'IMMEDIATELY STOP USING': Major recalls at Costco, Toys R Us, Best Buy and Staples on TVs, toys and laminators trigger multiple Health Canada warnings

Metroland file photo

Health Canada is warning shoppers at some of the country's big-name stores as a number of recalls are causing thousands of items to be pulled from shelves.

Costco and Best Buy are alerting shoppers to a large LG TV recall.

LG Electronics ("LGE") is recalling certain LG 86" UHD 4K televisions (TV's) Smart TVs with model numbers 86UQ8000AUB, 86UQ7590PUD, and 86NANO75UQA (Costco Item Numbers 9107086, 9108086 and 9107586) sold in a Costco warehouse or on Costco.ca between July 1, 2022 and October 4, 2022.

"The TV's supporting stands may become vulnerable when not attached by properly tightening all three screws for each of the two stand elements provided by the manufacturer," Costco said in its warning. "This vulnerability can be exacerbated where an external force or load is applied to the TV stand, posing a tip-over hazard and a risk of injury from impact."

In an email, Best Buy confirmed the TVs were sold in-store and online.

"The health and safety of our customers and employees is our number one priority," the Best Buy statement reads. "Once the recall was issued, all affected SKUs were immediately removed from shelves in-store and on BestBuy.ca. Units were returned to the vendor for further action."

As of Jan. 6, the company has received no reports of incidents or injuries in Canada or Mexico.

In the United States, the company has received 22 reports, including 12 reports of tip-overs, Health Canada said in its recall warning.

"Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled product and detach the TV from the support stand. Consumers should then place the television face down on a soft cloth or blanket in a safe location away from children," Health Canada said.

Contact LG Electronics for instructions on how to inspect the unit and to obtain replacement screws and stand parts, including help from a technician for a free repair. Consumers whose TVs are wall-mounted do not need to stop using them.

For more information, consumers can contact LG Electronics’ customer service by telephone at 888-542-2623 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. EST, by e-mail at [email protected] or by visiting the website LG Announcements (English), or LG Faire-part (French).

Consumers will also be able to obtain information through a live chat function accessible on the website.

The company reported that 1,800 units of the affected product were sold in Canada, 47,300 were sold in the United States, and approximately 2,900 were sold in Mexico from May 2022 to September 2022.

Meanwhile, a toy recall based on a chemical hazard is impacting items sold at Toys R Us in Canada.

This recall involves Placote My First Word Cube, and specifiaclly, a pocket cube sold in a cardboard box and accompanied by cardboard cards. The product was sold from March 2022 to September 2022. Affected products are Le Dé des Premiers Mots, with internal code PLA1 and UPC number 830096004220, along with My First Words, internal code PLE1 and UPC number 830096005135:

The recalled product may contain lead above the regulatory limits.

The recalled product may contain lead above the regulatory limits, Health Canada said in its recall warning, which is also on the Toys R Us website.

Under the Toys Regulations of the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act, it is illegal to import, advertise or sell toys that contains more than 90 mg/kg total lead.

Lead is highly toxic, especially to children. A range of serious health effects have been associated with exposure to lead and cadmium, including anemia, vomiting, diarrhea, heart and immune system. In extreme cases, there have been deaths.

The company reported that approximately 4000 units of the affected product were sold in Canada from March 2022 to September 2022.

"Consumers should immediately stop using the pocket cube and return it to Les Editons Passe-Temps Inc. for a full refund of the product or a gift card for an amount greater than the value of the product," Health Canada said. "Consumers may keep the playing cards included with the product as they do not present a hazard."

For more information, consumers can contact the Les Éditions Passe-Temps customer service from 8:30 am to 4 pm, Monday to Friday at 1-877-687-9963, by email at [email protected] or visit the company website.

Another recall involves Scotch Thermal Laminators sold at Staples and other stores in Canada.

The recalled laminator is a Scotch Brand Thermal Laminator, Model number TL1302. All models starting with TL1302 are affected, Health Canada said in its recall warning.

The Scotch Thermal Laminator TL1302 (TL1302) is light gray/white with gray accents. The word "Scotch" is printed in gray on the front of the device. The model number, TL1302, can be found on the sticker on the bottom of the laminator. The laminating slot is approximately 13 inches (33 centimeters) wide and the machine has a carrying handle on the right side, Health Canada added.<

"A safety feature may not operate correctly to turn off power if the product enters an overheating state due to a thermal malfunction, posing a potential fire hazard," the warning states.

As of November 4, 2022, the company has received no reports of incidents or injuries in Canada and four reports of fire in the United States.

The company reported that 3560 units of the affected product were sold in Canada and 516,500 were sold in the United States from March 2020 to October 2022.

"Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled product, unplug the device and contact 3M for reimbursement," Health Canada said.

Consumers should visit https://www.scotchbrand.com/3m/en_ca/scotch-brand-ca/tl1302-laminator-recall/ and fill out the recall registration form.

Keith Gattie has learned in last decade of his Indigenous heritage and intergenerational family trauma