Window blinds remain a killer of children

Once every month in the United States, a young child is strangled by becoming entangled in window blind cords.  The CPSC is once again looking at possible mandatory regulations that were estimated to add $1-2 dollars per window to the cost of manufacture.  Cordless blinds, cord covers and retractable cords have been proposed, however, the unregulated industry has consistently rejected any significant improvement in design.  The magnitude of the problem was first uncovered in the 1980s when a federal study fou nd that  41 recent child strangultion deaths were caused by drapery and cord blinds.  In 2009, the CPSC recalled 50 million Roman shades and roll-up blinds, one of the largest recalls in history.