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Schakowsky’s Statement on Recent Drop Side Crib Recall

April 30, 2010


WASHINGTON, DC — (April 30, 2010) Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) issued the following statement in response to the voluntary recall of 7 million drop side cribs announced by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

"The recent recall of drop side cribs is a tragic reminder of why we need strong safety protections throughout the consumer product industry. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, at least 21 babies have died because the design of these drop side cribs allowed them to get pinned between the mattress and the side of the crib, causing suffocation.

"Putting an infant in a crib to sleep should never end in this kind of heartbreak. Recent incidents with drop side cribs have been so frequent that the Consumer Product Safety Commission is considering banning them entirely.

"Americans deserve to feel confident that the products their kids and babies come into contact with will serve a good, useful purpose — not cause harm or death. Preventing such horrendous events is part of why I pushed so hard to get the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act passed in 2008.

"It put significant safety requirements in place for the vast majority of children's toys and products. And I am especially proud of the provisions I wrote, including mandatory standards and testing for durable infant and toddler products such as cribs. The CPSC is currently working on a rule for cribs, which should be released in the coming months....