Children's Deaths Prompt Recall of Toy Dart Gun Sets Sold Exclusively at Family Dollar Stores
On May 17, 2010, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced the recall of over 1.8 million toy dart gun sets sold by the discount retailer Family Dollar and marketed by a Plainfield, NJ distributor. The darts pose a serious asphyxiation hazard, which tragically claimed the lives of two children who had been playing with the toy.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), in cooperation with Family Dollar Stores Inc., of Charlotte, N.C., is announcing the voluntary recall of 1.8 million toy dart gun sets, due to an aspiration hazard. CPSC and Family Dollar have received reports of two asphyxiation deaths involving a 9-year-old boy in Chicago, Ill. and a 10-year-old boy in Milwaukee, Wis.
If a child places the soft, pliable plastic toy dart in his/her mouth, the toy can be inhaled into the throat and prevent the child from breathing.
The toy dart guns, imported by Henry Gordy International Inc., of Plainfield, N.J., were sold exclusively at Family Dollar stores. Family Dollar is working cooperatively with CPSC to announce this recall because Henry Gordy International has refused to recall the toy dart gun sets.
The "Auto Fire" toy target set is sold with either an orange and yellow toy gun (item #P238) or a blue and yellow toy gun (item #9328), eight orange darts and a small target with numbers from 1 to 20. The gun's item number is located on one side of the handle in raised lettering. The soft plastic darts measure just over one inch in length and have a small suction cup at one end with a diameter of about ½ inch. The target board is black, yellow, red and green, and measures five inches in diameter. "Gordy Toy" for "Ages 8+" is printed on the packaging.
The toy sets were sold exclusively at Family Dollar stores nationwide from September 2005 through January 2009 for about $1.50.
The products were manufactured in China. Photos of the toy can be found on the CPSC Web site.
Consumers should immediately take the toy target sets from children and discard them. Consumers can also return the guns and darts to a Family Dollar store for a full refund. For additional information, contact Family Dollar at (800) 547-0359 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's Web site.
CPSC is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about it by visiting the CPSC Web site.
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