New Toy Recalls Widget Makes Safety Easier

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It's unfortunate, but it's clear we live in a recall culture. From drugs to cars, food, baby cribs and toys, it seems that hardly a week goes by without some products being recalled by manufacturers, sometimes with what sounds like scary warnings of potential harm.

It's a lot to keep up with, and with so many things getting recalled it's also easy to let your eyes glaze over and to tune those ears out. "Another toy made in China might have too much lead in the paint? Scheez, tell me something I don't know..."

But just because it is practically routine, it doesn't mean we should fail to take recalls seriously. On the contrary, we should be as watchful as ever, to make sure we aren't handing our loved ones something that may injure them down the line. For example, just the other day the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that Disney Pirates of the Caribbean sleeping bags were recalled for lead paint. Who knew sleeping bags even had paint on them?

Now, a consumer-friendly Website brings recall info from a number of sources together in one easy-to-digest format: US Recall News. The site covers everything from food to drugs, toys and more. It is not affiliated with any government agency, so it is not the "official" word on recalls, but it is a good place to start to quickly find out what you need to know.

Perhaps even more convenient is the fact that US Recall News now offers a Web-based widget that serves real-time headlines on toy recall news. Click on the title in the smartly designed box, and you'll be taken to a page with more information. The widget can be easily uploaded to your own blog or page on MySpace, Facebook, Friendster, Orkut, Bebo and so on.

Find the widget on the lower right corner of any US Recall News page (and click "share" to get it).

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