1977: When blow-dryers could suck your hair into the intake vent, CR was on the case.
As an editor of Home and Tech content, I spend much of my day immersed in the intricacies of smartphones, laptops, printers, air purifiers, grills, and ranges (electric, gas, and pro style). You get the picture.
But every now and then, I get pulled into a discussion with the CR product safety team: If you want to witness the wonder of CR—fly straight to the heart of what makes the place truly special—spy on this group’s weekly meeting.
In the span of an hour, the conversation jumps from blenders that can expose your family to lead poisoning to carbon monoxide detectors that fail to sound (after CR’s recent story, a government warning was issued) to squishy toys that can burst, scorching the skin of defenseless children—all of which seems mighty grim, until you watch how skillfully the team responds to these nightmares, channeling their outrage into gripping investigative reports and impassioned outreach to legislators and retailers.
This tough but tender-hearted band of watchdogs combs through the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s massive database to identify public hazards, calculate the toll of their faulty design, and demand change. Here’s a quick list of recent CR work in the realm of product safety. Click through for more:
Hundreds of consumer complaints about oven doors shattering without warning led to a story by Allen St. John.
Consumer Reports tested toddler towers and found that many posed stability risks, entrapment risks, or both. In the months that followed CR’s investigation, written by Lauren Kirschner, more than 400,000 toddler towers were recalled.
Certain Toshiba microwaves have turned on by themselves or added cooking time, sometimes resulting in sparks, smoke, and fire. Althea Chang-Cook reports.
Dozens of prepared foods have been recalled because they contain jalapenos that may present a risk of salmonella. Paris Martineau investigates.
We have ongoing coverage of recalls on baby products, a car recall tracker that helps you keep tabs on the vehicles you and your loved ones drive, and robust food safety content, too.
I can see where a list like that might keep some folks up at night. But, as a husband and the father of two boys, I sleep a little better just knowing that CR has people birddogging these things. If anything above can be helpful to the people in your life, please share this post.
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