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WASHINGTON, March 30, 2000 --
The search for unsafe cedar chests is being intesified after
another child fatality and two near-fatalities.
In 1996, the U.S. Consumer Product
Safety Commission (CPSC) and
the Lane Co. of Altavista, Va., conducted a recall of 12 million
chests with lids that automatically snap shut when closed following
reports of six children suffocating inside the chests.
CPSC and Lane say they have since
become aware of another fatality and two near-misses and are
calling for a renewed search so that locks can be replaced on
chests that have not yet been mocified.
All "Lane" and "Virginia
Maid" brand cedar chests manufactured between 1912 and
1987 need to have their locks replaced. The chests are often
handed down through families, and it is likely that many were
purchased second-hand.
Lane is providing new locks, free of charge, that will prevent
entrapments because they do not automatically latch shut when
the lid is closed. The new locks are easy to install by consumers
in their homes.
To prevent another tragedy, CPSC and Lane are urging consumers
to check their "Lane" and "Virginia Maid"
brand cedar chests. The brand name "Lane" or "Virginia
Maid" is located inside the cedar chest. If the lid latches
shut without depressing a button on the outside of the chest,
the lock needs to be replaced.
Contact Lane toll-free at (888) 856-8758 anytime or
access their web site at www.newlock.net
to order the free replacement lock. Consumers should have
the chest's serial and style numbers, which are branded on
the outside bottom or back of the chest, available when contacting
Lane.
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