SENATOR FUSCHILLO APPLAUDS FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR JOINING NEW YORK STATE IN BANNING DANGEROUS DROP-SIDE CRIBS

          Senator Charles J. Fuschillo, Jr. (R-Merrick) applauded the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for enacting new federal regulations which ban dangerous drop-side cribs. Drop-side cribs, which have been linked to child deaths and injuries, including on Long Island, are already banned from being sold, manufactured, imported, or distributed in New York State under a law Senator Fuschillo sponsored that took effect on October 28^th.

          “Child products that can kill or injure children do not belong on store shelves. We have already seen the harm that drop-side cribs can cause, which is why we banned them in New York State earlier this year. I applaud the CPSC for banning these cribs nationwide, because it will help keep children safe,” said Senator Fuschillo.

          Malfunctioning drop-side cribs have been blamed for multiple deaths and injuries of children, including on Long Island.  Over nine million cribs have been recalled by the CPSC due to the dangers they pose to infants and toddlers.

          According to the CPSC, the hardware on a drop-side crib can often break or malfunction, causing the drop-side to detach and create a space between the drop-side and crib mattress. Infants and toddlers can roll into this space and become entrapped and suffocate, or sustain serious injury if the drop-side detaches completely.

          Two local families who lost children to drop-side cribs, Michele & Henning Witte of Merrick and Robert & Susan Cirigliano of North Bellmore, worked closely with Senator Fuschillo to get drop-side cribs banned in New York State and strongly advocated for the new federal drop-side crib ban. Both testified about their experiences at a public forum Senator Fuschillo sponsored in February.

          The new federal ban on drop-side cribs will take effect in June of 2011.

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