4 Toddler Strangulations Prompt Window Blind Warning

By Jason Claffey

Consumer advocacy groups issued a warning about window coverings after four children died from strangulation accidents in the last month.

Each of the children died after they were caught up in a pull cord, according to the Consumer Federation of America.

The groups are demanding that the federal Consumer Product Safety Commission mandate safety standards for pull cords.

"It is time for CPSC to take action to protect children from the hazards posed by cords on window coverings," said Linda Kaiser, founder of Parents for Window Blind Safety, in a statement. "Every day the Commission does not act, children are put at risk. Four children dying in three weeks is tragic, unacceptable and preventable."

Kaiser started her group after her daughter died as a result of being strangled by a pull cord in 2002. Between 1996 and 2012, there have been 293 such deaths, according to the Consumer Federation of America.

The recent toddler deaths this year include:

• A 6-year-old girl in Maryland who died Feb. 8
• A 3-year-old girl in Texas on Feb. 15
• A 4-year-old boy in Georgia on Feb. 17
• A 2-year-old boy in Maryland on March 1

The groups said there are products already on the market that make pull cords inaccessible. They want the CPSC to mandate that all window coverings abide by that standard.