The Recall Desk
Our severity:HighCPSC·84003·Announced 1984-01-11

Pittsburgh Penn Oil Recalls Charcoal Lighter Fluid and Paint Thinner

Pittsburgh Penn Oil is recalling charcoal lighter fluid and paint thinner because the containers' caps were not child-resistant.

What this means for you

Our assessment, not the agency’s: severity 3/5 (High).

Real risk of harm even if no illness or injury has been reported yet. Stop using the product and follow the agency's guidance.

Our severity reasoning: The recall involves a risk-of-harm product (flammable liquids) where the hazard (lack of child-resistant caps) poses a risk of injury, but no injuries or illnesses have been reported in the source text.

Plain-English summary

Pittsburgh Penn Oil Company of Creighton, Pennsylvania, has consented to a federal court order requiring the recall of containers of charcoal lighter fluid and paint thinner. The recall follows a lawsuit filed by the U.S. Justice Department on behalf of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), which alleged that the company was distributing charcoal lighter fluid in containers with caps that were not child-resistant. The lawsuit was settled without a trial under a Consent Decree.

The affected products include Pittsburgh Penn Oil charcoal lighter fluid, Pittsburgh Penn Oil paint thinner, Mr. Bar-B-Q lighter fluid, and Star Light lighter fluid. These products were marketed in white plastic one-quart containers bearing Pittsburgh Penn Oil's own label, or with "mr. Bar-B-Q" and "Star Light" labels. The products were distributed in New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, and the District of Columbia.

Under the terms of the Consent Decree, Pittsburgh Penn Oil will provide copies of the court order to all individuals and companies that have held the containers for sale within the past year. The company will recall the containers used for both paint thinner and charcoal lighter fluid. To ensure future compliance, the company will test new packaging designs according to CPSC regulations before distributing products requiring special packaging.

Consumers who have these products should take extra care to keep them out of the reach of small children if they are unable to return the products immediately or until they do so. Consumers with information to report may call the CPSC toll-free Hotline at 800-638-CPSC. A teletypewriter number for the hearing impaired is (301) 595-7054.

The recalled product

Product
Mr. Bar-B-Q lighter fluid
Manufacturer
Pittsburgh Penn Oil
Category
Consumer Product — Household Chemicals
Hazard

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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