CPSC Issues New Drawstring Safety Rule for Children’s Outerwear

The Consumer Product Safety Commission set a new federal safety rule on July 1, stating that drawstrings on certain children’s upper outerwear are now considered substantial product hazards. By a 5-0 vote, the organization ruled that jackets and coats with certain neck or hood drawstrings and those with certain waist or bottom drawstrings, from sizes 2T through 12, would be specified as substantial product hazards. The CPSC says drawstrings can become a danger for children when they are entangled with objects such as playground slides or school bus doors, leading to dragging and possible strangulation, and that it has received 26 reports of children dying as a result of such incidents.