Recall of freezer gel packs with ethylene glycol and diethylene glycol!!

[Guest guest]

They're made in China, of course. I don't know if they were supposed to have a different ingredient and eg and deg were used in place of that, or if the American distributor placed the order this way.

Carol

NEWS from CPSC

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Office of Communications

Washington, D.C.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEJune 7, 2012Release #12-195

Firm's Recall Hotline: CPSC Recall Hotline: CPSC Media Contact:

California Innovations Expands Recall of Freezer Gel Packs Due to Ingestion Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

Name of Product: Ice/Hot and Ice Gel Packs

Units: About 880,000 (about 248,000 units associated with lunch boxes and 55,000 associated with food carriers were previously recalled in January 2012)

Importer: California Innovations Inc., of Toronto, Canada

Hazard: If the packs become damaged, they can leak gel that could contain diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, which can cause illness if ingested in large amounts.

Incidents/Injuries: There have been no new reports of incidents or injuries.

Description: The recalled products are Cryofreeze ice/hot packs and Arctic Zone ice packs. The packs are gel-filled plastic pouches with either transparent or opaque sealed wrappers. They are used to keep food hot or cold. The gel packs were sold separately and with a variety of lunch boxes, coolers and thermal carriers. Six gel pack styles are being recalled:

Cryofreeze ice/hot packs in small and large styles. Both have opaque blue wrappers with the words "Cryofreeze," "Ice Pack/Hot Pack," "Non-toxic" and "Reusable" printed on the front:

The small gel pack is 6 inches wide and 5.5 inches high The large gel pack is 8.5 inches wide and 8 inches high

Cryofreeze Transparent Cell ice/hot packs in three styles. Each has a transparent wrapper with the words "Cryofreeze," "Ice Pack/Hot Pack," "Non-toxic" and "Reusable" printed on the front:

One 3-cell pack has three connected rectangular-shaped pouches of blue gel and is 7.85 inches wide and 5.5 inches high. Another 3-cell pack has three connected square-shaped pouches of blue gel and is 7.6 inches wide and 3 inches high. The 2-cell pack has two connected square-shaped pouches of blue gel and is 5 inches wide and 3 inches high.

Arctic Zone ice pack is 6.25 inches wide and 4 inches high and has an opaque blue wrapper. The Arctic Zone logo and a picture of an iceberg appear on the front of the wrapper. The words "ICE," "Personal Ice Pack" and "Non-Toxic Leak Proof Gel" are also printed on the front of the wrapper.

Sold at: Mass merchandise and warehouse stores, other retailers, distributors and on-line sellers nationwide between July 2007 and December 2008 in items that retailed between $5 and $28.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the gel packs and dispose of them according to federal, state and/or local regulations. It is recommended that consumers contact their local waste disposal authority for instructions. Consumers can contact California Innovations to receive a $6 cash refund for large (8.5-inch x 8-inch) Cryofreeze gel packs or a $5 cash refund for all other gel packs.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, call California Innovations at between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, e-mail ci-recall@... or visit the firm's website at www.californiainnovations.com

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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about your experience with the product on SaferProducts.gov

CPSC is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of the thousands of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries, and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $900 billion annually. CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

Under federal law, it is illegal to attempt to sell or resell this or any other recalled product.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, go online to: SaferProducts.gov, call CPSC's Hotline at or teletypewriter at for the hearing and speech impaired. Consumers can obtain this news release and product safety information at www.cpsc.gov. To join a free e-mail subscription list, please go to www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx.