Senate Dem calls for household protections for children

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) is urging the Obama administration to protect children from a common household danger.

In letters to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and Department of Defense (DOD) sent Wednesday, Blumenthal warned about the dangers of cords used in window covering that have been known to choke young children.

“An accessible window covering cord includes any operational, pull or internal cord that a child could wrap around their neck,” Blumenthal wrote.

“These incidents, which occur when an infant or toddler becomes entangled in a hazardous loop from a window covering with an accessible cord, happen in a matter of seconds and silently — victims are unable to cry out for help,” he added.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is in the process of developing new safety standards for window coverings, but Blumenthal said that could take a few years to complete.

In the meantime, Blumenthal is calling on the DOD and HUD to install child-safe window coverings at housing in their jurisdictions because, he said, the problem is particularly egregious among military families and those in low-income homes. 

“Servicemembers sign up to serve their country knowing they may be put in harm’s way, but they do not expect this to also apply to their children, and certainly not in their own home,” he wrote.