^{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.

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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.

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

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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.

Study Pins Higher U.S. Liability Costs On Lawyers, Court System

^{Forbes (New York, N.Y.)}

A study released today shows – no surprise – that legal liability costs in the U.S. are the highest in the world, and more than twice the average level in Eurozone countries.

New Push to Hold Foreign Manufacturers Accountable For Defective Products

^{Madison-St. Clair Record (Edwardsville, Ill.)}

Every day, American consumers are vulnerable to injury or death from dangerous foreign products manufactured abroad.

Forensics Fail: When Bad 'Fire Science' Burns Innocent Defendants

^{Take Part (Beverly Hills, Calif.)}

Physics and chemistry can determine when, where and how a fatal fire started.

Bloomberg Announces New Fire Prevention Tool

^{Times Ledger (Queen, N.Y.)}

The city buildings with the highest risk of fire are first in line for inspections with help from a new technology the city Fire Department is putting to use as the first of its kind in the nation.

Recent Raid Shines Light on 'Death Trap' Clubs across City Concerning Public Safety Officials

^{(WRTV Indianapolis, Ind.)}

A club that some would call a "death trap" has been shut down, and the Call 6 Investigators are exposing a problem that is threatening the lives of hundreds of people.

Why Don't Homes Have Sprinkler Systems?

^{BBC News (London, England)}

Fire sprinkler systems are a common sight in offices, shops and schools

Mother's Documentary Exposes 'America's Secret Epidemic'

^{Portland Tribune (Portland, Ore.)}

Tamara Rubin’s home and family were wracked by lead contamination eight years ago, catapulting her on a new life journey.

Slightly High Lead Tied to Less Reading Readiness

^{Reuters (New York, N.Y.)}

Children with even slightly elevated blood lead levels are less likely to be ready to read when starting kindergarten, according to a new study

CDC: Fecal Matter Found in Many Public Pools

^{U.S. News & World Report (New York, N.Y.)}

It's as you may have feared about public swimming pools: Those hordes of children, carefree and a bit saggy in the trunks, may be making that water a little poopy.

Yuck! What's in Your Pool Water

^{CNN (Atlanta, Ga.)}

Chlorine is supposed to take care of most of the microbes floating around in pools, but human waste, it seems, is stubbornly resistant to being sanitized.

Saws Cut Off 4,000 Fingers a Year. This Gadget Could Fix That

^{Mother Jones (New York, N.Y.)}

Gerald Wheeler caught the hot dog demonstration at the International Woodworking Fair in Atlanta in 2002.