The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (www.cpsc.gov) may not have a very flashy site. But it sure is handy for the journalist. The agency has put together a drab but very easy-to-use website that serves as a sort of early warning service for recall notices of dangerous products.
From the site, journalists can subscribe to a free e-mail alert service that will send notices of recalled products straight to your mailbox literally as soon as they are issued.
The independent government agency has jurisdiction over about 15,000 types of consumer products, from automatic-drip coffee makers to toys to lawn mowers, just about everything except motor vehicles and food and drugs. From its website you can look through all sorts of data about dangerous products… or search for specific info on specific items.
The CPSC also has an area set aside strictly for kids, dealing with issues like bicycle safety helmets… and how to safely use those popular scooters kids are whizzing around on these days… and hurting themselves on, at the rate of about 40,000 injuries a year. It’s a good place to monitor regularly for story ideas.
