This message consists of the following:
1. Shop CPSC Toy Safety Tips Before Shopping for Holiday Gifts (http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09040.html)
2. CPSC Public Calendar Vol. XXXVI No. 7 (http://www.cpsc.gov/calendar.html)
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1. Shop CPSC Toy Safety Tips Before Shopping for Holiday Gifts
NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 12, 2008
Release #09-040
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
Shop CPSC Toy Safety Tips Before Shopping for Holiday Gifts
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The holidays are here and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has its list. Parents and gift buyers are encouraged to check it twice. Today, CPSC issued its annual holiday safety messages, joined by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Safe Kids Worldwide, to remind parents to be diligent when making holiday shopping choices.
"CPSC, CBP and industry activity has been with one goal in mind, to keep the toys our children play with the safest in the world" said Acting Chairman Nancy Nord. "Vigorous inspection of toys, testing and law enforcement have made toys the safest this season."
For 2007, the Commission has reports of 18 toy-related deaths and CPSC staff estimates that there were about 170,100 hospital emergency-room treated toy-related injuries to children under 15. Most of the deaths were associated with airway obstruction from small toys, drowning, or motor vehicle accidents during play. Most of the injuries were lacerations, contusion and abrasions; the head and face was the area most frequently affected.
The top 5 toy hazards:
* Scooters and other Riding Toys - Riding toys, skateboards and in-line skates go fast and falls could be deadly. Helmets and safety gear should be worn at all times and be sized to fit.
* Small Balls and other Toys with Small Parts - For children younger than age three, avoid toys with small parts, which can cause choking.
* Balloons - Children under eight yrs. can choke or suffocate on un-inflated or broken balloons. Keep un-inflated balloons from children. Discard broken balloons at once.
* Magnets - For children under age six, avoid building or play sets with small magnets. If magnets or pieces with magnets are swallowed, serious injuries and/or death can occur.
* Chargers and Adapters - Charging batteries should be supervised by adults. Chargers and adapters can pose thermal burn hazards to children.
Once the gifts are open:
* Immediately discard plastic wrappings on toys before they become dangerous play things.
* Keep toys appropriate for older children away from younger siblings.
* Pay attention to instructions and warnings on battery chargers. Some chargers lack any device to prevent overcharging.
With the increased popularity of second-hand stores and on-line vendors, gift-givers should be especially vigilant to prevent the sale or purchase of hazardous products that have been recalled, banned or do not meet current safety standards. Before placing products in the second-hand market, check its recall status at www.cpsc.gov. Buyers should make sure their gifts do not include any of the recalled toys or children's products on CPSC's web site.
Also, at this web site, consumers can keep up-to-date on dangerous products by signing up to have recall announcements sent directly to their email account. Choose to receive all recall announcements or children's product recalls only. Consumers also can call CPSC's toll-free hotline at (800) 638-CPSC. For information about all types of recalls, visit www.recalls.gov
To see this release on CPSC's web site, please go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09040.html
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2. CPSC Public Calendar Vol. XXXVI No. 7
CPSC Public Calendar
Vol. XXXVI No. 7
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Bethesda, Maryland 20814
November 12, 2008
Commission Agendas
There are no Commission briefings or Commission meetings scheduled for the week of November 17, 2008. For a recorded message concerning the latest agenda information call (301) 504-7948.
Meetings Between Commission Staff and Outside Parties
All meetings listed below are open to the public unless otherwise stated. For information on a specific meeting or to attend a meeting, please call the contact person listed for that meeting.
Abbreviations: we use asterisks (*) to identify meetings for the current week which have not appeared before in the printed Public Calendar. If the meeting involves discussion of a "substantial interest matter," defined by CPSC's Meetings Policy, we show the date when we posted notice of the meeting on the Master Calendar. The Master Calendar is in the Office of the Secretary, Room 502, telephone (301) 504-7923. We indicate whether a meeting is of substantial interest by the symbol (S); we use the symbol (N) to indicate non-substantial interest meetings. The Commission offices are located in the Bethesda Towers Building, 4330 East West Highway, Bethesda, Maryland.
Under the Meetings Policy, a staff person holding or attending a substantial interest meeting must file a log of the meeting with the Office of the Secretary within 20 days.
Week of November 17 thru November 23
Tuesday and Wednesday, November 18-19
Acting Chairman Nancy Nord, Gib Mullan, Director, Office of Compliance and Field Operations, and Richard O'Brien, Director, Office of International Programs and Intergovernmental Affairs, attending and participating in the International Consumer Product Health and Safety Organization's (ICPHSO) 4th European Meeting and Training Symposium; Brussels, Belgium. For additional information contact Frederica Clair, (301) 504- 7522. (S)
Future
Thursday, December 4
This meeting will review the new requirements of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) with regard to phthalates, including, but not limited to, the scope of products covered, test methods to determine phthalate levels and the use of phthalates in children's products more generally; 10:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., Bethesda Towers, 4th Floor Hearing Room 420. Pre- registration is required. The meeting will also be available live via webcast. For registration and additional information visit, http://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/phth.aspx
Addendum
Meeting notices printed in this section did not reach the Office of the Secretary in time to meet the Tuesday noon deadline for the previously printed Public Calendar. Under the CPSC Meetings Policy, however, staff persons, including Commissioners, can meet the seven-day notice requirement by placing notice of the meeting on the Master Calendar at least seven days before the meeting. The Master Calendar is in the Office of the Secretary, Room 502, Bethesda Towers Building.
In addition, the policy allows the Office of General Counsel to waive the seven-day notice requirements of meetings of the staff personnel, and individual Commissioners can waive the requirements for themselves and their personal staff.
Wednesday, November 5
Acting Chairman Nancy Nord and Joe Martyak, Chief of Staff, met with Neil Goldberg, Goldberg Segalla, Cheryl Possenti, Goldberg Segalla, Jim Walter, Mattel's senior vice president of Worldwide Quality Assurance, Mick Monahan, Senior Counsel of Regulatory Affairs for Mattel, to discuss the new requirements of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA); 1:00 p.m., Bethesda Towers, room 724. The meeting was requested by Neil Goldberg. For additional information contact Autumn Moore, (301) 504- 7040 or e-mail amoore@cpsc.gov. Posted on Master Calendar 11/5/08. (S)
Friday, November 7
Cheryl Falvey, General Counsel, met with the Art & Creative Materials Institute, Inc. to discuss certification of products under Section 102 of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA); 1:30 p.m., Bethesda Towers, room 702. For additional information contact Cheryl Falvey, (301) 504-7642. (OGC approved waiver of seven-day notice.) Posted on Master Calendar 11/6/08. (S)
Thursday, November 13
Cheryl Falvey, General Counsel, speaking before the ABA Section of Litigation Products Liability Committee, Women in Products Liability Conference on The Impact of the CPSIA on Handling a Product Recall; 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY. For additional information contact Cheryl Falvey, (301) 504-7642. Posted on Master Calendar 11/6/08. (S)
Friday, November 14
John Gibson Mullan, Mary Toro, Matthew, Office of Compliance and Field Operations, and Vincent Amodeo, Directorate for Engineering Sciences, meeting with representatives from the Bicycle Products Suppliers Association (BPSA) to discuss requirements of the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act; 1:30 p.m., Bethesda Towers, room 714. The meeting was requested by the BPSA. For additional information contact Mary Toro, (301) 504- 7586. Posted on Master Calendar 11/7/08. (S)
To see the public calendar on the website, please go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/calendar.html
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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $800 billion annually. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard or can injure children. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the 30 percent decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or visit CPSC's web site at www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. To join a CPSC email subscription list, please go to www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain this release and recall information at CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov.
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