicles accounted for 4 recall notices, out of which 3 were injury, and 1 was fire and/or burn hazards. Children’s apparel accounted for 3 recall notices, 2 of which were related to choking hazards, and 1 for fire and/or burn hazards.
Additionally, there were 3 medical supplies and equipment recall notices, which were all for entrapment and/or risk of death hazards.
Highlighted below are some of the recalls relevant to Hardlines and Softlines products:
| Q4 2021 – CPSC | |
| Product | Reason(s) |
| Children’s robes | The children’s robes fail to meet the federal flammability standards for children’s sleepwear, posing a risk of burn injuries to children. |
| Children’s apparel | The snaps on the romper can detach, posing a choking hazard to young children. |
| Durable nursery products - Jogging strollers | The stroller’s front wheel bearing can fail or detach, posing a fall and injury hazard. |
| Medical supplies & equipment – Bed assist handles and bed assist rail | When attached to an adult’s bed, users can become entrapped within the bed rail or between the rail and the side of the mattress. This poses a serious entrapment hazard and risk of death by asphyxiation. |
| Essential oil | The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed that bacteria in a recalled aromatherapy room spray in a Georgia melioidosis patient’s home genetically matches the bacterial strains in the patient, and three other patients in Kansas, Minnesota, and Texas. The bacteria Burkholderia pseudomallei cause melioidosis, a condition that is difficult to diagnose and can be fatal. The Georgia and Kansas patients died. |
| Appliances - Gas water heaters | The heater’s Emerson control valves can fail to close properly, causing soot to accumulate on the burner, posing a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning to consumers. |
| Furniture | Surface paint on the furniture contains levels of lead that exceed the federal lead paint ban, posing a risk of lead poisoning. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects. |
Health Canada Recalls Analysis
Health Canada reported a total of 58 consumer product recall notices issued in Q4 (October – December) 2021.
An analysis of the product categories shows 23 recall notices for children’s apparel. Furniture items received 6 recall notices; additionally, products of the toy, appliance, electronic, and beauty/personal care categories each received 3 recall notices.
Based on the hazard categorization, there were 17 recall notices for fire/burn; 13 notices for strangulation; 6 notices for fall and injury; 5 notices for choking; and 3 notices for entrapment and injury hazards.
Highlighted below are some of the significant product categories:
| Q4 2021 – Health Canada | |
| Product | Reason(s) |
| Children’s sleepwear | Loose-fitting children’s sleepwear can contact ignition sources such as stove elements, candles, and matches more readily than tight-fitting sleepwear, and once ignited will burn rapidly, potentially resulting in severe burns to large areas of the child’s body. |
| Children’s upper outerwear | Drawstrings at the hood and neck area pose a strangulation hazard. |
| Durable nursery products (stroller, baby walker) | Design of the products pose risk for fall and injury. |
| Plush toys | Toys do not meet Canadian safety requirements and may pose a choking hazard. |
| Turbo racers and playsets with wooden roof | Children are at risk of getting entrapped between the lower part of the roof structure and bottom of the gable decoration. |
| Glass knobs | The glass stem of the knob can break during use posing a laceration hazard. |
For questions, please contact Harini Ramaswamy (harini.ramaswamy@intertek.com, +1 847 871 1047), Dr. Stella Xingyu Li (xingyu.li@intertek.com, +1 503 351 9612 ) or Dr. Pratik Ichhaporia (pratik.ichhaporia@intertek.com , +1 847 212 8273).
