The Recall Desk
CriticalCPSC·09050·Announced 2008-11-20

IKEA Recalls IRIS and ALVINE Roman Blinds Due to Strangulation Death

IKEA is recalling IRIS and ALVINE Roman Blinds after a 1-year-old child died from strangulation. Consumers should stop using the blinds and return them for a refund.

What this means for you

Highest-severity recall. Risk of serious injury or death is documented or strongly suspected. Stop using the product now and follow the agency's instructions.

Our severity reasoning: The source text explicitly reports a fatality (strangulation death of a child), which mandates a score of 5 per the rubric.

Plain-English summary

IKEA is recalling approximately 670,000 IRIS and ALVINE Roman Blinds sold in the United States. The recall was initiated after a 1-year-old girl in Greenwich, Connecticut, died on April 4, 2008, after becoming entangled in the inner cord of a Roman blind. The child was found partially suspended with the cord wrapped around her neck while in a portable playpen located under the blind.

The recalled blinds are white, made of 100% cotton, and feature a sewn-in label with the IKEA logotype, article name, supplier number 19799 or 21369, and a date stamp. They were sold exclusively at IKEA stores nationwide from July 2005 through June 2008 for between $7 and $30. An additional 4.8 million units were sold outside the United States.

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled Roman Blinds and return them to any IKEA store to obtain a full refund. For additional information, consumers can contact IKEA toll-free at (888) 966-4532 or visit www.ikea-usa.com.

The recalled product

Product
IRIS and ALVINE Roman Blinds
Affected units
670,000

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.