According to the February issue of Consumer Reports, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Casablanca Fan Co., City of Industry, Calif., announced a sweeping product recall regarding Casablanca ceiling fans sold during the past 12 years that have the potential to fall from their mounts.
The recall involves some 3.3 million fans sold between January 1981 and September1993 for $200 to $2,500. It involves all models with the Casablanca name.Pasadena fans manufactured by Casablanca are not subject to the recall.
A metal nameplate appears on the exterior housing of each fan. Recalled models also have a serial number on the nameplate whose second letter is either A, B, C, O, P, R, S, T, U, V, W, X or Y.
According to the magazine, the CPSC reports that the manufacturer has received about 50 reports of fans falling. The ball-and-rod assembly from which the fan is suspended could fall through the canopy. The canopy secures the unit to the electrical junction box in the ceiling. If the opening in the canopy is too large, the canopy ball could eventually slip through, allowing the fan to fall to the floor.
The manufacturer will provide a free repair kit with step-by-step installation instructions. The kit can be obtained by phoning (800) 390-3131.
You may also call the company to arrange for a free installation. Free installation may not be available for most fans made before March 1991, however, because of a change in company ownership.
To find out, call Casablanca.
If a fan falls, turn off the circuit breaker that controls power to the fan. That will eliminate the possibility of an electrical shock.
Heart attack risk
Men who are 6 feet 1 inches or taller suffer substantially fewer heart attacks than men who are 5 feet 7 or shorter, researchers have discovered.
The news was a surprise finding of a study of 22,000 male physicians conducted by scientists at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
During the study, which focused on the effects of aspirin and vitamin A on men, a subsidiary analysis determined that tall men experience 35 percent fewer heart attacks than short men.
"This does not give tall men carte blanche to engage in unhealthy lifestyle habits," she said. "Six-footers still need to avoid smoking, and they should eat properly, exercise regularly and watch their blood pressure."
- Don Kirkman,
Scripps Howard News Service