13-month-old strangled by blinds cord

WILLINGBORO, N.J. - A 13-month-old boy was apparently strangled in his crib by a cord on a set of window blinds even as the government announced a recall of other blinds because of danger to children.

The boy, whose name was not released, was found Wednesday.

He apparently awoke during the night and ''became entangled in a looped cord from a pleated blind located near the crib,'' police Lt. Dennis De Pew said.

The blind was not the kind involved in Wednesday's recall, De Pew said. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission will investigate, a spokesman said.

A police officer tried to revive the child before taking him to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The death was ruled accidental.

When police arrived, the father was in the street yelling ''My baby! My baby!'' De Pew said. The mother was at work at the time.

Earlier Wednesday, the commission announced the recall of 500 million horizontal window blinds believed to be the reason for the deaths of 130 children since 1991.

Children can turn the pull cords - as well as the inner cords that adjust the slats - into nooses around their necks, said the commission and an industry group, Window Covering Safety Council. About 55 million horizontal blinds are sold each year.

In 1995, the commission recalled window blinds and draperies with looped pull cords.

Peter Rush, head of the Window Covering Safety Council, said consumers can visit the council's Web site at www.windowcoverings.org to learn how to check blinds for safety.

The safety commission advises owners of blinds to call the council toll-free at 1-800-506-4636 to request a free repair kit for each set of blinds. The kits include small plastic attachments to prevent the inner cords from being pulled loose and safety tassels for pre-1995 blinds with looped pull cords.

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