Authorities at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) have recalled thousands of units of a blind manufactured by Blind Xpress of Livonia, Mich. due to safety concerns.
The custom -made vertical and horizontal blinds have been associated with the death of a child in 2009. The two-year-old girl from Commerce Township, Mich. allegedly died after strangling in the loop of the vertical blind cord.
Nearly 139,000 custom-made vertical and 315,000 horizontal blinds have been included in the recall notice.
The vertical blinds come with an adjustment cord that sometimes leads to the formation of loops, with the loop often attached to a weighted device at the base. The horizontal blinds lack inner cord stop devices to stop from being pulled out. According to the authorities the loops pose strangling risk for small children.
All Blind Xpress custom-made vertical blinds without a cord-tensioning device and horizontal blinds without inner cord stop devices have been part of the recall.
The blinds, priced between $ 16 and $ 380 were available in various stores selling blinds across the country, particularly Michigan, Ohio and Indiana.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission urged consumers to stop using the recalled product and approach the Window Covering Safety Council (WCSC) for a free repair kit.
Any complaints regarding the products can be reported to the official website of UPSC, SaferProducts. gov.