The Competition Directorate has launched a recall notice of amber necklaces sold in pharmacies, due to the risk of strangulation for babies.
Second recall for amber necklaces in 2016. The General Directorate for Competition, Consumption and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) has requested the withdrawal from the market of products marketed by the company Mathieu Pharmaceutique. They pose a risk to babies, who could strangle themselves.
The closure system was deemed too strong, and tests carried out show that if the collar caught on during a fall, the baby was exposed to a risk of strangulation.
The pharmacies that distribute it are called to place a poster on the window from their pharmacy to alert consumers. However, these products are not part of the list of products authorized for sale in pharmacies, and the pharmacists who sell them are liable to sanctions.
Ineffective and potentially dangerous
Barely a month ago, a similar product from the BalticWay brand was also withdrawn from the market. Conversely, the cord was then considered too fragile, and babies were exposed to a risk of suffocation if it was carried in the mouth.
According to some beliefs, amber is believed to provide relief to babies when their teeth are growing. No credit was ever given by doctors to these supposed virtues, but the French Pediatric Society had warned of its dangers of suffocation and strangulation. It was based on a study in the Pediatric Archives carried out between March and July 2011 in three pediatric emergency departments in Toulouse and Montauban.
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