Amazon was accused this week of selling a baby crib bumper that has been banned because of concerns that it poses a suffocation hazard for infants, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) said.
On Thursday, the CPSC issued an announcement warning customers to immediately stop using Karriw crib bumpers "because they pose a suffocation hazard to infant." The announcement noted that the product is being sold exclusively on Amazon by a seller identified as Lucky_00.
"CPSC issued a Notice of Violation to the seller, Lucky_00, of China, but the firm has not agreed to recall these crib bumpers or offer a remedy to consumers. Consumers who purchased the product will receive this notice directly," the announcement said.
The product is currently banned by the CPSC under the federal Safe Sleep for Babies Act (SSBA).
In August, the CPSC announced that it voted to include bans of crib bumpers and inclined infant sleepers to Congress.
"The SSBA prohibits not only the sale of inclined sleepers for infants and crib bumpers, but also the manufacture for sale, distribution or importation into the United States, of these products," the CPSC said in August. "These rules aim to save infants' lives and create a safer marketplace for parents."
Crib bumpers, such as the Karriw one being sold on Amazon, are defined as "Any material that is intended to cover the sides of a crib to prevent injury to any crib occupant from impacts against the side of a crib or to prevent partial or complete access to any openings in the sides of a crib to prevent a crib occupant from getting any part of the body entrapped in any opening."
However, the CPSC noted in its most recent announcement that the Karriw crib bumpers were being sold by the Lucky_00 Amazon seller for $39 in July and the company has refused to recall the item.
"CPSC is aware the firm also sold the crib bumpers in additional colors: elephant, pink, and white," the CPSC said. "The crib bumpers have no markings or labels. They come in four pieces [two long pieces and two short pieces] with straps on the end to tie to the crib rails. The long strips are about 51 inches long and 10 inches wide, and the short strips are about 28 inches long and 10 inches wide."
Any parents who own the Karriw crib bumpers are urged to stop using them immediately, cut the padding on the product, and dispose of them.
Newsweek reached out to Amazon via email for comment.
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