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Consumer product recall

Red Planet Group recalls WHAM-O Super Elastic Bubble Plastic Balloon Blowing Kit

Starting date:
February 26, 2016
Posting date:
February 26, 2016
Type of communication:
Consumer Product Recall
Subcategory:
Toys
Source of recall:
Health Canada
Issue:
Chemical Hazard
Audience:
General Public
Identification number:
RA-57240

Affected products

WHAM-O Super Elastic Bubble Plastic Balloon Blowing kit

Product description

These toys consist of a solvent mixture in a tube and short plastic straws for blowing. Children can form balloons or bubbles by slowly squeezing out a ball of the mixture from the tube and sticking it on the end of the straw.  The child then blows through the straw to create a bubble.  The recalled WHAM-O Super Elastic Bubble Plastic Balloon Blowing Kits come with two tubes and one straw and can be identified by UPC 8 95354 00262 2.

Hazard identified

Children's balloon blowing kits are prohibited in Canada. The safety concern is that blowing the balloons exposes a child to inhaling the vapours of any solvents present.  Children can be fascinated with these products, and if they blow balloons for extended periods they may experience early symptoms of central nervous system depression or dysfunction, including euphoria, hallucinations, dizziness, and difficulties with coordination of voluntary movements.  Prolonged exposure can lead to more serious symptoms including muscular twitching, unconsciousness, and coma.

Neither Health Canada nor Red Planet Group has received any reports of consumer incidents or injuries related to the use of these particular balloon blowing kits.

For some tips to help consumers choose safe toys and to help them keep children safe when they play with toys, see the General Toy Safety Tips.

Number sold

Approximately 5,760 units were sold in Canada.

Time period sold

The recalled products were sold from February 2015 to February 2016.

Place of origin

Manufactured in China.

Companies

Importer
Red Planet Group
Montreal
Quebec
CANADA
Manufacturer
Nowstalgic Toys
Canal Winchester
Ohio
UNITED STATES

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What you should do

Consumers should immediately take any balloon blowing kits away from children.  Consumers should dispose of the product in regular household trash in such a way that the kits cannot be reused.

For more information, consumers may contact Red Planet Group by telephone at 514-631-7740, Monday to Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., or by email.

Please note that the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act prohibits recalled products from being redistributed, sold or even given away in Canada.

Health Canada would like to remind Canadians to report any health or safety incidents related to the use of this product or any other consumer product or cosmetic by filling out the Consumer Product Incident Report Form.

This recall is also posted on the OECD Global Portal on Product Recalls website. You can visit this site for more information on other international consumer product recalls.