It's an antique that many of you may have in your homes, passed down from generations, but did you know it also poses a danger to children?
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a special warning, urging consumers to immediately replace or remove latches and locks on recalled "Lane" and "Virginia Maid" cedar chests.
The chests were originally recalled because the lids on the chests can automatically lock when the lid is closed.
Fourteen children have suffocated to death inside of the cedar chests after they became locked inside between 1977 and 2015.
The Lane Company recalled 12 million of their cedar chests but the CPSC is still concerned that millions of these recalled chests remain unfixed in consumers' homes.
If you or someone you know has one of these cedar chests, please make sure you remove the old style latches to eliminate the hazard.
Consumers who have not received and installed the replacement latch and lock should immediately remove the old latch and lock and contact UFI toll-free at 877-251-5010 and select Option 4, Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. CT, leave a message after hours of operation, or send an email to LaneRepair@ufifurniture.com or order the free replacement latch and lock online at https://www.lanefurniture.com/about/product-safety.html.
