^{Free Story}

Matt Howsare, CPSC chief of staff and chief counsel to Chairman Inez Tenenbaum, will leave CPSC May 29.

^{Subscriber-Only Story}

CPSC staff will urge that definitions for playground equipment be based on likely use rather than on design, according to draft letter to various ASTM F15 subcommittees.

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ASTM’s working group on heavy metals in toys May 15 discussed edits to standard language, the potential use of high definition XRF, and chemical legislation.

^{Subscriber-Only Story}

ASTM’s suction limited gravity flow task group May 10 looked at test methods and devices in 15.51, Standard for Suction Prevention Vent Pipes in Swimming Pools Task Group.

^{Subscriber-Only Story}

The Fire Protection Research Foundation (FPRF) has completed a series of fire tests involving lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries, reaching a number of conclusions on fire hazards associated with these products.

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Careless actions, smoking and electrical malfunctions were the leading causes of civilian death in building fires with known causes between 2009 and 2011, according to an April U.S. Fire Administration (USFA) report.

^{Subscriber-Only Story}

The EU RAPEX system in 2012 edged into a record year, beating the previous record set in 2010 by just 1.5%.

^{Subscriber-Only Story}

Briefs on certificates, infant recliners, carriages and strollers, Williams-Sonoma, convection heaters, riding mowers, space heaters, and more.

^{Subscriber-Only Story}

Briefs on fire tests, alarms, aquarium equipment, component connectors, current interrupters, electric cables, microwaves, solar panels, and more.

^{Subscriber-Only Story}

Briefs on REACH, wheat bags, EU committees, bikes, jackets, bunk beds, flatware, gates, mowers, kayaks, and more.

^{Free Story}

Matt Howsare, CPSC chief of staff and chief counsel to Chairman Inez Tenenbaum, will leave CPSC May 29.

^{Free Story}

Williams-Sonoma’s $987,500 Section 15 settlement with CPSC related to recalled hammock stands also includes the company’s agreement to create a compliance program aimed at avoiding future problems. This settlement follows that of Kolcraft, which two months ago agreed a similar program.

^{Free Story}

Commissioners were slated to vote by ballot as PSL went to press on approving fund allocations under a revised fiscal 2013 operating plan.

^{Free Story}

CPSC and its stakeholders April 25 tackled one of the agency’s longest-standing challenges: upholstered furniture flammability.

Editorial – This week I turn the banner of the paper edition of Product Safety Letter to blue and yellow, the colors of the Boston Marathon. I do this to honor the victims, their families, the City of Boston, its first responders, doctors, nurses, and just plain folk who did what was needed.

^{Free Story}

CPSC April 8 made the 2013 version of the Regulated Products Handbook available.

^{By Don Mays}

The recent agreement by Kolcraft Enterprises, Inc. to pay a $400,000 civil penalty for failure to report potential hazards associated with their play yards had an interesting twist. The agreement with the CPSC included a provision that will require the company to implement robust improvements to its internal controls and compliance systems.

CPSC, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and agencies in Canada and Australia issued safety information on cleaning and pest control products as part of 2013 Poison Prevention Week activities.

^{Donald Kornblet and Ik-Whan Kwon, PhD}

A recent New York Times editorial (Feb. 19, 2013: “The Trouble With Online College”) analyzed the phenomenon of on-line university-level education and the attraction of 100,000 students or more for particular classes with celebrity professors. The editorial notes that the attrition rates for many of these courses are very high; and for many struggling students needing access to instructors, online learning falls short in direct contact.

^{Free Story}

CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum potentially could be at CPSC another 20 months, until October 2014, despite her announcement February 28 that she will not seek renomination.

Howsare to Leave CPSC; Kaye to Be Chief of Staff

^{Product Safety Letter (Bethesda, Md.)}

Matt Howsare, CPSC chief of staff and chief counsel to Chairman Inez Tenenbaum, will leave CPSC May 29. He will join the product safety practice at the Washington, D.C. office of Mintz Levin. Elliott Kaye, now deputy chief of staff and senior counsel to the chairman, will replace Howsare.

Receipts: BPA Hidden in Plain Sight

^{KATV (Little Rock, Ark.)}

More and more consumers are buying products that are BPA-free but many are walking out of stores with receipts coated in the very substance they're trying to avoid.

Electrical Heater for Risk of Igniting Nearby Objects

Children’s Hooded Sweatshirts for Drawstrings

Microwave Popcorn Makers for Overheating

Bean Bag Chairs for Accessible Beans

With Crash Data, Boston Tries to Make Bicycling Safer

^{Boston Globe (Boston, Mass.)}

Bike crashes in Boston are most likely to occur on Massachusetts Avenue, between 4 and 7 p.m., to men between 19 and 31 years old.

Bike Advocates React to City's Crash Study

^{Boston Globe (Boston, Mass.)}

Bicycle advocates were excited Wednesday about the release of an expansive report on bike crashes in the city, but many said they were less enthused about the initiatives the city may undertake as a result of the study’s findings.

Americans and Canadians Don't Agree on the Effectiveness of Bike Helmet Legislation

^{Montreal Gazette (Montreal, Quebec)}

Now here’s a puzzler, two studies – one American and one Canadian offer up totally different conclusions regarding whether cycling helmet laws reduce the incidence of head injuries.

More to Bike Safety Than Helmets, Study Finds

^{Winnipeg Free Press (Winnipeg Manitoba)}

Bicycle helmets may prevent head injuries, but a newly published study has found there's no evidence mandatory helmet laws do the same thing.

No Evidence Cycle Helmet Laws Work: Study

^{MetroNews Canada (Calgary, Alberta)}

Bicycle helmets may prevent head injuries, but a newly published study has found there’s no evidence that mandatory helmet laws do the same thing.

Company Suspends Promotion after Calgary Toddler Swallows Laundry Detergent Sample

^{Calgary Herald (Calgary, Alberta)}

The makers of Sunlight detergent say they are suspending a program to deliver free samples of their laundry pods after a little Calgary girl ate one and became seriously ill.

Kids Easily Open Child-Resistant Pill Bottles

^{WRIC (Petersburg, Va.)}

If you think those hard to open, child-resistant caps will always keep your children safe from pills, think again.