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Three children’s jewelry products have been recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) this past week because they might contain high levels of lead, which is dangerous if ingested. No incidents have been reported with any of these products.

The first product is Parragon Book’s “The Magical Ballet Slippers” (or “Ballerina’s Magical Shoes”), which comes with a necklace that may have lead in the solder. Also affected are the  Spanish and French versions of the book. The ISBN are 1405411449,1405448385 and 1405449527; the UPC numbers, respectively, are  9781405411448, 9781405448383 and  9781405449526. For the return and exchange information, contact Parragon at any time toll-free at (888) 480-2854, or visit their website at www.parragonrecall.com.

The next product is Action Product’s “Children’s Charm Craft Kits”. The clasp in the charm kit has high lead content in it. Some 18,500 units are affected, specifically the “Super Dooper Charms” (item #63403) and “Shoelace Charms” (item #67310). Action Products says that consumers should take these products away from children and contact them for a free replacement. Their phone number is (800) 772-2846, and can be reached from :30 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday. Their Website is www.apii.com.

The final product is “Faded Glory” lip gloss, locket and bracelet made by F.A.F. Inc. ans sold at Wal-Mart. The lobster claw clasps on the bracelet contain high levels of lead.  The sets affected, according to the CPSC website, are:

Item             Model Number        UPC
Frog Set         6709-4250    72783357703
Monkey Set    6709-4251    72783357704
Cat Set           6709-4252    72783357705

Consumers should take these sets back to any Wal-Mart store for a full refund. If additional information is needed, F.A.F. Inc. can be contacted at (800) 949-3311 between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, and on the web at www.faf.com.

Posted under Recalls

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) has scheduled public hearings in April in the Washington, D.C. area, and the Kansas City, Missouri, metro area on the application for federal deposit insurance filed on behalf of the proposed Wal-Mart Bank.

On July 19, 2005, an application for federal deposit insurance was submitted to the FDIC by Wal-Mart Bank, a proposed Industrial Loan Company (ILC) headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. ILCs are state banks that are supervised and insured by the FDIC.

There has been considerable public interest in the application. The FDIC believes that public participation will provide valuable insight into the issues presented by the application and will serve the public interest. The FDIC is interested in obtaining the views of the general public, the financial services industry and other industry trade groups, public interest groups, state financial institution supervisors, other state authorities, and any other interested parties.

The hearing in the Washington, D.C., area will be held on Monday and Tuesday, April 10-11, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The hearing in the Kansas City metro area will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday, April 25-26, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The exact locations of the hearings will be announced later on the FDIC’s Web site. The presiding officer for these hearings will be the FDIC’s Chief Operating Officer John F. Bovenzi. Other FDIC senior management officials will be designated as hearing officers at a later date.

Anyone interested in making an oral presentation at the hearings must deliver a written request to the FDIC no later than 5:00 p.m., Friday, March 10, and deliver a copy of the written statement and a two-page (or shorter) summary to the FDIC no later than 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 28. Participants generally will be limited to a 5-minute oral presentation at the hearing. There is no limit on the length of a participant’s written statement. Opportunities to make an oral presentation at the hearing are limited; not all requests may be granted.

Anyone interested in submitting a written statement without making an oral presentation at the hearing may do so. All such statements must be received by the FDIC no later than 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, March 28. Attendance at the hearing is not required in order to submit a written statement.

Requests to make oral presentations and written statements can be delivered to the FDIC by e-mail, mail or hand-delivery — e-mail: publichearing@fdic.gov; mail: Robert E. Feldman, Executive Secretary, 550 17th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20429; or hand-delivery: Guard station at the rear of 550 17th Street (located on F Street, N.W.) on business days between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Posted under Customer Service

The Consumer Product Safety Commission, in conjunction with Wal-Mart, recalled approximately 75,000 oscillating heaters known as Maxi-Heat™ Dream Tower Heaters.

The government agency said that the wires inside the oscillating heater can short circuit and spark, posing a fire hazard to consumers. The manufacturer had reported more than cases of short circuits, but no injuries.

The recalled model is CH920. The ceramic portable electric heaters are the oscillating tower type. They are grey and have a control panel attached to the top of the unit. “Maxi-Heat™” is printed on the control panel. The model number is printed on the ETL label on the bottom of the back side of the unit.

These units were sold at Wal-Mart stores between August 2005 and December 2005 for $40. Consumers should immediately stop using the appliance and call King of Fans toll-free at (866) 443-1291 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. E.T., Monday through Friday.

Posted under Recalls

Wal-Mart has joined with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to voluntarily recall nearly 50,000 holiday candles because the decorations on the candle can ignite.

The candles were sold at Wal-Mart locations between September 2004 and January 2005 under the name “Holiday Time” and manufactured by Dan Dee International of New Jersey. According to Wal-Mart, there have been six reported incidents of the candles catching fire, including two that resulted in property damage in the thousands of dollars.

Wal-Mart advised consumers that they should immediately stop using the candles and return them to Wal-Mart for a full refund.

Posted under Recalls

The Consumer Product Safety Commission and Wal-Mart announced on January 13 that 600,000 crockpots, or “slow cookers” have been recalled because the handles could break and cause hot food to burn the person handling the appliance.

The involved products are GE Oval and Double Dish Slow Cookers that were imported by Hamilton Beach/Proctor-Silex and sold exclusively at Wal-Mart stores between August 2000 and December 2002 for approximately $25.

There have been 531 reported cases of handles breaking, and four consumers have been burned.

The affected model numbers are 106661 and 106851. Wal-Mart has created a toll-free number at (888) 293-3343 for consumers who own one of these products.

“Consumer safety recalls are not as effective as they can be because so many occur,” says Joan Bounacos, president of Consumer Help Web. The consumer advocacy company recommends that consumers sign up for one of the federal government’s recall mailing lists. “The Consumer Product Safety Commission issued more than 20 recalls in December alone,” Bounacos said. “Getting a little extra email is a good trade-off for making sure consumers stay safe.”

Posted under Recalls