NEWS from CPSC

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

CPSC Recalls Highly Flammable Chenille Sweaters

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced today the stop sale and recall of more than 32,000 dangerously flammable chenille sweaters sized for girls and women. The sale of these sweaters violates the federal Flammable Fabrics Act, and the sweaters present a serious risk of burn injuries. In fact, these sweaters burn faster than newspaper.

Although CPSC has not received reports of injuries from these sweaters to date, the agency is issuing this safety notice and recalling the sweaters to prevent injuries from these dangerous products.

The sweaters, which were made in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the United States, are made in a variety of colors of very soft textured chenille. Sweater styles are primarily long sleeved or short sleeved with a crew or turtle neckline; although, there is also a v-neck vest style and a mock wrap style. The sweaters sold for between $38 and $130 at large department stores and small boutiques nationwide. Nearly all of these sweaters are made of 65 percent rayon/35 percent nylon; although, a few styles are made of 90 percent rayon/10 percent nylon, 67 percent rayon/33 percent nylon, or 100 percent rayon.

CPSC is working with a number of importers and retailers to recall these sweaters. CPSC surveyed over 100 retail stores in major U.S. cities to test for the fire hazard.

CPSC urges consumers to immediately stop wearing sweaters they believe may be involved in this recall. These flammable sweaters should be returned to the retailers where purchased. Retailers taking part in this recall will provide a refund or credit.

• BCBG
• Bloomingdale's
• Dillard's
• Express
• Foley's
• Lerner of New York
• Limited Too
• Lord & Taylor
• Macy's
• Neiman Marcus
• Nordstrom
• Parisian, Inc.
• Robinson-May

CPSC found the following brand names and RN numbers on the labels of the sweaters that failed the flammability test. Consumers can call the importers and manufacturers listed for more information.

There are sweaters with the brand names and RN numbers listed here that are not violative. Retailers should be able to tell whether an individual chenille sweater is involved in this recall based on the yle numbers they have.

The importers and manufacturers have voluntarily agreed to recall the sweaters from consumers and will issue recall information through the retailers who sold the products.

Link to CPSC's provisionally accepted settlement agreement with Nordstrom.

For additional questions about this chenille sweater recall, including information on other retailers participating in this recall, consumers can call the CPSC toll-free hotline at (800) 638-2772.