Recalls in August 2005

August 31, 2005
Home Depot is recalling about 300,000 cans of Stand'n Seal Grout Sealer because of respiratory problems.

The product's odor is not chemically pungent enough to force consumers to minimize their exposure to the fumes. Consumers overexposed to these fumes can experience respiratory-related illness.

There have been 88 reports from consumers who have had adverse reactions after using the aerosol product, including 28 confirmed reports of overexposure resulting in respiratory symptoms for which medical attention was sought for coughing, irritation, difficulty breathing, dizziness and disorientation. Thirteen individuals required medical treatment including overnight hospitalization.

The product is marketed under the brand name of Tile Perfect' Stand'n Seal 'Spray-On' Grout Sealer. The date/lot codes are printed on the bottom of the can. All cans with date/lot codes starting with the following six digits are included in the recall: A20985; A30985; A10995; A20995; A30995; A11015; A21015; A31015; A11025; A21445; A31445; A11455; A21455; A31455; A11465; A21465. Units with other date/lot codes have been reformulated and are not subject to this recall.

The product was sold exclusively at Home Depot Stores from April 2005 through June 2005 for about $10.

Consumers should not use the aerosol product and return it to the Home Depot for a full refund.

Consumer Contact: For more information, consumers can contact Tile Perfect Division at (800) 552-6225 Ext. 2572 between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm ET Monday through Friday or visit their Web site at www.standandseal.com.

The recall is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

August 19, 2005
Kadant Composites Inc. is recalling GeoDeck Decking and Railing Materials used in about 11,000 decks. When the decking or railing material is exposed to hot temperatures and sunlight, it can prematurely degrade. The degraded material could break, posing a fall hazard to consumers.

Kadant Composites has received about 370 reports of accelerated degradation of the decking material. No injuries have been reported.

GeoDeck is a composite decking product that looks similar to natural wood and is sold in three colors including: driftwood, cedar and mahogany.

The decking materials were manufactured between April 2002 and October 2003. Each decking and railing component has a manufacturing date stamp (day/month/year) on the cut end, which may still be visible on uninstalled materials.

The material was sold at retail lumberyards nationwide from April 2002 through July 2005 for between about $2 and $2.50 per linear foot.

Consumers should check their GeoDeck decking materials for visible cracks on the surface and check to see if the surface can be easily scratched with a fingernail or the corner of a credit card. If the deck/rail is degrading, contact GeoDeck customer service to receive replacement decking and/or railing materials.

Consumer Contact: Contact GeoDeck customer service at (800) 545-1710 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firms Web site at www.KadantCompositesRecall.com.

The recall is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

While it's not adding any fruit, at least the company will make some changes to its labels, which will help consumers understand the drink is a flavored drink and not 100 percent juice. In response, the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) and two private lawyers have agreed to drop a lawsuit against Tropicanas parent company, PepsiCo.

The lawsuit was originally filed by attorneys Mark Cuker and William Riback on behalf of a New Jersey consumer who purchased Tropicana Peach Papaya. CSPI, which in May announced its intention to use litigation more often to stop deceptive food labeling practices, joined the Tropicana case earlier this year.

The new label will identify the product as Peach Papaya flavored juice drink/from concentrate with other natural flavors, and will drop the phrase Made with REAL Fruit Juice.

The company will also do so for its Tropicana Strawberry Melon, which contains no strawberry juice or melon juice.

There are important differences between real fruit juice on the one hand, and sodas and fruit-flavored drinks on the other, said CSPI litigation director Stephen Gardner. Tropicana Peach Papaya and Tropicana Strawberry Melon simply are not 100 percent juice, and this settlement will help make that more clear.

Were open to listening to legitimate concerns and this seemed like a reasonable concern, said Danielle Vona, director of juice and juice drinks, Pepsi-Cola North America. We want to take every opportunity we can to provide consumers with nutrition information about our products.

The labels will still depict pictures of peaches and papayas. The actual ingredients of the drink are water, high-fructose corn syrup, filtered pear juice from concentrate, citric acid, phosphoric acid, potassium citrate, ascorbic acid, sodium polyphosphates, natural flavors, potassium benzoate, gum arabic, potassium sorbate, xanthan gum, ester gum, calcium disodium EDTA, yellow 6, and red 40.

These changes will help consumers understand that the juice drink is only juice-flavored, with very little real juice, said Cuker. We are happy that PepsiCo agreed to these labeling changes and that we did not need to move forward with litigation.

As part of this settlement, PepsiCo has agreed to make a $100,000 donation to the American Heart Association for its work in New Jersey, Riback added.

In May, PepsiCos Quaker Foods unit agreed to resolve a similar dispute involving the labeling of several varieties of instant oatmeal and grits. New labels on those products make the words artificially flavored more prominent.

August 8, 2005
American Classic is recalling about 2,850 of its road and mountain bike wheels. The hub in the bicycles rear wheel can fail to engage properly, causing no resistance when pedaling. The bicycle rider could lose balance, fall and suffer injuries.

The recall includes all American Classic aftermarket rear wheels and hubs, as well as the following 2005 bike models which use American Classic rear wheels or hubs: Fuji Team Super Lite (Team SL); Orbea Aletta, Onix, Lobular 50, Dama Race, Mitis and Mitis Dama models; Felt F55 and F2C; Fetish Cycles Road and Mountain Bikes; Argon 18; and Motobecane LeChampion SL.

The recalled models were made at the start of January 2005 and the outside of the rear hub shell has a serial number that starts with the letter S. The serial number is printed on the center of the hub shell opposite to the American Classic logo. Front wheels and front hubs are not included in this recall.

The wheels were sold at bicycle specialty stores nationwide from January 2005 through June 2005 for about $240 (per rear hub).

Consumers should stop using the bike wheels with the recalled hubs and contact your local bicycle retailer to receive a free inspection. If you have a recalled wheel, the dealer will provide a free repair.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact American Classic at (800) 345-8356 or log on to the firms Web site at www.amclassic.com.

The recall is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

August 4, 2005
ICON Health & Fitness is recalling about 16,000 Epic T60 treadmills because of potential problems with the shock assembly.

If assembly instructions are not properly followed the gas spring/shock can be damaged during assembly if the walking platform is folded up and goes beyond the vertical position. This action can cause the shock to contact the treadmill roller and be damaged and could propel shock parts out. The parts of the shock could hit a bystander and cause injury.

ICON has received two reports of minor foot injuries and five reports of minor property damage.

These are 2004 Epic T60 silver and gray colored treadmills with black handrails. They have model number EPTL81804 on a decal located on the front frame near where the power cord enters the machine. EPIC T60 is written on the hood of the treadmill.

The units were sold at Costco Wholesale stores nationwide between September 2004 and February 2005 for between $899 and $999.

Consumers should contact ICON Health & Fitness for information on how to determine whether their treadmills have been damaged and to obtain revised assembly instructions and warning decals. Damaged units will be inspected and repaired by ICON service technicians free of charge.

Consumer Contact: For more information, contact ICON toll-free at (800) 999-3756 between 8:00 a.m. and 5 p.m. MT Monday through Friday, or at their Web site at www.iconfitness.com.

The recall is being conducted in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).