Senior Service Line—One Billion Safety Recalls

by Matilda Charles

It was recently disclosed that in the first half of 2022, there were over 1 billion recalls across the country of products that we buy.

That’s billion, with a ‘b.’ Depending on the level of the recall, some of them can be extremely serious—even deadly.

How do we know whether we missed an announcement about a product we own? We can go online to Recalls.gov and look. They cover everything from sports equipment to electronics, household items, and more. You can search on that site by date, the type of hazard, and the country where an item was manufactured. I searched for clothing. It was shocking to see a dozen children’s items recalled for fire hazard. The padded rolling desk chair with the legs that can break. The smoke and carbon monoxide alarms that don’t work. Laundry detergent with dangerous bacteria in it.

To be notified about re-calls, go to www.cpsc. gov/Newsroom/Subscribe and sign up for the free e-mail alerts.

If you need to keep up with recalls and alerts for a vehicle, go online to www.nhtsa.gov/recalls You’ll need the vehicle identification number (VIN), which can be found on the doorjamb behind the driver door. You can also search by year, make, and model of your vehicle. For the very latest vehicle recalls, Kelley Blue Book also has them listed on the front page at www.kbb.com/recall

Food is another area where we need to keep up with any recalls and warnings. Search for FDA Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts for the latest information on cosmetics, veterinary items, medical devices, and food. Right on the front page was a list of alerts for products with undeclared wheat, potential listeria, salmonella, and more. In the medical devices it was disturbing to learn of rust on needles.

You’ll see a link to sign
up for alert e-mails.