Recall Affects Apartment Dwellers With Roman Shades or Roll-Up Blinds

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) today announced a voluntary recall to repair Roman shades and roll-up blinds because of the strangulation risk they pose to young children. The CPSC estimates that roughly five million Roman shades and three million roll-up blinds are purchased each year.

Strangulations in Roman shades can occur when children place their neck between the exposed inner cord and the fabric on the backside of the blind or when children pull the cord out and wraps it around their neck. Strangulations in roll-up blinds can occur if the lifting loop slides off the side of the blind and a child's neck becomes entangled on the free-standing loop or if children place their neck between the lifting loop and the roll-up blind material.

If you have Roman shades or roll-up blinds in your apartment, contact the WCSC by visiting http://www.windowcoverings.org or calling 1-800-506-4636 for a free repair kit.

The CPSC and the WCSC also offer the following guidelines to prevent strangulation:

1. Examine all sides of shades and blinds in your apartment to make sure there aren't any accessible cords. Ideally, use cordless window coverings in your apartment if children live there or visit.
2. Don't place cribs, beds, and furniture close to windows where children can climb to gain access to the cords.
3. Make loose cords inaccessible.
4. If the window shade has looped bead chains or nylon cords, install tension devices to keep the cord taut.

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