JCPenney Recalls Roman Shades and Roll-Up Blinds Due to Strangulation Risk

Plain-English summary

JCPenney Purchasing Corp. is recalling all styles and sizes of Roman shades and roll-up blinds sold by JCPenney. The recall involves more than 2.2 million Roman shades and about 340 roll-up blinds. These products were sold at JCPenney stores, JCPenney Custom Decorating, via catalog, and on www.jcp.com from at least 1999 to October 2009 for between $10 and $500.

The recall is prompted by the risk of strangulation. For Roman shades, hazards exist when a child places their neck between the exposed inner cord and the fabric on the backside of the blind, or when a child pulls the cord out and wraps it around their neck. For roll-up blinds, hazards occur if the lifting loop slides off the side and a child's neck becomes entangled, or if a child places their neck between the lifting loop and the blind material. The firm is aware of two incidents in January 2009 and August 2009 involving the same 2-year-old girl in Montgomery, Illinois, who became entangled in the cord on the backside of Roman shades. In both cases, the child's mother removed the loop, which left a red mark from ear to ear, but the child did not suffer permanent injuries. No incidents or injuries have been reported for the roll-up shades.

Consumers should stop using the recalled Roman shades and roll-up blinds immediately. They should contact the Window Covering Safety Council for a free repair kit at (800) 506-4636 or visit www.windowcoverings.org. For additional information, consumers can contact JCPenney toll-free at (888) 333-6063 or visit www.jcp.com.

The recalled product

Product

Roman Shades and Roll-Up Blinds

Manufacturer

JCPenney Purchasing Corp., of Plano, Texas

Category

Consumer Product — Window Coverings

Hazard

• strangulation

Affected units

340

Distribution

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