Category: Safety

Product safety information

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FCC, EPA and CPSC news

Three interesting regulatory related news stories from Conformity this week.

Story one:
The FCC has turned down a request from alarm system providers who wanted an extension on the availability of the old Cellular Analog Service Requirement. It is still widely deployed as the backup link for alarm systems but the FCC will not extend the deadline past it’s termination date of February 18, 2008. This does not mean all service providers will turn off their systems on that date, it means they have the legal right to turn off their systems then. Full details are in the FCC order. After all the pushing back of deadlines the FCC had to do for analog TV service, I had figured they wouldn’t allow any further moving of this deadline.

Story two:
Safety of products made in China not so good according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). From the Conformity article:

According to the CPSC, about two-thirds of all U.S. product recalls involve imported products. Since products manufactured in China account for approximately 40% of all consumer products imported into the U.S., efforts to curb the importation of defective products from China has become a major agency priority.

See the CPSC report for details of how they’re going to keep us safer. FYI – the link in the PDF report is wrong, the China program plan page is here. While this is a good step it is vitally important that consumers watch out for themselves. If a product looks or feels unsafe, don’t buy it just because it’s cheaper than the alternatives. Remember, in the USA, regulatory action for safety doesn’t usually happen until after someone is harmed.

Story three :
EPA report on the majority of e-waste still going to landfill. From the EPA fact sheet:

About 15-20 percent were collected for recycling. The recycled/disposed split remained fairly constant between 1999-2005. Although recycling continues to increase, the percentage recycled remains constant …

This comes as no surprise to me, e-waste recycling is very inconvenient and/or expensive. If everywhere in the US had easy to use, zero cost, e-waste disposal, the number of items ending up in landfill would likely drop significantly.

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Laser safety and compliance

Via Conformity, the FDA has released updated guidelines for laser testing compliance as they transition to the newest regulations.

Of more general importance is this safety warning from the International Laser Display Association. This warning is in reference to a Laser Flashlight Hack that has been getting attention around the internet. Details of this DIY laser are at the Instructables web site but, IMHO, the safety warnings provided there are not nearly adequate.

If anyone is planning on making this potentially very dangerous laser pointer out of a DVD burner and cheap parts, I urge you to read and re-read all the warnings from the ILDA.

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CPSC and FDA news

Via Conformity Magazine here’s some recent Consumer Product Safety Commission and Food and Drug Administration news.

iPods May Cause Pacemaker Malfunction, is this proof that too much rock n’ roll can kill. πŸ™‚

What a bargain, save a buck on toothpaste at a dollar store and receive a poison in your body for free: FDA Warns Consumers About Toothpaste from China . Here’s the FDA notice, DEG in Toothpaste, I think I’ll skip the small savings and keep my health. Remember cheap stuff is just that, cheap stuff so be careful what you buy.

Finally, here’s the latest CPSC Actions In The News. It sure is loaded with products manufactured in China (4 out of 5). I wonder if this is due to Chinese manufacturing quality or just because very few things these days are made anywhere else.

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FDA + CPSC news

From the latest Conformity Magazine newsletter:

Save a few bucks and get electrocuted or burn the house down, what a bargain. CPSC Warns Against Counterfeit Electrical Products

“The CPSC says that it has recalled more than one million counterfeit electrical products in recent years, including defective circuit breakers, cell phone batteries, and extension cords. Many of the recalled products were manufactured in China, where they are not tested [for] compliance with relevant safety standards.”

Read the full article for good tips to help spot the counterfeits.

Here’s the most dangerous manufacturing problems I’ve heard of in a long time, FDA Seizes Implantable Medical Devices, Initiates Recall

“In a dramatic action that underscored the severity of the risk to consumers, investigators from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Marshals seized all implantable medical devices from a New Jersey-based manufacturer after identifying significant deficiencies in the companyΒ’s manufacturing process.”

The FDA press release on the problem with Shelhigh, Inc. medical devices states:

“Physicians should consider using alternative devices. Physicians should also monitor patients with a Shelhigh implant for infections and proper device functioning over the expected lifetime of the device. Patients who think they may have received a Shelhigh device during surgery should contact their physician for more information.”

Also see the official FDA Preliminary Public Health Notification.

Some good advice to anyone using life supporting electrical devices. FDA Cautions User of Implantable Devices About RFIDs

“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is cautioning consumers with pacemakers and other implantable medical devices about the potential for interference from radio frequency identification (RFID) tags.”

The FDA notice makes it clear that there have been no field reports of problems but lab testing has shown potential for problems. They want Doctors to include RFID systems in the list of potential problem sources that they warn their patients about. The current list of potential interference sources includes, portable radio transmitters, cell phones, anti-theft systems, and metal detectors.

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Lithium Ion Battery saftey being evaluated by the CPSC

This article in Conformity Magazine summarizes recent safety testing of Lithium Ion batteries, it also has a link to the full report.

As embedded systems designers we have a responsibility to pay careful attention when we use newer technologies like LI batteries in our products. There have been many very safe designs with LI batteries but due to their nature a totally safe design is not an easy task. So please resist the temptation to cut corners when you design a potentially dangerous device into your latest gadget.

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Record year for product safety recalls

This article in Conformity magazine points out that 2005 has set the record for most product safety recalls according to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

There is also an article highlighting the latest recalls.

One item they don’t mention, they probably don’t know, is that at least some of the replacement PS2 AC adaptors have also been recalled. I know this because my brothers adapter was subject to the recall. He promptly received the replacement adapter and, then received a second replacement from Sony because they needed to recall the first replacement, Doh!

With the apparent incompetence on the part of Sony regarding the rootkit DRM (see previous post for details) and now botching the PS2 adapter’s I’m beginning to wonder if Sony is being managed by Homer Simpson. πŸ˜‰