The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "Consumer Product Safety Commission" ...
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"Crib Recall"
A child is supposed to be safe in his or her own crib; however, cribs with drop down sides proved to be dangerous, even life-threatening to children. In 2009, CBS correspondent Susan Koeppen revealed the nation's largest crib recall ever recorded. It involved two million cribs. In the past two years, the "government has recalled nearly 5 million cribs."
Tags: Consumer Product Safety Commission; Stork Craft; drop down side crib
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A Sudden Explosion
Millions of red, consumer gas cans are sold each year and stored in homes across America. Most people know that gas can be dangerous, but they don't think of the cans as ticking time bombs. The report looks at several gas can explosion and the children who were severely burned.
Tags: gas can; Wal-Mart; explosion; manufacturer; vapor; flame arrester; flammability; Consumer Product Safety Commission
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Undetected Danger
Four brands of carbon monoxide alarms have been recalled since 1999, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Research published in 2002 claimed six of 10 brands performed inconsistently, while only three met the standards set by Underwriters Laboratories, the certification firm that ensures their reliability.
Tags: poison; detection; smoke alarm; bullfrog; marina; gas;
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Toxic Trinkets
After national coverage of toy recalls in the United States, KVOA wanted to localize the story. Using an X-ray gun to examine toys, they found some with lead content over 600 parts per million. They then took all the toys back and did lab testing. "By using lab testing, the entire toy's paint is scraped off and dissolved in acid- then an overall reading is obtained." This resulted in some toys having different lead levels. They found that for some toys, certain parts had over the 600 ppm, but overall the toy was under the amount.
Tags: consumer reports; consumer safety; toy recall; lead content; health; children; lab testing; testing; Consumer Product Safety Commission; Gabrielle Giffords
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Hidden Hazards
This investigation exposed how the Consumer Product Safety Commission fails to protect American children from injury and death. This series examines the dangers of certain kinds of products such as cribs, magnetic toys and jewelry and spinning tops to show what specific dangers they might cause and why they are still on the market. The seriest also examined the production chain of Chinese jewelry that had been recalled, and showed how some products slip through gaps and are still on the market.
Tags: child health; product safety; consumer health; FOIA; federal government; imports; government recalls
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Burning Laptops
Dallas' KVTV investigates overheating laptop batteries, eventually leading to a Consumer Product Safety Commission recall of nearly 10 million batteries due to fire hazards. The station received a tip after a consumer's laptop burst into flames, and the subsequent investigation found that lithium ion laptop batteries were susceptible. Experts asserted that the attempt to pack too much power into such a small device was leading to the overheating. Because there had been relatively few fires, this issue was not widely known, nor were the manufacturers taking steps to improve it. The story is ongoing, as technology continues to evolve.
Tags: Laptop; fire; combustible; overheat; computer; battery; consumer; danger
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Recalled Products at Daycare
This investigation found that many states do not require daycares to check and see if they're using recalled products. As a result, several children have died because of recalled products -- like cribs, playpens and toys -- at their daycares.
Tags: Consumer Product Safety Commission; daycare; preschool; injury; parents
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Fan Fires
After KIRO-TV produced this story, the Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a nationwide recall of millions of oscillating fans. A fire investigator took an SMC brand oscillating fan to his lab, plugged it in, and let it run 8 hours per day for 5 days. During the fifth day, the fan burst into flames.
Tags: oscillating fan danger; fan fire; Consumer Product Safety Commission; electric fans
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Lead Jewelry
When a one-year-old baby was diagnosed with lead-poisoning, enough to cause brain damage, WMAR investigators started to test costume jewelry kids love. Results showed that all of the tested jewelry contained lead, and some contained enough to cause illness. This investigation lead the Consumer Product Safety Commission to announce a voluntary recall of more than 150 million pieces of jewelry sold out of gumball machines. This was the single largest voluntary recall of a children's product in the history of the agency.
Tags: children; jewelry; lead-poisoning; health; poisoning; brain damage
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The Problem with Recalls/Hazard in Aisle 5
In the strong tradition of Consumer's Union reports on dangerous products, these articles look specifically at the six federal agencies responsible for "overseeing the safety of the full range of consumer products." The investigation found that weak laws and poor enforcement of recalls often result in dangerous and hazardous products making their way into homes across the country. Large percentages of recalled products are never turned in, one in three toys violates mandatory safety standards, and recalled goods are often exported to unsuspecting consumers in foreign countries.
Tags: Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC); hazardous goods