Staying Fit
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a safety warning on approximately 285,000 portable bed rails for adults because they pose a risk of entrapping users and causing serious injury or death.
The warning applies to 10 models of bed rails manufactured between 1992 and 2021 by Mobility Transfer Systems, as well as those made by Metal Tubing USA in 2021 and 2022. CPSC determined that the bed rails can trap someone between the rail and the mattress or within portions of the bed rail itself, potentially leading to suffocation.
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At least three people have died from being trapped by one of the bed rail models, according to the June 2 safety warning, including a 78-year-old woman in a Michigan assisted-living facility in 2006, an 85-year-old man in an Oklahoma nursing home in 2007, and a 90-year-old disabled woman in California in 2013.
CPSC said neither company has agreed to recall the bed rails or offer remedies to owners such as refunds, repairs or replacements. AARP contacted both Mobility Transfer Systems and Metal Tubing USA for comment, but neither company responded immediately.
Where hazardous bed rails were sold
The bed rails were sold at Walmart.com, Amazon.com, MTSMedicalSupply.com, VitalityMedical.com, Alimed.com and other online retailers for between about $30 and $170, according to CPSC. The products may have also been purchased from secondhand sites such as eBay.com.
The 10 models subject to the CPSC warning are:
- Freedom Grip (model 501)
- Freedom Grip Plus (model 502)
- Freedom Grip Travel (model 505)
- Reversible Slant Rail (model 600)
- Transfer Handle (model 2025)
- Easy Adjustable (model 2500)
- 30-Inch Security Bed Rail, single-sided (model 5075)
- 30-Inch Security Bed Rail – Extra Tall, single-sided (model 5075T)
- 30-Inch Security Bed Rail, double-sided (model 5085)
- 30-Inch Security Bed Rail – Extra Tall, double-sided (model 5085T)
CPSC urges anyone who has one of these 10 bed rail models to stop using it immediately, disassemble it and throw it away. The name “Mobility Transfer Systems” and the model number are printed on a label located on the grip handle of the bed rails. They are made of white or chrome metal tubing.
Aaron Kassraie writes about issues important to military veterans and their families for AARP. He also serves as a general assignment reporter. Kassraie previously covered U.S. foreign policy as a correspondent for the Kuwait News Agency’s Washington bureau and worked in news gathering for USA Today and Al Jazeera English.
