Yet another set of children’s jewelry is being recalled due to high levels of lead paint. This time, the products are Makit & Bakit Jewelry Sets and Suncatcher Sets. More than 70,000 pieces were sold nationwide that are now included in the recall. Read on for specific product numbers.

The manufacturer, based in Michigan, is QuinCrafts. The following jewelry sets sold from August 2007 to March of this year for approximately $2:

For photos of the recalled toys and information on what to do, visit the official Consumer Product Safety Commission press release.

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The State of Iowa will receive $1.3 million dollars from pharmaceutical giant Merck for false and risky marketing of the pain relief drug Vioxx. Though Vioxx has been off the market since 2004, Merck is only just now beginning to face the real consequences of their actions. The $1.3 million settlement is part of a larger $58 million nationwide settlement.
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Yet another grill has been recalled due to fire hazards, but this one was sold in just a few states, including Iowa. The Char-Broil Two-Burner Gas Grill (see model number below) has been recalled because the main burner does not properly fit its attachment to the gas valve. This could cause a propane leak that leads to fire damage and serious burns to consumers.

Four hundred of the grills were sold between February and April of this year. The product retailed for approximately $120. if you have a recalled grill, stop using it immediately and contact Char-Broil for more information on getting a free replacement burner. Those grills affected will bear the model number 463720108, and were sold in the following states:

• Iowa
• North Dakota
• Minnesota
• Wisconsin

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Disney has announced a particularly unsettling lead-paint recall: sleeping bags. The company is recalling more than 4,000 children’s sleeping bags decorated in a Pirates of the Caribbean theme. The sleeping bags were sold for approximately $25 in Disney stores all across the country between April and October of last year.

The fact that a children’s sleeping bag could be coated in lead paint is quite disconcerting. Details of the recall explain that the specific part of the product effected is the zipper pull along the side of the bag. While the cartoon pirates on the bag and other parts are reported to be safe, this small zipper has effectively ‘hijacked’ the safety of the entire product.

If you have this Disney Sleeping Bag, take it away from the child immediately and bring it to the Disney store for a full refund.

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A drug that was put on suspension after being linked with thousands of deaths is finally being pulled from the shelves. Earlier this week, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced to the FDA and consumer groups that it plans to recover any Trasylol that is still left in the market.

Trasylol is a drug used to control bleeding during heart surgery. But last year, a Canadian study linked Trasylol to kidney problems, heart attacks, and strokes that can cause death. The company says that most remaining Trasylol is in storage or in doctors’ offices. Trasylol had been marketed aggressively by Bayer before it was finally taken off the market last fall.

In fact, part of what caused the drug to be removed in October was the previously mentioned Canadian study. The study was actually suspended in the middle of research because it became clear that patients taking Trasylol were at an increased risk for death.

While Bayer is taking Trasylol back, it will still be allowed for a limited number of patients who have no options for safe alternative treatments because of their specific conditions. However, doctors will have to document that the risk of not taking Trasylol is greater than the risk the drug itself presents.

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Often, products are recalled when a tame item becomes dangerous. An appliance might be a fire hazard, a toy may be a strangulation hazard. But this week a product that can be dangerous when working properly–an air pistol–was recalled because a malfunction may make the product even more hazardous.
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A product designed to safely warm bottles and food for infants has turned out to be a fire hazard. The “Deluxe Bottle and Food Warmer,” manufactured by Munchkin Inc., of North Hills, California was recalled on Thursday after several reports of the product igniting in flame.
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Hundreds of dune buggies were recalled earlier this week after a rider suffered nerve damage in an accident caused by a malfunctioning seat belt. The recall comes as a joint announcement from TJ Power Sports, a Texas-based company, and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The “Twister Hammerhead” dune buggy was sold all across the country, as well as online from July 2004 to December 2004 for approximately $3,000.
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By now, American consumers are used to hearing about product recalls that center around children’s goods, specifically lead paint and choking hazards. However, “grown up toys” are recalled more often than one might expect for a different, yet very serious, type of hazard: laceration.
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In 1994, 5-year-old Nancy Sibley died when the drawstring on her hood caught at the top of a slide, causing her to strangle. Since then, much has been done to modify and eliminate drawstrings from the heads and necks of children’s apparel. But this April, eight companies were fined $320,000 for failing to comply with federal standards for reporting drawstrings in their products.
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