<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"  I just returned from the 2011 annual meeting of the International Consumer Products Safety Organization (ICPHSO) in Orlando, FL, which was attended by over 550 manufacturers, retailers, and consumer advocates. There was enormous emphasis on one key question throughout the three-day conference: Are product recalls getting out of hand and are too many items being recalled? This is an issue of great controversy, with one side stating that any product posing potential harm should be recommended for recall and then the consumer can decide how to proceed. The other view is that if the public is inundated with news about product recalls, some of which are for items that are only minimally harmful or dangerous, consumers will start tuning them out and miss those that are most important. An example cited was a recall of Disney watches which could cause skin irritation in people with nickel allergies. The point that some made is that the watch isn&amp;#039;t inherently dangerous; it&amp;#039;s just that it can cause a reaction if a person is allergic to nickel. If every item that has a potential to cause an allergic reaction is recalled, consumers would be prevented from enjoying lots of food and products.  As you may know, Good Housekeeping Research Institute (GHRI) has been a consumer advocacy organization since its founding in 1900 and has been a big supporter of product recalls. In fact, in some cases, we have suggested that the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recall products that we&amp;#039;ve found to be dangerous, such as 242,100 bike helmets that we asked to be recalled in 2000. On goodhousekeeping.com we keep you informed of recalls that are relevant to you in our blog posts and also encourage you to sign up for automatic recall emails directly from the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC). What do you think? Do you want to hear about every product that might cause potential harm or do you think that the vast number of products recalled has created too much confusion? We&amp;#039;d love to hear from you.  Be sure to check out Good Housekeeping&amp;#039;s other articles on consumer product safety: 5 Tips for Pool Safety, Food Safety Legislation, and See Why Blinds and Shades are Dangerous.  If you&amp;#039;re planning to come to the NYC area, arrange to come by Good Housekeeping Research Institute (GHRI) (link) and take a tour of our labs. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/institute/a24180/controversial-product-recalls/?src=shelter_footer>