Nov 20, 2008 7:24 pm US/Eastern
Death Of Conn. Girl Prompts Window Blind Recall
Consumer Advocates Say All Roman Blinds Should Be Banned
WASHINGTON (CBS/AP) ―
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On April 4, 2008, a 1-year-old girl in Greenwich, Conn. became entangled in the inner cord of an IKEA Roman Blind and strangled. The child was in a portable playpen that was located underneath a fully lowered roman blind.
cpsc.gov
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The blinds were sold at IKEA stores nationwide from July 2005 through June 2008 for between $7 and $30.
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CPSC received a report of a 2-year-old girl from Bristol, Conn., who suffered a near strangulation, June 2008, when she placed a loose bead cord loop around her neck and then slipped off the radiator where she was standing.
cpsc.gov
About 677,300 IKEA and Green Mountain Vista window blinds and shades were recalled in the United States on Thursday after a young child choked to death.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission said a 1-year-old girl from Greenwich, Conn., died in April when she got caught in the inner cord of a set of IKEA Roman blinds over her playpen.
The agency also received a report of a 2-year-old girl from Bristol, Conn., who nearly died in June on the beaded-chain loop hanging from a set of Green Mountain Vista shades. The girl's neck was deeply bruised, but she was saved by her older brother.
The recall isn't enough for safety advocates though, who believe the Roman blinds should never be sold.
Other Roman shades, and any window covering with any type of cords has critics charging as many as 800 children have died due to the cords.
Linda Kaiser lost her infant daughter six years ago when she was strangled by the cords of a window treatment. Kaiser launched "Parents for Window Blind Safety" to educate parents.
"All Roman shades are made the same way. They're all dangerous. They all need to be taken off the market," said Kaiser.
Despite the recall of the IKEA blinds, a search of their own Web site found they were still selling 10 other types of Roman shades, built the same way, with potentially dangerous cords inside.
"The problem is this cording can be pulled out and a child can be entangled and strangled inside the cord," said Consumer Product Safety Commission spokeswoman Julie Vallese.
And the CPSC admits this is not the end of the recalls.
"This is the first recall the agency has announced in terms of Roman shades, but I don't think it's going to be the last," said Vallese.
Washington State bans any window treatment with cords from daycare centers. While this latest recall is good first step, families that have lost their children say it's a bitter victory. They want only cordless blinds sold.
Safety advocates say if you have these blinds in a home with small children, they should be removed.
The recall includes about 670,000 IRIS and ALVINE Roman blinds, manufactured in India and distributed by IKEA Home Furnishings. They were sold at IKEA stores nationwide between July 2005 and June 2008. Another 4.8 million blinds were sold outside the country.
The blinds have a sewn-in label at the top edge of the blind with the IKEA logotype, article name (IRIS or ALVINE), 5-digit supplier number 19799 or 21369, four digit date stamp (YYWW) and the words "Made in India". On the bottom edge of the blind there is a sewn-in orange/white safety warning label. The blinds are made from 100% cotton.
The blinds can be returned to any IKEA store for a full refund. For additional information, contact IKEA toll-free at (888) 966-4532 anytime, or visit the firm's Web site at
www.ikea-usa.com.
Also recalled are about 7,300 insulated blackout roller shades and insulated Roman shades manufactured in China by Green Mountain Vista Inc. The shades were sold around the country by Country Curtains, Plow & Hearth, The Linen Source, Sturbridge Yankee Workshop, Ann & Hope, The Sportsman's Guide, Target.com, The Curtain Shop of Maine, and the Solutions catalog. They were available between June 2005 and September 2008.
The recall includes all insulated black-out roller shades (colors: white, cream, harvest, light sage) and insulated Roman shades sizes 48, 60 and 72 (colors: white, natural, sage, sienna, blue, goldenrod, mahogany, terracotta). The shades have RN number 107875 printed on the care label of the shade and identify the manufacturer on the "Installation and Care Instructions."
Green Mountain Vista shade owners should check to see if the tension device is attached. If not, contact the company for a free repair kit and installation instructions.
For additional information, contact Green Mountain Vista at (800) 639- 1728 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's Web site at
www.gmvista.com
(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
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