WASHINGTON, D.C. - Nearly 1 million roller blinds and Roman shades sold by IKEA, Bed Bath & Beyond and Hanover Direct were recalled Tuesday for posing a serious strangulation risk to small children.
A child's neck can get tangled in the inner cord of Roman shades or the exposed loop of roller blinds, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The recall includes about 533,000 ISDANS, TUPPLUR and ENJE roller blinds manufactured in Taiwan and France and sold by IKEA Home Furnishings of Conshohocken, Pa. between July 2005 and July 2009.
IKEA previously recalled blinds in August, as well as in November 2008, following the death of a child. No incidents involving IKEA blinds were reported in this recall.
IKEA says owners of the blinds should check to make sure the tension device is properly installed. If not, they can call 888-966-4532 or visit an IKEA store for a free repair kit. The kits will be available the second week of November.
The recall also includes about 364,000 Chinese-made Dublin Energy Solution Roman shades imported by Louis Hornick & Co. Inc. of New York, N.Y., and sold exclusively by Bed Bath& Beyond between August 2007 and September 2009.
Two children became entangled in the inner cord of these shades. One, a 3-year-old boy, managed to free himself. The other, a 20-month-old boy, was rescued from the cord by his grandfather. Neither child received permanent injuries.
Blind owners should contact Louis Hornick & Co. at 800-517-3612 for a free repair kit, which will be available by the end of November.
The recall also includes about 90,000 Chinese-made faux suede Roman shades imported and sold by Hanover Direct Inc. of Weehawken, N.J. , which is also known as Domestications. The shades were sold through the company's Web site and catalog between January 2004 and December 2008.
A two-year-old boy was became tangled in the inner cord of these shades, and was freed by his parents without receiving permanent injuries.
For a free repair kit, call 800-524-0597.
The CPSC says they are still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Tell them about it by visiting https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx
Anonymous said on October 27, 2009 at 2:44 PM
The junk must have been made in china
Anonymous said on October 27, 2009 at 2:59 PM
Is this still an issue? These cords have been a hazard since I was a kid. Don't the manufacturers know that this hanging cord thing is just not feasible?