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Information on Recalls

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issues about 300 product recalls a year, many of them for products found in childcare settings. CPSC announces recalls of consumer products through the media, on its toll-free hotline, and on its Internet web site. Still, many consumers do not know about the recalls and continue to use potentially dangerous products. As a result, used products may be loaned or given to a charity, relatives, friends, or neighborhood childcare providers, or sold at garage/yard sales, flea markets, or secondhand stores.

How can you help? Do not accept, buy, use, lend, give away, or sell recalled consumer products. By contacting the CPSC, you can find out whether products have been recalled, and if so, what you should do with them. If you have products that you wish to donate or sell and you have lost the original packaging, contact the CPSC to find out product information.

Call CPSC's toll-free hotline, 800-638-2772, for information on products recalled from 1973 to the present. Check CPSC's web site, www.cpsc.gov, frequently for new recalls; check the recalls section for information on products recalled as far back as 1989.

You can receive CPSC's current recall information automatically by e-mail or fax, or in a quarterly compilation of recalls sent by regular mail. Call CPSC's hotline and after the greeting, enter 140, indicate how you want to receive the recall notices, and leave the other information requested.

Resources

Contact the Consumer Product Safety Commission, 800-638-2772, www.cpsc.gov.