Roman Shades and Blinds Recalled Following Death

Yet again, a producer of Roman shades (or blinds) has recalled thousands of its products due to the strangling death of a child on one of its pull cords.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says Hanover Direct Inc., of Weehawken, N.J., has agreed to recall about 495,000 Roman shades and about 28,000 blinds after the death of a 22-month-old boy in Iowa, reports the Associated Press.

The boy whose death prompted the recall died in May after becoming tangled and trapped in the pull cord of a Roman shade. He was found hanging by the neck and was rescued by his father, but died later at a hospital.

The government agency said it received reports of five deaths and 16 near strangulations in Roman shades between 2006 and 2009 and three deaths in roll-up blinds between 2001 and 2009.

In all, the CPSC reports that 500 children have strangled on the cords of blinds and shades since the early 1980s.

In the last few years, millions of window coverings and blinds have been recalled by more than a dozen companies due to safety concerns, CPSC reports.

The most recent recall comes as the industry crafts a better standard to make window coverings in American homes safer for children.