Lowe's recalls 11 shades and blinds due to strangulation hazards

Lowe's recalls 11 shades and blinds due to strangulation hazards

2010-12-02 00:29:10 GMT+7 (ICT)

WASHINGTON, D.C. (BNO NEW) —The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), along with with Lowe's Home Centers, Inc., on Wednesday announced a voluntary recall of 11 million shades and blinds due to a strangulation hazard.

CPSC and Lowe's, based in North Carolina and Washington, have received reports of two incidents of children that became entangled in the exposed cord found on the backside of its Roman shades while looking out of windows.

In November 2009, a 2-year-old boy from Arvada, Colorado was found with the inner cord wrapped around his arm and neck, and last July, a 4-year-old boy from Lexington, South Carolina suffered a rope burn to his neck after becoming entangled in the cord of a Roman shade.

No incidents have been reported related to roll-up blinds, however.

"Strangulations can occur when a child places his/her neck between the exposed inner cord and the fabric on the backside of the blind or when a child pulls the cord out and wraps it around his/her neck," the CPSC said regarding the shades.

In addition, the CPSC said strangulations can occur with the roll-up blinds "if 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 recall involves all styles and sizes of Roman shades and roll-up blinds sold by Lowe's, but Roman shades with repair kits and roll-up blinds with release clips right below the head rail on the backside of the blind are not included in this recall.

The Commission is advising consumers to stop using the recalled Roman shades and roll-up blinds immediately and contact the Window Covering Safety Council for free repair kits.

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