what you can do.(to ensure product safety)

BEFORE YOU BUY

All products

* Avoid no-name products. They are commonly found in dollar and discount stores. A manufacturer name and address is not a guarantee of safety, but it means that you or authorities can track down a legitimate corporation to remedy problems.

* Check the warning label. Be cautious of products where the label conflicts with information elsewhere on the packaging or is written in ungrammatical English.

* Be cautious of extraordinary bargains. Products that are far less expensive than comparable items sold elsewhere could be cheap because they're counterfeit or otherwise defective.

* Beware of products sold by street merchants, flea market vendors, and other "informal" retailers. Retailers can be held legally liable for unsafe products, but it can be hard to collect from fly-by-night vendors.

* If you shop at yard sales or thrift stores, check to see that your purchases, especially electrical appliances, toys, cribs, car seats, and other children's gear, haven't been recalled. Visit www.recalls.gov to learn about specific recalls.