Peoples Drug Stores Recalls Certain Nine Inch Oscillating Fans

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Peoples Drug Stores, Incorporated, Alexandria, Virginia, is recalling certain Model CYHD-103 "APL", "SNOW", and "KING" brand nine inch oscillating fans it sold in 1982 and 1983. The Commission staff believes that a fire hazard exists because the 2-speed control switch may fail and cause overheating of the motor and ignition of the motor case and other plastic parts of the fan.

Though no injuries have occurred, four fan fires have been reported. Three of these incidents occurred in 1982, and involved the a "King" brand fan. Some "Snow" and "APL" brand fans were previously recalled by Peoples in 1982. A total of 6,366 fans may still be in the hands of consumers, according to the firm. The fans sold for about $20 to $25.

All of the fans being recalled were manufactured by Chin Yung Ho Enterprises Co., Ltd., Taichung, Taiwan. They were sold in Peoples, Lane, Haag and Reed drug stores (all of which are owned by Peoples) under three different labels: APL, Snow and King. The APL and Snown brand names are indicated by insignia located in the center of the metal grill an the front of the fans. The King brand label is actually a picture of a king's head and is also located at the center of the fan grill.

Most fans sold by Peoples Drug Stores Inc. under the King label were not manufactured by Chin Yung Ho and are not covered by the recall. The nine-inch oscillating "King" brand fans covered by the recall can be identified by a label on the fan bottom with the model number "CYHD-103", and the name of the manufacturer, Chin Yung Ho Enterprises Co., Ltd. All nine inch oscillating fans sold by the firm bearing the APL and Snow labels were also made by Chin Yung Ho and are being recalled.

All of the recalled fans have a 2-speed control (slide) switch on the fan base. The fans were listed by Underwriters Laboratories.

People, Lane, Haag and Reed drug stores are located in the 14 states of Alabama, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Mary-land, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia.

Consumers identifying their nine inch oscillating fans as being covered by this recall should stop using them immediately and should return them to the nearest People, Lane, Haag or Reed drug store. owners will be given a full refund of their purchase price. If inconvenient due to the distance involved, owners may still get a refund by calling Peoples at 703-750-6875 for instructions on shipping their fan back to the firm.

Since similar Snow or APL Brand Chin Yung Ho nine inch fans have been sold by other retailers nationwide, Peoples Drug Stores Inc. requests that consumers return only those identified fans purchased from its stores. Peoples advises owners who have purchased Snow or APL brand nine inch fans from other retailers to contact those retailers or CPSC to determine if the product is recalled or hazardous.

Information concerning this matter is also available to consumers on CPSC's toll free Hotline at 800-638-CPSC. A teletype-writer number for the hearing-impaired is 800-638-8270.