Six companies recall blinds, shades after child deaths

WASHINGTON -- Six companies are recalling millions of window blinds and shades, following the deaths of three children who got caught in cords that help the coverings move up and down.

The recalls, announced Wednesday by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, involve some big-name companies, including Pottery Barn Kids and IKEA as well as smaller companies that sold their window covers at retailers such as Target.

No deaths were associated with the blinds and shades from Pottery Barn Kids and IKEA, but CPSC says there have been six reports of children becoming entangled in the inner cord of the Pottery Barn Kids shades.

CPSC says the three deaths, which date back to 2006, involved blinds or shades made or imported by Vertical Land, of Panama City Beach, Fla., and Lewis Hyman Inc., in Carson., Calif.

A one-year-old was killed in 2007 when he became entangled and strangled in the lift cord loop of a roll-up blind from Lewis Hyman that had fallen into his portable crib, CPSC said. The company is recalling about 4.2 million of the blinds.

It's also recalling more than a half-million roman shades following the strangulation death of a 13-month-old boy last year. The child was found with his head caught between the exposed inner cords and cloth on the backside of the shade, the agency said.

Vertical Land is recalling more than 32,000 blinds and shades following the death of a four-year-old girl. Her death was first reported to CPSC in 2006. The girl was strangled in the loop of a vertical blind cord that was not attached to the wall or floor.

The commission's new chairman, Inez Tenenbaum, says the blinds and shades pose a hidden hazard.

"I urge all parents to inspect their blinds and shades immediately and obtain the free repair or refund that the companies are offering to consumers," she said.

The Vertical Land blinds and shades were sold in Florida from 1992 through 2006. Customers can contact the company for a free retrofit kit.