By: Allison Lane

This week, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recalled Generation 2 Worldwide and “ChildESIGNS” Drop Side Cribs.  The warnings reveal that these drop side cribs put infants and toddlers at risk of serious injury or death due to strangulation and suffocation. 

The CPSC advises that parents and caregivers should not try to fix the cribs themselves.  They encourage parents to stop using the cribs immediately and find an alternative safe sleeping environment.

These cribs have plastic hardware that can break, causing the drop side to detach from the corner of the crib.  When the side detaches, infants can fall between the mattress and the drop side, and either fall to the floor, or become stuck and suffocate.  Injuries may be minor cuts and bruises, but they may also be as serious as broken bones or death.  Three children have died from suffocating between the mattress and the drop side. 

Depending on the retailer, consumers should immediately contact the store where the crib was purchased, and either request a refund, replacement or store credit.  These recalled cribs were sold at a number of stores, including, Buy Buy Baby, Kmart and Walmart.  If consumers have any other problems with these cribs, they are encouraged to immediately report the difficulties to the CPSC.

By: Allison Lane

As early as September 2008, the maker of Tylenol products was made aware of the complaints that some Tylenol products had a moldy smell and were causing nausea, however, the products were not recalled until November 2009.  The maker of Tylenol products, Johnson & Johnson’s McNeil Consumer Healthcare Products, is being criticized by the FDA for its failure to investigate the contamination and pulling the products off of the shelves more quickly.  The FDA sent a warning letter to McNeil for failing to follow the manufacturing standards.  The FDA does not have the authority to recall products on its own accord. 

This is the second recall that has occurred in the last several months.  In November 2009, McNeil recalled Tylenol Arthritis for the moldy smell which caused nausea, stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.  Now, it has expanded the recall to include some batches of regular and extra-strength Tylenol, children’s Tylenol, Eight-Hour Tylenol, Tylenol PM, children’s Motrin, Motrin IB, Benadryl Rolaids, Simply Sleep, and St. Joseph’s aspirin. These caplets and geltabs were recalled in the Americas, United Arab Emirates and Fiji. 

Research has revealed that the tainted products are being traced back to a chemical in wooden shipping pallets.  McNeil liked the illness to tribromoanisole, which is also known as  TBA.  This chemical is used to treat pallets that contain packaging material used in the tainted products.  Investigators surmise that the chemical leached into the packaging material.  There has not been a lot of research done on the effects of TBA on humans, however, it is believed to cause serious illness.

Please visit www.mcneilproductrecall.com for a complete list of the McNeil recalled products.

Our personal injury law firm, with headquarters in Boca Raton, Florida, is pleased to announce that we have opened a satellite office in Broward County to better serve our clients further south.

New offices are located in Hollywood, Florida.

3230 Stirling Road, Suite 2A
Hollywood, FL 33021

Our Broward phone number is (954) 767-9190.

As always, we can be found online at www.balkanpatterson.com. The main office of Florida trial attorneys Balkan & Patterson is located in East Boca Raton. They represent personal injury, auto accident, defective products, and consumer fraud clients throughout South Florida, including Boca Raton, Deerfield Beach, Lighthouse Point, Parkland, Delray Beach, Boynton Beach, and throughout the United States.