United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)

Check Now for Child Safe Window Blinds & Other Coverings !

2011-09-27:  A recent child fatality in Ireland has alerted our population to the common danger of  Window Blinds, Shades and Other Window Coverings which are not Child Safe.

Colour photograph showing a small child reaching for the control wand of a Vertical Window Blind in familiar surroundings, for example, at home. This is just one of a range of Child Safe Window Covering Solutions.
Colour photograph showing a small child reaching for the control wand of a Vertical Window Blind in familiar surroundings, for example, at home. This is just one of a range of Child Safe Window Covering Solutions.

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In Ireland … our Consumer Protection Laws are weak … our National Consumer Protection Organizations are even weaker … and the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI) is under-resourced, and not fit for purpose.

In the European Union (EU) … a work programme, having the aim of eliminating the risk of strangulation and internal asphyxiation due to child accessible window covering cords and small parts, only commenced in the early part of 2011.  Refer to this Page on the WebSite of the European Commission’s Directorate General for Health & Consumers (DG SANCO)http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/health_consumer/dyna/enews/enews.cfm?al_id=1109

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HOWEVER, back on 15 December 2009 the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)  issued the following Press Release …

CPSC Announces Voluntary Recalls to Repair Millions of Roman Shades and Roll-Up Blinds by Multiple Firms

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is announcing that multiple firms are recalling millions of units of Window coverings, including Roman shades and roll-up blinds.  These window coverings present a serious risk of strangulation to young children.

Colour photograph showing a common type of Window Blind, in Europe, which has caused Child Fatalities.
Colour photograph showing a common type of Window Blind, in Europe, which has caused Child Fatalities.

CPSC has received reports of five deaths and 16 near-strangulations in Roman shades since 2006, and three deaths in roll-up blinds since 2001.  Strangulations in Roman shades occur when a child places his/her neck between the exposed inner cord and the fabric on the back side of the blind or when a child pulls the cord out and wraps it around his/her neck.  Strangulations in roll-up blinds occur when the lifting loop slides off the side of the blind and a child’s neck becomes entangled on the free-standing loop or if a child places his/her neck between the lifting loop and the roll-up blind material.

The recalled Roman shades and roll-up blinds were sold by a variety of manufacturers and retailers, including major discount department stores, home improvement stores and window covering manufacturers and retailers.  Remedies vary among firms from repair kits to refunds.

“Parents need to make sure there are no accessible cords on the front, side, or back of their window coverings”, said CPSC Chairperson Inez Tenenbaum.  “Avoid these deadly dangers by getting the repair kit or installing cordless window coverings in all homes where small children live or visit.”

To help prevent child strangulation in window coverings, CPSC and the  Window Covering Safety Council  urge parents and caregivers to follow these guidelines:

  • Examine all shades and blinds in the home.  Make sure there are no accessible cords on the front, side or back of the product.  CPSC recommends the use of cordless window coverings in all homes where children live or visit.
  • Do not place cribs, beds and furniture close to windows with corded window coverings because children can climb on them and gain access to the cords.
  • Make loose cords inaccessible.
  • If the window shade has looped bead chains or nylon cords, install tension devices to keep the cord taut.

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A Table at the end of the CPSC Press Release (15 December 2009) indicated that  IKEA was ‘voluntarily’ recalling 3,360,000 Roman Shades, Roller Blinds and Roll-Up Blinds from its stores, nationwide in the USA.  Don’t worry … I blinked, and then re-checked that number !

What has IKEA done in its stores, continent wide in Europe ??

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U.S. CPSC Hazardous Plasterboard/Drywall Information Site

2011-02-01:  Further to my post, dated 27 May 2010

Throughout Europe … this issue is not yet receiving proper attention !

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has received about 3,794 reports from residents in 42 U.S. States, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, and Puerto Rico … who believe that their health symptoms or the corrosion of certain metal components in their homes are related to hazardous plasterboard/drywall.  State and local authorities have also received similar reports.

Consumers largely report that their homes were built in 2006 to 2007, when an unprecedented increase in new construction occurred, in part due to the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005.

In Ireland … does the phrase ‘an unprecedented increase in new construction’ sound familiar to anyone ???

U.S. CPSC Drywall Information Center

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U.S. Consumer Organization Identifies Hazardous Plasterboards

In the United States of America, there has been a long-running saga of Hazardous Hydrogen Sulphide (H2S) Emitting Plasterboard/Drywall being installed in new housing.  My U.S. cousin and his beautiful wife were crying their eyes out, here in Ireland last year, having discovered that their new home in Florida had been constructed using this plasterboard … or ‘drywall’, as it is known in the local language over there, i.e. American.

This sorry story graphically illustrates a number of important points …

  1. The Construction Products & Materials Industry is completely and utterly global in nature.  Europe is not immune from this phenomenon !
  2. Within the European Single Market, proper and unqualified emphasis must be placed on the correct CE Marking of Construction Products.  Unfortunately, too many European Manufacturers have not the remotest notion about what CE Marking means or involves.  And … CE Marking Technical Control Systems & Procedures in European Countries are totally inadequate.
  3. Just as many people think nothing about stealing the intellectual property of others … so many people think nothing about Fraudulently Applying the CE Mark to unapproved construction products.
  4. In order to improve the situation concerning Consumer Ignorance about CE Marking … even when a manufacturer has his/her/their CE Marking in order … it is still necessary to clearly and simply demonstrate the Route of Conformity which has been taken in order to obtain the CE Mark.  This is not a requirement of European Union Law … but merely a strong personal opinion based on the experience of being a technical controller for many years.
  5. The problem of hazardous plasterboard in buildings could also happen in Ireland … or in any other European country.  It might already have happened.  Beware !
  6. It is not acceptable that a well-established European Brand Name has engaged in this sort of ‘sharp’ practice outside Europe !!   Across a large trans-national organization … it is essential that Product Quality Control is consistently at a uniformly high level.

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In a CPSC (USA) Press Release #10-243, dated 25th May 2010 …

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is releasing today the names of the plasterboard manufacturers whose plasterboard emitted high levels of hydrogen sulphide in testing conducted for the agency by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), in California.  There is a strong association between hydrogen sulphide and metal corrosion.

Of the samples tested, the top ten reactive sulphur-emitting plasterboard samples were all produced in China.  Some of the Chinese plasterboard had emission rates of hydrogen sulphide 100 times greater than non-Chinese plasterboard samples.

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U.S. CPSC Chart of Hydrogen Sulphide Emitting Plasterboards (PDF File, 602kb)

Click the Link above to read and/or download the CPSC Chart

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“Homeowners who have problem plasterboard in their homes are suffering greatly”, said CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum.  “I appeal to these Chinese plasterboard companies to carefully examine their responsibilities to U.S. families who have been harmed, and do what is fair and just”.

At the US-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue meetings in Beijing on 24th & 25th May 2010, U.S. officials pressed the Chinese government to facilitate a meeting between CPSC and the Chinese plasterboard companies whose products were used in U.S. homes, and which exhibit the emissions identified during the testing procedures.  The Strategic and Economic Dialogue represents the highest-level bilateral forum to discuss a broad range of issues between the two nations.

The following list identifies the top 10 plasterboard samples tested which had the highest emissions of hydrogen sulphide, along with the identity of the manufacturer of the plasterboard and the year of manufacture, from highest to lowest.

  • Knauf Plasterboard (Tianjin) Co. Ltd.: (year of manufacture 2005) China ;
  • Taian Taishan Plasterboard Co. Ltd.: (2006) China ;
  • Shandong Taihe Dongxin Co.: (2005) China ;
  • Knauf Plasterboard (Tianjin) Co. Ltd.: (2006) China ;
  • Taian Taishan Plasterboard Co. Ltd.: (2006) China ;
  • Taian Taishan Plasterboard Co. Ltd.: (2006) China ;
  • Shandong Chenxiang GBM Co. Ltd. (C&K Gypsum Board): (2006) China ;
  • Beijing New Building Materials (BNBM): (2009) China ;
  • Taian Taishan Plasterboard Co. Ltd.: (2009) China ;
  • Shandong Taihe Dongxin Co.: (2009) China.

Other Chinese plasterboard samples had low or no detectable emissions of hydrogen sulphide, as did the plasterboard samples tested which were manufactured domestically.

They include …

  • Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin: (2009) China ;
  • Tiger ***ShiGao JianCai***liangpianzhuang: (2006) China ;
  • USG Corporation: (2009) U.S. ;
  • Guangdong Knauf New Building Material Products Co. Ltd.: (2009) China ;
  • 9 mm (3/8″) plasterboard manufacturer uncertain (date uncertain): China ;
  • Knauf Plasterboard (Wuhu) Co. Ltd.: (2009) China ;
  • CertainTeed Corp.: (2009) U.S. ;
  • Georgia Pacific Corp.: (2009) U.S. ;
  • Dragon Brand, Beijing New Building Materials Co. Ltd.: (2006) China ;
  • CertainTeed Corp.: (2009) U.S. ;
  • Pingyi Baier Building Materials Co. Ltd.: (2009) China ;
  • Sample purchased in China, manufacturer unknown: (2009) China ;
  • Panel Rey S.A.: (2009) Mexico ;
  • Lafarge North America: (2009) U.S. ;
  • National Gypsum Company: (2009) U.S. ;
  • National Gypsum Company: (2009) U.S. ;
  • Georgia Pacific Corp.: (2009) U.S. ;
  • Pabco Gypsum: (2009) U.S. ;
  • Temple-Inland Inc.: (2009) U.S. ;   and
  • USG Corporation: (2009) U.S.

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Last month, CPSC released the results of plasterboard emissions tests by LBNL.  The studies showed a connection between certain Chinese plasterboard and corrosion in homes.  In addition, the patterns of reactive sulphur compounds emitted from plasterboard samples show a clear distinction between certain Chinese plasterboard samples manufactured in 2005/2006 and other Chinese and non-Chinese plasterboard samples.

To date, CPSC has spent over $5 million to investigate the chemical nature and the chain of commerce of problem plasterboard.  Earlier this year, CPSC and the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) issued an Identification Protocol to help consumers identify problem plasterboard in their homes.  Last month, CPSC and HUD issued Remediation Guidance to assist impacted homeowners.

To see this release on CPSC’s WebSite, including a link to a Chart listing plasterboard chamber test results … please go to … www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10243.html

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