A flurry of media reports on product recalls, especially toys, hit us at the end of 2007. Because many of our products come from corners of the globe other than our own, certain standards for product safety sometimes slip a bit. One of those standards is eliminating lead from toys and other items that many of us have daily contact with.
There are many agencies set up to keep people informed. Listed below are the most well-known ones. Print this list and keep it handy. You never know when you might need it.
www.recalls.gov
Recalls.gov covers all government recalls. Information on this site is gathered from six other federal organizations:
> US Federal Food and Drug Administration, www.fda.gov
> National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, www.safecar.gov or www.nhtsa.dot.gov
> Coast Guard, United States Department of Agriculture, www.uscg boating.org
> Environmental Protection Agency, wwwfsis.usda.gov
> Consumer Product Safety Commission, www.cpsc.gov
This site contains different buttons for boats, consumer products, cosmetics, food, motor vehicles, medicine and environmental products. It also has excellent publications about a variety of consumer issues. In addition, it has a hot line—800-638-2772—on which you can actually talk to a real live human being and ask questions or be directed to the correct source. This group handles recalls on 15,000 types of consumer products, including toys. You can also sign up on the site for e-mail alerts of recalls.
Here’s wishing you and yours a safe and happy holiday season!
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Disclaimer: The purpose of this weblog is not to dispense medical advice nor in any way is meant to be construed as diagnostic or prescriptive. Always check with your physician before beginning any new program or trying any of the items discussed in the posts that appear on this site.
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