Protecting What's Right

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced a recall of TVs distributed and installed by Pdi Communications in healthcare facilities such as hospitals, medical centers, and nursing homes.  The wall-mounted 26-inch and 32-inch LCD sets were sold for about $1,000 and installed between September 2008 and July 2009.

Facilities with the sets are asked to immediately remove the power cord and call Pdi to arrange a free repair.  One incident of flames from a set has been reported, which is caused by a defect in the TV’s power supply board.

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Fast food giant McDonald’s Corp. is recalling drinking glasses featuring characters from the movie “Shred Forever After 3D” after discovery that paint on the glasses contain the toxic metal cadmium, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

The glasses, manufactured by ARC International, were sold at McDonald’s restaurants between May and June 2010 for $2 apiece.  The 16-ounce glasses feature designs of movie characters Shrek, Fiona, Puss n’ Boots, and Donkey.

For more information, go to the CPSC website.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced a voluntary recall by Maytag Corp. of 1.7 million dishwashers due to an electrical failure of the appliances’ heating elements, which can cause a serious fire hazard.  Maytag has to date received 12 reports of fires caused by the problem; fortunately, no injuries have been reported.

The recall affects certain dishwashers with plastic tubs sold between February 2006 and April 2010.  Brands subject to the recall include Maytag®, Amana®, Jenn-Air®, Admiral®, Magic Chef®, Performa by Maytag®, and Crosley® dishwashers.

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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has published a list of drywall brands emitting the highest levels of sulfuric gases.  The greatest emissions were found in drywall manufactured by Knauf Plasterboard in 2005 and Taian Taishan Plasterboard in 2006.

Hydrogen sulfide from Chinese drywall has been linked to corrosion of household appliances and metals.  The CPSC has received approximately 3,300 complaints from U.S. homeowners, and it is estimated that thousands more are affected by the defective drywall.

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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced the recall of 54,000 lithium-ion batteries due to reports of injuries caused by their overheating and rupturing.  The announcement expands on an earlier recall of 70,000 batteries.

The batteries at issue are used in HP and Compaq laptop computers sold between August 2007 and July 2008.  The battery packs were also sold separately.  HP has received 40 reports of batteries overheating and of 11 resulting injuries.

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The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) released interim recommendations on April 2 that homeowners with toxic Chinese drywall should remove and replace the problem drywall.  Additionally, homeowners should replace affected household systems such as electrical wiring, gas pipes, sprinkler systems, and smoke alarms.  The CPSC is also investigating concerns that corrosion of electrical systems might prevent a fire hazard or a risk of electrical shock.

More than 2,100 homeowners have filed suit in federal court over the defective drywall, which was heavily imported from China after the hurricanes of 2004 and 2005 resulted in a shortage of domestic drywall.  The drywall releases hydrogen sulfide, which causes a foul odor, corrosion of metal parts and health complaints.

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