Chicago — Attorney General Lisa Madigan today is denouncing the Juvenile Products Manufacturers Association’s (JPMA) plans to launch its national “Safe Sleep” campaign in Chicago, saying it amounts to “peddling deadly merchandise in our own backyard where we fight daily to protect our children from such harmful products.”

According to the Association’s Web site, the group is embarking on a “five-city education and sleep product donation tour” beginning in Chicago on Wednesday in observation of annual Baby Safety Month.

“JPMA should take responsibility for certifying deadly drop-side cribs that have killed dozens of infants across the country. They should be launching an awareness campaign to ensure parents and caregivers know drop-side cribs have a deadly flaw, and people need to stop using them immediately,” said Attorney General Madigan.

She also again demanded that JPMA remove its Certification Seal from dangerous drop-side cribs. The ASTM International, originally known as the American Society for Testing and Materials, strengthened its standard by banning drop-side cribs in December 2009. Yet JPMA refuses to force manufacturers to remove its seal from cribs that do not meet these new safety standards. The Attorney General’s office staff has found drop-side cribs with the JPMA seal on retail sales floors as recently as July of this year.

“It’s appalling that JPMA still allows drop-side cribs to carry the JPMA certification. At least 32 children have died in drop-side cribs, over 9 million of them have been recalled, and by the end of this year, the CPSC will ban the manufacture of cribs with this deadly design,” said Madigan. “Yet JPMA still refuses to remove their seal from these deadly cribs.”

Since 2007, over 9.5 million drop-side cribs have been recalled, with almost 4 million recalled in 2010 alone. The federal Consumer Product Safety Commission confirms that 32 infants have died in drop-side cribs. Beginning in December 2009, new nationwide industry standards banned drop-sides as a feature of cribs. Based on these standards, drop-side cribs are now deemed unsafe under Illinois law.

“JPMA wants you to believe that it is concerned for the safety of your infant when its actions prove otherwise. When confronted with the fact that cribs they certified have killed dozens of infants, JPMA blames the parents. It’s clear that JPMA has one interest - selling their members’ products regardless of their safety,” Madigan said.

The Attorney General used the opportunity to remind parents and other caregivers that drop-side cribs – the very cribs that JPMA continues to promote – are deadly and should not be used. The Attorney General also has issued the “Rest Assured: Special Edition” consumer guide, which provides important information to consumers about every drop-side crib recall that has occurred since 2007, including information on the 12 recalls that have occurred in 2010.

The guide identifies which cribs were recalled by make and model, when and where the cribs were sold and what to do if you own one of these recalled cribs. To obtain a copy of the “Rest Assured: Special Edition” guide, call the Attorney General’s Product Recall Hotline at 1-888-414-7678 (TTY: 1-800-964-3013), or go to the Attorney General’s website, www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov.