About 84,250 Oh Chute parachute with streamer fireworks, manufactured in China and distributed by Fireworks Over America, were recalled because the parachutes can get tangled in power lines, posing a risk of shocks. The company has received one report of a parachute getting tangled, causing the user's hand to get shocked and burned. The fireworks were sold at firework stores around the country between April 2007 and June 2008.

Bayside Furnishings

Boy's death leads to recall of thousands of beds

Bayside Furnishings recalled 9,350 LaJolla Boat Beds and Pirates of the Caribbean Twin Trundle Beds sold at Costco Wholesale Corp. after a 22-month-old boy died when the lid of a toy chest on one of the beds fell on his head.

The two different styles of beds both have toy chests made with a hardwood top, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said today in a statement. The death of the Roseville, Calif., boy was the only injury report that the U.S. agency noted.

Young children are at risk of being trapped or strangled in the Chinese-made beds, the agency said.

It's a Girl Thing bracelets

Jewelry may contain high levels of lead

About 13,000 It's a Girl Thing bracelets, necklaces and phone charms, manufactured in China and distributed by Bead Bazaar USA Inc., were recalled because the jewelry may contain high levels of lead, which is toxic if ingested. No injuries have been reported. The jewelry was sold around the country between February 2006 and June 2008.

Class-action suits

State courts are ruling in favor of consumer rights

Widespread efforts by companies to prevent consumers from pursuing class-action suits against them are increasingly getting quashed by state courts.

The New Mexico Supreme Court last week followed several other state courts in holding that a consumer agreement prohibiting class-action suits violates that state's public policy and is ''unconscionable.'' The case concerned Dell Inc.'s requirement that its customers pursue claims through arbitration, and on an individual basis only.

''The opportunity to seek class relief is of particular importance to the enforcement of consumer rights, because it provides a mechanism for the spreading of costs,'' the court ruled.