The average household is filled with numerous products, appliances, toys, and electronics, and unfortunately, many items have the potential to cause injury to consumers. People are often unaware of household dangers until an injury or death occurs, and they may be unaware of household product recalls until it is too late.
According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), household consumer products injure an estimated 33.1 million Americans every year, as a result of both accidents and manufacturing errors. Household safety issues can include electrical problems, fire hazards, toxic ingredients, burn risks, suffocation, falling objects, sharp objects, and choking hazards, as well as many others.
Additional household safety issues include:
- Chinese drywall with toxic fumes
- Exposure to pesticides
- Candles
- Faulty smoke alarms
- Outdoor equipment such as defective hunting tree stands
Household Product Recalls
Household products are often subject to CPSC safety recalls for faulty electrical wiring, defective or loose parts, mislabeling, fall risks, and overheating hazards. Commonly recalled household products include:
- Appliances such as toasters, microwaves, mixers, coffeemakers, refrigerators, ranges, pressure cookers, ovens, and air purifiers
- Rechargeable batteries and laptops
- Heating devices such as space heaters, furnaces, electric blankets
- Clothing and flammability issues, such as in the chenille clothing recall
- Medications
- Bedroom furniture and mattresses
- Window treatments such as blinds and shades
- Lead paint
- Lawn and outdoor equipment such as lawn mowers, ladders, electrical power tools, fuel storage containers, grills, gas-cooking devices, and garage doors