Despite a US recall of some IKEA blinds, in response to three cases of infant strangulation, the Beijing branch of the Scandinavian furniture store has stated it will not follow suit.
The announcement was made on Tuesday by a public relations manager at IKEA China.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Health Canada announced on June 10 it would recall three types of blinds - roller blinds, Roman blinds and roll-up blinds. The voluntary recall will involve about 3,360,000 products, according to a press release on the CPSC website.
The commission announced the move after it and IKEA received three reports of children becoming entangled in the cords of Roman blinds.
It said a year-old boy in Lowell, Mass. Nearly strangled to death on Feb 28 in the hanging cord of a Roman blind. On April 4, 2008, a year-old girl in Greenwich, Conn. died in similar circumstances and there was a third case of a 2-year-old boy who also nearly died.
Both 2008 cases prompted recalls, but the most recent case was highlighted by CPSA and Health Canada for a need to stop the public use and reselling of the three products.
CPSC's website stated that strangulations can occur if the blind's looped bead chain is not attached to the wall or the floor with the tension device provided. Two other kinds of blinds - roller blinds and roll-up blinds - were also shown to be potentially hazardous.
All three sets of blinds are sold in Beijing's IKEA store.
Xu Deli, public relations manager with IKEA China, said the company hadn't received any notice regarding the dangers of the blinds and would not recall them.
Xu said the voluntary recall took place only in US in January and IKEA still sells them in every other country where it has a presence.
"We have posted advice on how to use the Roman blinds on our website and in our store," Xu said. "If consumers follow our instructions, there will not be any danger."
She said the Roman blind is a key product in IKEA and has been available since the Beijing store opened in 2006.
Xu suggested consumers not to install Roman blinds in rooms where children sleep.
However, some consumers in Beijing have not heard about the associated risks.
"I never thought the blinds could cause strangulation when I saw them in the store," said Zhang Jing, a 28-year-old who often goes to IKEA to buy furniture with her husband.
Zhang said she had almost bought a Roman blind several times because she liked the style. But since she did not have a child, she was not completely put off by the idea.
"They are safe for adults, right?" she asked.
China Daily
(China Daily 06/16/2010 page13)
