Dangerous items make ‘most wanted’ list

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has named the four most-wanted items that still pose a risk to families and children. These products need to be tracked down and eliminated or fixed.

. Cedar Chests. The Lane Co. is voluntarily replacing lid locks on chests manufactured between 1912 and 1987. The lids latch automatically when closed and young children playing in the chest can become trapped inside and suffocate. Between 1977 and 1994, six children suffocated inside Lane cedar chests manufactured with the old lock design.

You can determine whether your chest has an old lock by closing the lid without depressing the locking button and then attempting to open the lid without touching the button. If the lid opens, the chest has the new lock and does not need to be replaced. If the lid does not open, it has the old lock. Old locks also click loudly when the lid is shut, locking the chest automatically.

By 1987, the company began manufacturing all cedar chests with redesigned locks, which need not be replaced. If you own a Lane cedar chest with an old lock, call The Lane Co. toll-free at (888) 856-8758, for free redesigned, easy-to-install, safety locks. Lane will make special arrangements for consumers who need additional help installing the locks.

. Cadet Heaters. Examine your in-wall electric heaters to determine if they are among the 1.9 million Cadet and Encore brand heaters recalled in 2000. Although the Cadet Manufacturing Co. heaters were sold and distributed primarily in the West, some found their way East. A 4-year-old boy died in Alexandria, Va., when one of the recalled heaters was involved in a house fire.

There have been more than 320 reports of heaters that smoked, sparked, caught fire, emitted flames, or ejected burning particles or molten materials. These incidents have resulted in four deaths, two serious burn injuries and property-damage claims exceeding $4.3 million, which includes six partial or total house fires. If you think you have one of these heaters, contact Cadet’s Hotline at (800) 567-2613 anytime or visit the firm’s Web site at www.cadetco.com.

. Baby Cribs. Unsafe baby cribs continue to show up at yard sales. Before you put your baby to sleep in a used crib, check to be sure it’s safe. A safe crib has: 1) a firm, tight-fitting mattress; 2) no loose, missing or broken hardware or slats; 3) no more than 2? inches between the slats (about the width of a soda can); 4) no corner posts over 1/16 inch high; and 5) no cutout designs in the headboard or footboard.

. Drawstrings on children’s winter coats and hoods. Since 1985, there have been 17 deaths caused by drawstring entanglement. Playground slides were involved in more than one-half of the incidents. There is clear evidence that drawstrings on jackets, coats and sweat shirts (mostly located in the hoods of these garments) can kill children. In 1995, the manufacturers voluntarily agreed to remove neck and hood drawstrings from most of the 20 million children’s garments manufactured annually in this country and promised garments without these drawstrings would be available to consumers beginning with the spring or fall 1995 clothing lines

Even so, yard sale and hand-me-down garments may still have these drawstrings. Removing the strings is the only sure way to protect your child.

If you have encountered a product you believe to be unsafe and wish to share your concerns with Forum readers, send us your story. Be sure to include manufacturer, point and date of purchase, model numbers and serial numbers. We will consider it for publication and, if appropriate, notify the CPSC.

Consumer Forum is a collaboration of the Bangor Daily News and Northeast COMBAT-Maine Center for the Public Interest, Maine’s membership-funded, nonprofit consumer organization. Individual membership is $25, business rates start at $125 (0-10 employees). For help and information write: Consumer Forum, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04401.