Infant seat linked to at least 32 deaths demands to be recalled

　　美國消費品安全委員會和費雪公司於當地時間4月5日就費雪公司“Rock 'n Play”嬰兒牀造成嬰兒死亡事件發佈聯合聲明。該聲明稱，自2015年以來，至少有10名超過三個月大的嬰兒因在“Rock 'n Play”的嬰兒牀上翻身而死亡。同時該聲明還建議當孩子長到3個月大時，“或者當嬰兒顯示出翻轉能力時”，父母應當停止使用該嬰兒牀。

　　據報道，這款“問題嬰兒牀”由美國費雪玩具公司生產。作爲美國玩具產業中最受歡迎、最值得信賴的品牌之一，該公司成立於1930年，其玩具近80年來爲世界各地的孩子們帶來歡樂。

　　The Consumer Product Safety Commission and Fisher-Price issued a warning last Friday about the Rock 'n Play sleeper, citing reports of 10 infant deaths since 2015.

　　The infants, who were 3 months or older, rolled from their back to their stomach or side while unrestrained, the commission said. The warning did not elaborate on what caused the infants' death.

　　The latest death was reported last month, said Patty Davis, a spokeswoman with CPSC. It's unclear when the other deaths took place.

　　美國消費品安全委員會警告父母，在孩子長到三個月大以後，或是會翻身以後，不能再使用這款嬰兒牀。他們還建議父母，當嬰兒睡在傾斜的睡牀上時需要使用安全扣。

　　The CPSC is recommending that parents stop using the Rock’n Play when their baby reaches 3-months, or the child begins exhibiting the capability to roll over.They also recommend parents use the restraints when their baby is in an “inclined sleep product.”

　　Photo：The Consumer Product Safety Commission

　　召回費雪 Rock 'n Play嬰兒牀呼聲不斷

　　Voices for recall of Fisher-Price Rock 'n Play

　　然而事情並沒有因爲這則安全警示而畫上句號。與此同時，《消費者報告》雜誌和美國兒科學會正在極力呼籲立刻召回費雪的“Rock 'n Play”嬰兒牀。

　　Consumer Reports and the American Academy of Pediatrics are urging for an immediate recall of the Fisher-Price Rock 'n Play sleeper.

　　《消費者報告》在當地時間4月8日發表了一項調查結果，聲稱發現至少32名嬰兒因該嬰兒牀而夭折，這些嬰兒有些年齡小於3個月，和美國消費品安全委員會此前所述的夭折嬰兒皆爲“超過三個月大”有出入，同時，很多嬰兒是因爲在翻身後無法呼吸或窒息而死亡的。

　　The consumer magazine posted a story about its investigation into the popular baby product Monday, three days after the CPSC and Fisher-Price issued a warning, saying it found that at least 32 babies have died and their work “has turned up deaths of babies even younger than the 3-month threshold cited in the April 5 warning, and go beyond the risk of rollover."

　　The magazine's researchers also found “deaths of babies even younger than the 3-month threshold cited in the April 5 warning, and go beyond the risk of rollover”, adding that the cause of death for some babies was asphyxia, or the inability to breathe caused by the babies' position.

　　Photo：VCG

　　《消費者報告》高級政策分析師威廉·華萊士於8日表示，“鑑於費雪公司的‘Rock 'n Play’嬰兒牀造成的大量嬰兒傷亡事件，這款產品必須被立刻召回。”他還稱，所有傾斜的嬰兒牀都應該接受美國消費品安全委員會的調查。

　　同時，華萊士表示，雖然美國消費品安全委員會的發佈警告很有必要，但是爲時過晚，更嚴重的是，該委員會在有跡象表明該睡牀產品會對嬰兒睡眠時的安全帶來危險時，仍然把安全的責任全部歸咎於父母和監護人身上。

　　他建議，美國消費品安全委員理應對所有嬰兒睡牀制定標準，其中包括醫學專家目前建議的所有嬰兒睡牀應該有一個堅固、平坦的牀面，不符合這些標準的產品應該立即下架。

　　"Based on the deaths and injuries associated with the Fisher-Price Rock‘n Play, the product clearly puts infants' safety at risk and should be recalled immediately, said William Wallace, who is a senior policy analyst for Consumer Reports, in a separate press release on April 8. “All other inclined sleepers should be investigated by the Consumer Product Safety Commission.”

　　Wallace said the CPSC's alert is needed but is overdue.

　　"It's totally inappropriate for companies or the CPSC to put the bulk of the responsibility for safety on parents and caregivers—especially when a product indicates it's safe for routine sleep but really isn't—or to imply that they're to blame for tragedies,” said Wallace.

　　"To truly protect the public, the CPSC should set strong rules for all infant sleep products, including mandating what medical experts already recommend: a firm, flat surface in a bare crib, bassinet, or play yard,” he said. Meanwhile, "if products don't meet the rules, the agency should quickly get them off the market and out of people's homes, even if they conform to voluntary industry standards,” Wallace added.

　　Photo：Cumsemer Reports

　　美國兒科學會（AAP）於9日也加入了抵制費雪嬰兒牀的隊伍，在援引了《消費者報告》的分析以後，美國兒科學會表示美國消費品安全委員會的警告並沒有起到保護嬰兒安全的作用。

　　美國兒科學會主席凱爾·亞蘇達博士表示，“這款睡牀產品對於嬰兒來說是非常危險的，當父母在給孩子買這款產品時，很多人都天真地以爲超市裏賣的一定是安全的東西。悲劇的是，事實正好相反。已經有充分的證據表明‘Rock 'n Play’嬰兒牀威脅嬰兒的生命安全，美國消費品安全委員會應該馬上行動起來，把這款產品下架，避免更多的悲劇發生。”

　　美國兒科學會工作小組組長瑞秋·穆恩博士也表示，“我們不能再把這些產品留在貨架上，這樣會讓更多嬰兒的安全受到傷害。”

　　美國兒科學會稱，嬰兒會時不時地翻身，而有些姿勢會讓嬰兒因爲沒法翻轉回來而窒息，因此不建議父母讓嬰兒睡在包括‘Rock 'n Play’在內的任何傾斜睡牀，即使這些睡牀產品被提示需要扣上安全帶使用。

　　Saying the warning did not go far enough to protect infants, the American Academy of Pediatrics on Tuesday joined growing calls to have a Fisher-Price baby sleeper recalled, citing the Consumer Reports analysis.

　　"This product is deadly and should be recalled immediately," said Dr. Kyle Yasuda, AAP president. "When parents purchase a product for their baby or child, many assume that if it's being sold in a store, it must be safe to use. Tragically, that is not the case. There is convincing evidence that the Rock 'n Play inclined sleeper puts infants' lives at risk, and CPSC must step up and take immediate action to remove it from stores and prevent further tragedies."

　　"We cannot put any more children's lives at risk by keeping these dangerous products on the shelves," said Dr. Rachel Moon, chair of the AAP Task Force on sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

　　The AAP does not recommend inclined sleep products such as Rock 'n Play, or any other products that require restraining a baby. It also advises against using car seats, strollers or other devices for sleep. The group said babies could roll or turn into an unsafe position and suffer suffocation or strangulation when unable to move.

　　美國消費品安全協會與費雪公司的迴應

　　The response of the CPSC and Fisher-Price Company

　　按照《消費者報告》雜誌的說法，費雪公司辯稱嬰兒的夭折不是由嬰兒牀引起的，因爲有些嬰兒先前便患有一些疾病，同時有些家長沒有正確使用該產品。

　　費雪公司總經理查克·司克森於8日在一份聲明中解釋說，他們的產品符合所有安全標準。司克森還說，孩子的安全一直是公司最爲關注的，嬰兒喪命的悲劇讓公司感到心碎。

　　“最重要的是要一直謹遵產品的警告和指示。”聲明表示，“我們會繼續盡一切所能，給父母和監護人提供必要的信息，爲嬰兒提供一個安全的睡眠環境。”

　　According to Consumer Reports, Fisher-Price said the company does not believe that these deaths have been caused by the product, as some of the children either had a previous medical condition or the product was not used properly.

　　Chuck Scothon, general manager at Fisher-Price, said in a statement to USA TODAY on Monday that the sleeper meets all "applicable safety standards" and that the "safety of children is our highest priority. The loss of a child is tragic and heart-breaking."

　　"It is essential that the product warnings and instructions are always followed," the statement said. "We will continue to do all we can to ensure that parents and caregivers have the information necessary to create a safe sleep environment for infants."

　　Photo: Wikipedia

　　美國消費者安全協會在9日表示，他們的工作並沒有結束，目前正在着力調查其他費雪嬰兒牀引起的死亡事件，“我們在作撤回產品的決定時需要遵守一系列規定，在有證據表明有撤回的必要以後我們就會採取行動。我們將繼續努力解決這個問題。”

　　On Tuesday, the government agency said its work "does not stop" with the alert.

　　"We are investigating other deaths that have occurred in the Rock‘n Play," the agency said in a statement Tuesday. "CPSC has requirements it must follow for any decisions concerning recalls. If the evidence shows the need for a recall, we will take that step. We continue to work on this very important safety issue."

　　一系列嬰兒夭折事件

　　A Long List of Deaths

　　《消費者報告》雜誌揭露，最早的嬰兒夭折事件發生在2011年，隨後發生了越來越多同類型的事件。

　　2013年10月19日，得克薩斯州的伊達爾戈縣的一位母親在夜裏將她2月大的女兒放在‘Rock 'n Play’嬰兒牀裏。凌晨4點時，一切正常。但早上7點的時候，這位母親發現她的女兒已經停止了呼吸，她的女兒頭向一側傾斜下巴搭在肩膀上，導致氣管被阻塞，被當場診斷因體位性窒息死亡。隨後該母親將費雪公司告上了法庭。

　　The earliest death that Customer Reports uncovered occurred in 2011, with more in the years that followed. There is, for example, the mother in Hidalgo County, Texas, who placed her 2-month old daughter on her back for a night's sleep on Oct. 19, 2013, according to a lawsuit filed by the family against Fisher-Price. At 4 a.m., when the mother checked, all was well, but by 7 a.m., the baby had stopped breathing. Her head was tilted to the side with her chin on her shoulder, compressing her airway. She was pronounced dead at the scene from positional asphyxia, or an inability to breathe caused by her position.

　　也有的嬰兒僥倖逃脫。2014年7月25日，7周大的男嬰被放在該款睡牀，當時他的祖母簡·金森在房間裏，發現孫子整個人翻轉過去，臉色發青，奄奄一息，便立刻幫他恢復呼吸，孩子在送往醫院救治後就出院了。

　　There have also been some close calls. In one, on July 25, 2014, a 7-week-old boy was placed in a Rock 'n Play Sleeper while his grandmother was in the room, according to a lawsuit filed against Fisher-Price that was ultimately dismissed.

　　The grandmother, Jan Hinson, of Greenville, S.C., says she looked at her grandson and saw he was "cocked over all the way, and he was blue and lifeless. It was absolutely awful.”She got the infant breathing again, and after a stay in the hospital, he was released.

　　簡是一名律師，她如今正在幫弗吉尼亞州的歐文頓夫婦辯護，他們的孩子因該款嬰兒牀而喪命。

　　2017年，聖誕節的前幾天，歐文頓夫婦把5個月大的孩子放在Rock 'n Play睡牀裏，丈夫睡在旁邊的沙發上。夜裏丈夫醒來發現，孩子已經失去了反應，便大喊妻子打911。“他渾身發青，身體變硬。”在醫院醫生宣佈了孩子的死亡，窒息被列爲直接死因。

　　Hinson, who is also a lawyer, is now representing a Virginia couple, Evan and Keenan Overton, whose son died while in a Rock 'n Play Sleeper.

　　A few days before Christmas in 2017, 5-month-old Ezra was asleep in the product while Keenan slept on a couch nearby. When Keenan woke in the middle of the night, he found Ezra on his stomach, unresponsive, and yelled for Evan to call 911. "He was blue, and his body was, it was hard, and he didn't feel real,” Evan said. Ezra was pronounced dead at the hospital; "asphyxia” was listed as the immediate cause of death.

　　Photo: Cumsemer Reports

　　Source: CNN, The Epoch Times, USA Today, Cumsemer Reports

　　Ccompiled by Liu Jingshan