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New burn injuries spark an old warning
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Don't carry "ring caps" for toy cap guns in a pocket
Two boys recently suffered second-degree burns after "ring caps" ignited
in their pockets, prompting a warning today from the New York State
Consumer Protection Board.
Ring caps have been the subject of two product recalls (1979 and 1989),
as well as warnings by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. But two
recent incidents - one in Utica, N.Y. and the other in Everett, Wash. -
show that children and parents may not be aware of the danger for
significant burn injuries, said CPB Chairperson and Executive Director
Teresa A. Santiago.
"We found the specific products that burned these children and in both
cases the toy distributors placed warnings on the packages," said
Chairperson Santiago. "Ring caps appear to be harmless but they can catch
fire if carried in a pocket."
A 13-year-old boy in Utica was left with second-degree burns on his
fingers after two ring caps ignited while he was holding them in his hand,
the boy told his father. The other ring caps were contained in a plastic
bag in his pocket and they also ignited soon after, the boy said.
KIRO 7 Eyewitness News in Seattle reported that 11-year-old Jacob Lopez
was playing on his street when the caps suddenly caught fire.
"I was just outside biking and then the fire just lit off," Lopez told
KIRO 7 Eyewitness News reporter Rick Price. "It hurts."
Ring caps are used in toy cap guns to create a loud banging sound. The
caps contain a pyrotechnic powder, sealed inside the spokes of a plastic
ring. Each ring is approximately one inch in diameter. Pictures of two
popular "ring caps" are on the following page.
Injuries from ring caps and other toys should be reported to the
Consumer Product Safety Commission at 1-800-638-2772; online at
https://www.cpsc.gov/incident.html or by sending an e-mail to info@cpsc.gov
.
The CPSC's1989 warning and recall is available online at:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml90/90018.html. The 1979 warning is
available at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml79/79031.html.
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