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Consumer Product Safety Commission recalls 2.1M Stork Craft cribs; says agency hasn't acted quickly
By Carrie Melago
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Originally Published:Tuesday, November 24th 2009, 6:12 AM
Updated: Tuesday, November 24th 2009, 2:17 PM
Following the largest crib recall in the nation's history, the head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission acknowledged her agency "hasn't been acting as quickly as it should" to address crib safety.
More than 2.1 million drop-side cribs made by Stork Craft were recalled Monday following reports of four infants suffocating in them.
Commission chief Inez Tenenbaum was on the hot seat Tuesday, explaining why federal regulators hadn't acted sooner despite warnings that the drop sides could partially detach and entrap a child.
"We have just not been acting as quickly as we should have at the Consumer Product Safety Commission on these types of incidents," she said on CBS' "Early Show."
She added that she was recently appointed and became aware of the issue "just a few weeks ago."
While the recall only affects cribs by Stork Craft - which will provide a free repair kit to immobilize the sides - Tenenbaum recommends parents abandon drop-sides altogether.
Dozens of deaths have been linked in the past decade to drop-side cribs, which are designed to allow parents to better reach their child.
Toys 'R' Us stopped selling drop-sides earlier this year, and Suffolk County became the first municipality in the nation to ban their sale last month.
Just last week, the industry-standards organization ASTM stopped certifying drop-side cribs in North America, a move expected to influence regulators and manufacturers.
If you have one of the recalled cribs, email us your story to [email protected].
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