FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 28, 2007
Release #07-140

Firm's Hotline: (800) 262-8464
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

Inflator Pumps Recalled By Stearns Inc. Due to Laceration Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the manufacturers named below, today announced voluntary recalls of the following consumer products. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of product: West Marine Inflator Pumps

Units: About 1,400

Importer: Stearns Inc., of St. Cloud, Minn. (Note: The original importer Sevylor Inc., was recently acquired by Stearns Inc.)

Hazard: The inflator pumps can explode during use, ejecting sharp plastic parts and posing a serious laceration hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: Stearns has received three reports of pumps exploding. One consumer reported lacerations and two fractured ribs. Two other consumers received minor lacerations to the face and chest.

Description: The recalled inflator pump has a blue body with a black handle, hose, and pressure gage. The pump is 5-inches (12.7 cm) high and weighs about 3 pounds. West Marine is printed on a white sticker on the top of the pump housing. A second label contains a "caution" statement along with Ho Lee Co., Ltd. and UL listing information. The manufacturer's model number HB-183BG and the date code 1203 are also on the label.

Sold at: West Marine and BoatU.S. stores and through direct sales nationwide from August 2003 through January 2007 for about $60.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers are asked to return their inflator pump to nearest West Marine or BoatU.S. store for a full refund.

Consumer Contact: For more information consumers can contact West Marine or BoatU.S. at (800) 262-8464 anytime or visit the firm's Web site at www.westmarine.com

To see this recall on CPSC's web site, including a picture of the recalled product, please go to:
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07140.html

Safety: All About the Luxfer Tank Recall - September 2006

A collection of information gathered by the Safety Officer

The Luxfer 6351 aluminum alloy was used in tanks that predate 1989. In a very few of those tanks there has been found sustained-load cracking in and around the neck and threads of the tank. Out of 30,000,000 6351 tanks, 17 ruptured. That is 0.00006%! Out of 6,100,000 6351 tanks, 0.37% were found to have sustained-load cracking. It takes an average of approximately 6 years for a tank with sustained-load cracking to begin to leak. The tanks that have developed sustained-load cracking are ones that have been abused, damaged, or over-filled.

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (December 9, 2002)-Luxfer Gas Cylinders has announced a new scuba tank trade-in program to enable owners of older Luxfer scuba tanks manufactured in the U.S. from 6351 aluminum alloy to trade in their tanks and receive a $50 credit for each tank toward the purchase of new scuba tanks made from Luxfer's proven, proprietary 6061 alloy. Luxfer implemented the simple four-step program outlined below on January 1, 2003. The program ended on December 31, 2003. That was a limited one-year offer!

To determine whether your Luxfer scuba tank is made from 6351 aluminum alloy, check the original hydrostatic test date (the earliest date) stamped on the crown. (Look for a month/year combination, such as 3/75.) If the stamped year is 1972 through 1987, the tank is made from 6351 alloy. A limited number of Luxfer scuba tanks were also made from 6351 alloy during the first half of 1988. If you have a 1988 tank with an original hydrostatic test date of 6/88 or earlier, Luxfer assumed that it was a 6351-alloy tank and issued an RG number. Tanks with an original hydrostatic test date of 7/88 or later are made from 6061 alloy and were not eligible for the trade-in program.

Why did Luxfer sponsor this program? Is something wrong with these older tanks made from 6351 aluminum alloy?

As long as these older tanks are properly inspected and requalified as required by U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and Luxfer, you may continue to use them. DOT requires that the tanks be requalified every 5 years. In addition, Luxfer requires that the tanks receive a visual inspection by a properly trained inspector and an eddy-current test at least every 2½ years. (Please note as well that an annual visual inspection is a standard practice in the U.S. scuba industry, and Luxfer endorses this practice for all scuba tanks, not just those made from 6351 alloy.)

Luxfer sponsored this trade-in program for commercial purposes. The program operates much like a coupon for a commercial product. The intent is to increase demand and brand awareness in the marketplace by offering a trade-in discount on a new Luxfer scuba tank. This trade-in program also enables divers to upgrade tanks made from older- technology aluminum alloy to newer tanks made from Luxfer's proprietary 6061 aluminum alloy.

How do I know if it is a Luxfer tank?

You can tell by several markings on the tank. The serial number will begin with a prefix. (For example, in the case of an 80-cubic-foot tank, the prefix will be a P.) The serial number line should also contain Luxfer's name.

The US Government has determined that no recall is warranted for the Luxfer 6351 tanks. No scuba cylinders have been recalled! The Luxfer 6351 tanks are not to be condemned unless they show evidence warranting such. There is no reason for a dive shop to refuse to fill them. There is the potential to wrongly convince a customer they should be replacing the cylinder with a new one.
Luxfer scuba cylinders were manufactured from 6351 aluminum alloy during the following periods:

• United States : 1972 through mid-1988
• England : 1967 through 1995
• Australia : 1975 through 1990

Luxfer requires that every Luxfer 6351-alloy all-aluminum scuba cylinder be visually inspected at least every 2.5 years by a properly trained inspector. As part of this inspection, Luxfer further requires that the cylinder neck be tested with an eddy-current device such as Visual Plus™, Visual Plus 2™, Visual Plus 3™,Visual Eddy™ or equivalent non-destructive testing equipment. When properly used, eddy-current devices contribute significantly to early detection of difficult-to-observe sustained-load cracks in the necks of 6351-alloy cylinders. If the cylinder passes the inspection, the inspector will document that fact. If the cylinder fails the inspection, it must be removed from service immediately. Do not use Luxfer 6351-alloy scuba cylinders that have not been both visually inspected and eddy-current tested and then properly documented.

This Luxfer-required visual and eddy-current inspection is in addition to periodic requalifications (including retesting and inspections) required or recommended by various regulatory agencies around the world. The intervals between retests and inspections vary from country to country.

In addition to the required inspection and testing described above and in keeping with U.S. scuba industry standards, Luxfer recommends that all Luxfer 6351-alloy scuba cylinders be visually inspected at least once each year by a properly trained inspector.

For cylinders in heavy use (for example, those filled five or more times a week, Luxfer recommends visual inspection every four months. For more information, refer to Luxfer's Scuba Cylinder Inspection Guide, which is available by calling Luxfer at 800-764-0366 or by visiting the Luxfer web site at www.luxfercylinders.com.

Cylinders made from Luxfer's proprietary 6061 alloy are not susceptible to sustained-load cracks. Therefore, Luxfer does not recommend the use of earlier-generation eddy-current devices-e.g., Visual Plus, Visual Plus 2, and Visual Eddy-with Luxfer 6061-alloy cylinders because field experience has shown that using these devices can result in misleading "false-positive" readings and erroneously condemned cylinders.

However, Luxfer does approve the use of the Visual Plus 3™ eddy-current device with Luxfer 6061-alloy cylinders. After laboratory testing, Luxfer has determined that properly calibrated VisualPlus 3 equipment eliminates the "false positive" problem, accurately measures features in the neck area of aluminum cylinders, and generally provides correct pass or fail assessments with cylinders made from Luxfer's 6061 alloy. As of the date of this Luxfer Policy Statement, VisualPlus 3 is the only eddy-current testing device suitable for use with Luxfer 6061-alloy cylinders. (During a visual tank inspection (VTI) at Deep-Six, the VisualPlus 3 is used on all aluminum cylinders and a full report is given to the owner!)

Luxfer emphasizes that the use of eddy-current devices to improve the quality and accuracy of inspections does not eliminate the need for a thorough visual inspection by a properly trained and qualified inspector.

In keeping with U.S. scuba industry standards, Luxfer recommends annual visual inspection of Luxfer 6061-alloy cylinders by a properly trained inspector. For cylinders in heavy use (for example, those filled five or more times a week) Luxfer recommends visual inspection every four months. These recommended inspections are in addition to periodic requalifications (including retesting and inspections) required or recommended by various regulatory agencies around the world. The intervals between retests and inspections vary from country to country.