Recalls and Close Calls

This week our presh head's crib was recalled.  This is a massive recall of Graco and Simplicity drop side cribs sold between 2007 and 2010.  Thankfully, we have not had any incidents with the crib, but I did send in for the repair kit that will permanently fix the drop side of the crib.  [On a side note, there is legislation being pushed through Congress to ban drop side cribs from being made or sold in the US.]

While I was on the Consumer Product Safety Commission website I was bombarded with a large number of recently recalled items.  Alarmingly, most of the products were specific to infants and children. 

As a Christian, I know that our lives and the lives of our loved ones, children included, are in the hands of God.  We are not to live in fear of all the things that could go wrong.  (What a waste of precious time!)  However, when I scanned the reasons for the recalls it was mostly due to high levels of toxic substances or cheap, breakable parts that led to choking or suffocating hazards.

We trust companies that create and market toys and other kids' items to make the best decisions for our children.  I expect Graco to inspect, test, and ultimately build a quality item.  My child's life and limbs are at stake if they don't.  What I cannot understand is the risks companies are willing to take to save money.  Adding more lead to paint or dye certainly means less of the other materials necessary.  It is a cheap filling agent.  Yet, it is one that can and does cause permanent brain damage to infants and children.  So why is it still used so abundantly?  Plastic has proven to be one of the most convenient materials ever created.  Yet, companies make products just strong enough to meet standards.  In a good many cases it still is not strong enough.  (Not to mention the ridiculous amounts of petroleum that are required to make plastic, but that is an entirely different rant for another day.)

This is certainly not a perfect world.  I recognize that even the most enterprising and cautious companies make mistakes.  I just wish that more companies would take seriously their responsibilities to the people that are using their products. 

I'll step down from my soapbox now.  

The Presh Head  with pool hair enjoying Kat Williams at Park Rhythms