U.S. CPSC and California Innovations Inc. are recalling approximately 248,000 Expandable Insulated Lunch Box with Freezer Gel Pack units over concerns that the freezer gel packs could prove poisonous to children, adults, or pets should they become damaged and leak.
So far, there have been two reports of the gel causing injury. In one incident, a dog died after chewing the pack and ingesting the gel. The second incident involved another dog that received treatment and survived.
The expandable lunch boxes that were sold between May 2007 and September 2008 come with an aluminum bottle, a lunch box, and a freezer gel pack. Consumers should stop using the lunch boxes right away.
At The Gilbert Law Group, PC, our products liability lawyers represent clients who have sustained injuries or lost a loved one because of dangerous, unsafe, or faulty products. Even if the manufacturer didn’t do anything to make a product hazardous or cause it to malfunction, if serious injuries or deaths result from using or being exposed to the product, you may be able to obtain personal injury compensation.
Possible Signs of Poisoning:
• Enlarged or shrunken pupils
• Accelerated heart rate
• Dry mouth or too much drooling
• Rapid breathing or slowed breath rate
• Pain (although not all poison causes pain)
• Hyperactivity
• Drowsiness
• Confusion
The symptoms for poisoning may vary and will depend on the source of poisoning. Symptoms may show up immediately or they can take days, hours, or months. Poison symptoms that appear later can prove very dangerous because this usually means that treatment wasn’t received right away.
If you suspect poisoning you should seek medical help immediately. While waiting for assistance, the Mayo Clinic suggests that you remove any remaining poison from the mouth if the substance was ingested. If the exposure to the poison was via fumes then you should remove the person from the environment where it happened and get her/him fresh air. Check the product, if any was involved, for instructions on how to deal with accidental poisoning.
Products that come with poisonous or toxic substances must come with warnings and instructions about how to use them properly or safely. The product should also be designed in a manner to limit exposure to these dangerous substances.
You want to work with a products liability law firm that isn’t afraid to go up against a manufacturer and fight for your right to personal injury or wrongful death compensation. There is no reason why you should have to shoulder all the costs and damages sustained from exposure to a defective or dangerous product.
Expandable Lunch Boxes Recalled by California Innovations Due to Freezer Gel Pack Ingestion Hazard, CPSC, January 23, 2012
Poisoning: First aid, Mayo Clinic
Consumer Product Safety Commission
More Blog Posts:
Will Your Helmet Prevent a Traumatic Brain Injury During a Winter Accident?, Product Liability Law Blog, January 24, 2012
Clothing Defects: Apparel Industry Must Follow Standards for Children’s Loungewear and Sleepwear, Says CPSC, Product Liability Law Blog, January 18, 2012
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