H EALTH ALERTS "I lll..i Graco carrers/swing seats Graco Children's Products Inc., of El- verson, Pa., is recalling 564,000 Graco carriers and carrier/ swing seats for repair because the handle on the seats can unflock unexpectedly, causing an infant to fall and be injured. Graco has received 45 reports of han- dles unlocking, including reports of four skull fractures and two concussions. Graco is offering a free repair kit that will lock the handle in position. It can be installed without tools, by the consumer. Model numbers involved in the recall include: 1300, 1301, 1310, 1350, 1501, 1502, 1530, 1723, 2788, 5510, 8108 and 36264, manufactured between August 1993 and ;A u g u s t _ ~~~1997. Model - ~~ W i; ~number and f {_r ~manufac- ;; _ f k ~~turing date 00 7_SX W fi are located L on the label _ ~~~~~underneath _ z t~~~~he top of _ z_ ~~the car- rier/ swing or under the seat of the carrier. Juvenile product and major discount stores, such as Toys "R" Us and Service Merchandise sold the $100 carrier and carrier/swing seat nationwide from August 1993 through August 1997. Consumers should stop using the recalled carrier and carrier/swing seat immediately. Consumers should call Graco at (800) 281-3676 any time for a free repair kit and installation instruc- tions or write to: Consumer Affairs, Graco Children's Products Inc., P.O. Box 100, Elverson, PA 19520. soap craft set Toys "R" Us, of Paramus, N.J., is recalling 4,000 Baskets of Bubbles children's craft sets because if consumers melt pieces of the soap disks in the microwave for 10 minutes as suggested on the instructions, the soap could ignite, presenting a fire hazard. The instructions should have read 10 seconds rather than 10 minutes. Toys "R" Us has received two reports of the soap and its container melting together in the microwave and one report of flames inside the oven. No injuries were reported. Baskets of Bubbles is a craft set for children for making small, scented glycerin soaps in various shapes. The kit includes disks of colored, scented soap to cut into small pieces. A plastic measuring cup, plastic molds and two baskets are included in the set. Baskets of Bubbles sets are labeled"Arts & Crafts by Alex...Baskets of Bubbles." They are identified as Toys "R" Us number SKN 668192, manufacturer number 70, UPC 7-31346-00707-0. Toys "R" Us stores sold the $15 soap craft sets nationwide from November 1997 to December 1997. Consumers should return the craft set to the nearest Toys "R" Us store for a full refund. Three-wick candies Gump's By Mail Inc., of Weehawken, N.J., is recalling 1,960 three-wick candles because the wax candle can generate high flames that present a fire hazard. Gump's By Mail has received 14 reports of high flames when the melted wax ignited as the candle b ur n ed, in12 re-_ ports of _l property __ damage . No injuries were reported. The three-wick candle is contained in a blue and white porcelain Oriental-style bowl. A gold sticker on the bottom of the bowl is labeled, "Andrea by Sadek...Made in Japan." A white sticker on the bottom of the bowl is labeled in part, "Charles Sadek Import Co." The candle is packaged in a brown cardboard box labeled in part, "Gump's ... Style: 91637." Gump's By Mail catalog sold the $25 candle nationwide from May 1996 through October 1997. Consumers should stop using the can- dle and return it to Gump's By Mail, Inc. at the Postage Due Unit, U.S. Postal Service, McSherrystown, PA 17344-9998 to receive a refund or credit for the purchase price. For more information, call (800) 338-2670 between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. EST Monday through Friday. Christmas lights Four importers and two retailers are recalling over 332,700 Christmas light sets because they have flammable plastic parts, bulb sockets that can fall apairt, no fuse protection, exposed bare wires or undersized wires, all of which present a fire hazard. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Conumission has received one report of a light set's bulb socket falling apart and exposing bare wires, but no injuries have been reported. The following is a list of importers and retailers and the products involved in this recal: Rona Distributors, Puerto Rico: 100- light sets with 5-way flashing lights, 150-light sets with 3-way flashing lights, and 200-light sets with 10-way flashing lights. All were packaged in green, white and red boxes with snowflakes and Santa sleds, and sold in 1996. Call (787) 768-8020. Star Brothers, Puerto Rico: 150- and 200-light sets with steady burning lights, packaged in green boxes with "Three Kings"p ornaments and musical notes. Sold in October 1997. Call (787) 781-3898. La Reina, Puerto Rico: 100-light sets with 5-way flashing lights and 140-light sets with 8 function controllers. Packaged in red boxes with "Liberty" bells, and sold from 1995 to 1997. Call (787) 743-4445. Island Recreation, Long Island, N.Y.: 100-light sets with steady burnilng or flashing lights, packaged in white boxes with Christmas tree and elves, and sold from 1996 to 1997. Call (800) 773-6353. Advance International/ Holiday In- dustries, Bronx, N.Y.: 100-light sets with 2-way flashing lights sold in 1994, 100-set lights with 5-way flashing lights sold in 1995 and 1996, both packaged in red boxes with yellow bows, and 140-light set with chasing lights sold in 1996 and packaged in a blue box. Call (718) 892-3460. STK International, Vernon, Calif.: 100 miniature light set with steady or flash- ing lights, sold July 1996 through April 1997 and packaged in a red box with a Christmas tree. Call (800) 536-7855. Discount and dollar-type stores sold the light sets for $1 to $8. Consumers should stop using the recalled Christmas lights and return them to the store where purchased for a refund or call the appro- priate numbers for assistance. Icicle holiday lights In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Conunission (CPSC), retail- ers nationwide are recalling more than 1.5 million sets of curtain-style, indoor/out- door holiday lights because electrical wiring can pull out from the splices of these light sets, exposing live wires and presenting an electrocution hazard. The recall is preventive; no injuries have been reported. The recalled curtain-style lights have horizontal electrical wire and vertical strings of four to seven lights that hang down to give an icicle effect when hung on a roof's edge or a tree. These lights have a splicing connector located at the point where the string of lights hangs down from the horizontal electrical wire. The splicing connector can pull apart or break, exposing metal wire and causing electrical shock. Consumers should check for the names, "Curtain," "Icicle" and "Wonder Lights." The lights come in strings of clear or multicolored bulbs and have either white or green wires. They were sold in strings of 100 and 150 in boxes containing one string, and sets of three or more strings. Recalled sets have unauthorized UL labels with the following numbers on them: E115759, E126258, E127357, E127522, E48723, E64444, E65770, and E97593. Curtain-style lights without splice con- nectors are not involved in this recall. Retailers including BJ's Wholesale, Builders Square, CVS Pharmacy, Caldor, Frank's Nursery & Crafts, Hechinger, Hobby Lobby, Home Quarters, M J Designs, Montgomery Ward, Rite Aid Pharmacy, Sam's Club, Shopko, Venture, Walgreens and Wal-Mart sold the lights nationwide from September 1996 to November 1997 for $6 to $19, depending on the size of the sets. Consumers should stop using the sets immediately and return them to the store where purchased for a refund. Consumers with questions can call or visit the local retail store where they pur- chased the lights or call the CPSC hotline at (800) 638-2772. Infant camers MTS Products Inc., of Santa Clarita, Calif., is recalling 18,200 J. Mason infant carriers because their handles can break, causing the carrier to fall and possibly injuring the infant. MTS and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission have received seven Suspended rocking cradles Infants placed on thieir stomachs to sleep in suspended rocldng cradles may suffocate, 0; especially if the cradle is at an improper L angle, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety \ tm ] Commission (CPSC) warns. w 0l0 * f S Babies can roll to the edge of the cradle,_J_ potentially wedging their heads in te cor- s 51lT; E : ner against the bedding. This can obstruct _ breathing or cause an infant to rebreathe its exhaled air, leading to unconsc'iousness AAPNews or death. The CPSC investigated 10 cases of infant death caused by suspended rocking cra- dles, which can rock either front to back or side to side. In all of the cases, infants were found in the face-down position, and some had been left unsupervised any- where from two minutes to 6 hours. CPSC researchers stated that when cradles were tilted more than five degrees, the risk of an infant rolling to the edge increased. If the infant's head is against gravity and wedged in a corner of a tilted cradle, it is more difficult for the infant to turn to breathe, they warned. While certain brands of suspended rocldng cradles have been removed from the U.S. market, remaining cradles should be used only if they have a loclding pin to pre- vent them from tflting. In addition, babies should be placed on their backs to sleep, as recommended by the American Academy ofPediatrics and the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Parents and caregivers should check their suspended rocldng cradles for locking mechanisms, and call the manufacturer to see ff their cradle has been part of a prod- uct recall. For more information, call the CPSC hotlie at (800) 638-CPSC. 32 4AAf'Newvs Februaryl1998