Over 768* children have died from corded window treatments since 1973.
There is NO safe corded window treatment on the market today.
Several injury cases go unreported per year. Injuries such as blindness, permanent vegetative state (condition of patients with severe brain damage in whom coma has progressed to a state of wakefulness without detectable awareness), kidney failure, and paralysis have occurred from cords.
Before the November 2000 recall (retrofit) program for inner cord strangulation, the Consumer Product Safety Commission had documented at least 16 inner cord strangulations. The first being reported in the late 1970's. In 1981 the Consumer Product Safety Commission was fully aware of at least 41 strangulation deaths by looped pull cords.
Separate tassels DO NOT make the blinds "safe." Children have strangled to death by one single cord wrapped around the neck.
There are window blinds and corded window treatments being sold at department stores, hardware stores and discount stores that do not have the inner cord stoppers on the products. We have purchased these products at well known franchise retail stores across the USA. This means for 5 years consumers have been purchasing window blinds that they THINK are safe because they think they are brand new blinds. If you look at the inside of the head rail there is a sticker. If it dates before 2001, you have bought a defective recalled product with no inner cord stoppers attached to them.
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The CPSC and the WCSC websites state that window blinds purchased after 2001 are safer with all safety features attached. What they do not tell you is that the "new" blinds have killed children. Also as stated above, not all stores are selling "new" safe window treatment but trying to get rid of old window blinds that were recalled.
Daycares are not inspected for safety of corded window treatments. Children have died in daycares because of corded window treatments. Children have also died in government housing, Section 8 housing and military housing because of corded window treatments.
Cord joiners/beads make loops in the pull cords but are approved by ANSI and the Window Covering Safety Council which both have a safety standard that require no loops in the pull cords.
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There have been documented cases of children dying from climbing up and getting the cords down from the cleats or hooks while the caregiver was doing household chores or aiding another child, thinking the room the child was in was safe. These children are usually ages 2 and up. Some websites may suggest removing furniture from underneath the corded window treatment. Most children over the age of 2 can place ANY furniture or toy back under the window to reach the cords that are tied up! |
Please save a child today by removing the corded window treatments from your home. Pass this information on to a friend or a loved one and help us educate the truth about the window covering industry.
Cords KILL Kids!
*6/4/97 Journal of the American Medical Association, 182 deaths from 1981-1995 in U.S. alone, maybe as many as 359 fatalities w/50% unreported. Reiterated in an A.M.A. Press Release of 6/3/97. As of August 2004, 384 deaths reported w/50% unreported totals the estimated deaths at 768.
*All information is taken from Freedom of Information Acts from the Consumer Product Safety Commission database and website and the Window Covering Safety Council website.
Statistics compiled and researched by Parents for Window Blind Safety. All rights reserved.
"... it is not the will of your Father which is in Heaven, that one of these little ones should perish."
