Contact: Sue Rogan, 240-777-3722
For Immediate Release: June 7, 2000

County Conducts Sweep for Dangerous Products
at Consignment and Secondhand Shops

The Consumer Affairs Division (DCA) of Montgomery County's Department of Housing and Community Affairs will be conducting a "dangerous products sweep" of consignment and secondhand shops through mid-June. The purpose of the sweep is to alert shop owners and the public about products that fail to meet current safety standards.

Many of these products have been recalled or banned by the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) but are still being sold in consignment or secondhand stores. Consumer Affairs is acting in support of the commission's national campaign to remove these products from the marketplace. "These products are dangerous and pose a risk of death or serious injury to consumers who use them," said George Rose, Chief of the County's Division of Consumer Affairs. In a survey conducted last year, CPSC found that 69 percent of all secondhand stores, including some in Montgomery County, were selling at least one hazardous product. The three products found most often were: children's jackets and sweatshirts with drawstrings that allow strangulation; hairdryers that do not protect against electrocution; and cribs that do not meet current safety standards. CPSC recalls over 250 hazardous products each year.

Consumer Affairs staff will provide store managers with information on how the store can check for recalled items. Each store will also be given a copy of the CPSC's "Thrift Store Safety Checklist," which the store can use to make sure products are safe before accepting them for resale.

Consumers can also check product safety before purchasing by logging onto the CPSC website at www.cpsc.gov, or by calling the CPSC at 1-800-638-2772 to receive this information.

The sale of secondhand children's car safety seats is of particular concern. If the car seat has lost the label which contains model number and manufacturer date, it is very difficult to ascertain whether recall repairs have been performed. Further, without personal knowledge of a seat's history of use, it is impossible to determine whether the seat has been involved in a crash. Even non-severe crashes can cause undetectable damage that could compromise the seat's integrity in a future crash. Finally, age alone can affect seats. Century, a major car seat maker, recommends that its seats be retired after six years.

DCA staff will provide information to store owners on what information is needed before the safety of any secondhand car seat can be evaluated. Consumers can check for recalls on car seats on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website at www.dot\nhtsa.gov or by calling 1-888-327-4236.

For more information, contact the Division of Consumer Affairs at 240-777-3636 or check its website www.co.mo.md.us\hca.

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