Australia
Coming home with a new toy for your child or a spray to vanquish insects, possibly the last thing on your mind is that these seemingly innocent products could be hazardous. Women in Australia are sounding out a note of caution.
WARNING: POOL OWNERS
If you own a pool or know of a pool with a 'skimmer box' filter please have it modified. If unsure contact your local consumer affairs or swimming pool outlet.
You may never have heard of a 'skimmer box' filter but the Product Monitor Programme (PMP) in Australia found that they had killed and injured many children there. Through their network they were quickly able to alert consumers to the dangers, and ensure that the filters were modified.
Not everyone has a swimming pool of course, but there are many products which contain dangers for the unwary. There are novelty erasers shaped like fruit and smelling delicious, tempting children to pop them into their mouths as sweets; nappy clips (replacing pins) which weaken quickly and which can be removed by a baby, who might then put the clip into her mouth and choke. And what about diet pills — Glucomannan — which are designed to swell in the stomach and so reduce appetite by creating a full feeling? The danger lies in their becoming lodged in the throat and swelling there, causing rupture. These are some of the items singled out by the PMP in their monthly newsletter to participants in the programme.
'In the three years since the product monitor network was launched,' says coordinator Heather Slater, 'it has grown from strength to strength. We now have around 200 monitors all over Australia who are on the look-out for dangerous goods in the market-place.'
The PMP, an initiative of the Australian consumer movement, complements the work of IOCU's Consumer Interpol, a global network warning consumers about hazardous products.
The monitors, many of whom are members of the Country Women's Association of Australia, carry out various tasks. The main one is to check up on goods which the government has banned or which have been recalled by the manufacturer because they are unsafe.
'Sadly we do come across banned items still on the shelves,' explains one of the network monitors. 'Then we inform the state and federal bodies concerned and the Australian Federation of Consumer Organisations can take up the matter with the Trade Practices Commission.
And their work is effective. Here's a snippet from the September 1986 newsletter:
The Glucomannan alert produced results. One of our monitors in Queensland discovered the tablets on sale in a health food shop. When she pointed out that the tablets were banned, the manageress removed them immediately, saying they were old stock. We have informed the Trade Practices Commission to see this doesn't happen again.
Vigilance pays off.
Based on materials provided by the Product Monitor Programme, sponsored by the Australian Federation of Consumer Organisations, Canberra, and the Australian Consumers' Association, Sydney.