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Medics issue children’s injury warning over Loom bands (29 December 2014)

Date: 29/12/2014
Duncan Lewis, Personal Injury Solicitors, Medics issue children’s injury warning over Loom bands

Medical staff working in the Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) Department at the Monklands Hospital in Airdrie, Scotland are warning that more needs to be done to highlight the potential dangers of the children’s toy Loom bands.

In a paper published in the Journal of Laryngology and Otology, doctors at Monklands Hospital say that in just one week, four children were treated after getting Loom bands stuck in their nasal passages.

In the paper Loom bands and young children – a tragedy waiting to happen? staff at the hospital say young people need to be made more aware of the potential dangers of Loom bands, which have become a global craze.

Loom bands are small, coloured elastic bands which can be used with a frame to make a wide variety of jewellery items by stretching and interweaving the stretchy bands together.

Children have previously been injured while using Loom bands when the band has been stretched and has then been accidentally catapulted towards a child’s face.

Authors of the new report write:

“Although the four cases presented were resolved without the need for general anaesthetic, the ever-soaring prevalence and popularity of Loom bands necessitates a degree of caution and vigilance from parents, retailers and manufacturers alike.

“We believe there is an urgent need for greater public awareness of their potential hazards.”

Loom bands cost as little as 99p for a large bag and there are no restrictions on who can buy them, including young children.

Medics at Monklands Hospital say that if a Loom band is accidentally inhaled or a small child or toddler pushes a Loom band up their nose, there is a danger of airways becoming blocked, potentially leading to asphyxiation.

Some retailers in EU countries have removed Loom bands from their shelves after it was discovered that they contained chemicals linked to a higher risk of some cancers.

Chemicals called phthalates are used to soften plastics used in the manufacture of Loom bands, and have been found in medical studies to have an effect on children’s hormones.

The EU has banned phthalates in toys on sale in EU member states, but some products containing the chemicals may still enter the retail chain in counterfeit goods manufactured outside the EU and smuggled into the UK.

Under EU consumer protection regulations, retailers or manufacturers or suppliers in the EU and UK may have legal action taken against them if products made outside the EU are found to be faulty and cause injury.

Duncan Lewis Personal Injury Solicitors – Faulty Goods Claims and Children’s Injury Claims

Duncan Lewis personal injury solicitors can advise those injured as a result of faulty goods on how to make no win no fee Faulty Goods Claims, including Children’s Injury Claims.

Faulty Goods Claims and Children’s Injury Claims include claims for injuries relating to:

• Chemical injuries from preservatives in household items (eg leather sofas)
• Faulty boiler installations
• Faulty household repairs and building work
• Faulty electrical equipment and household items
• Faulty or counterfeit toys and children’s cots or bouncers
• Faulty DIY tools.

For expert legal advice on making no win no fee Faulty Goods Claims and Children’s Injury Claims, call Duncan Lewis personal injury solicitors on 020 7923 4020.


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