Blumenthal Statement in Response to Reports That IKEA Knowingly Sold Dresser Posing Risk of Death, Injury to Children

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), member of the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and sponsor of the Stop Tip-Overs of Unstable, Risky Dressers on Youth (STURDY) Act, released the following statement calling for swift passage of the legislation following recent reports in the Washington Post and USA Today that IKEA knowingly continued to sell a dangerous dresser, the three-drawer Kullen, even after it was found to no longer meet safety standards:

“I call on the Senate to swiftly pass the STURDY Act to ensure no more kids die or get injured because of unsafe furniture,” said Blumenthal. “IKEA knew better than to continue selling its Kullen dresser for months despite its noncompliance with safety standards. It’s clear that the furniture industry has been allowed to self-regulate for too long – and with tragic consequences. With a child injured by tipped furniture every 17 minutes, it’s long overdue that the STURDY Act’s common-sense safety standards are put in place. No more families should be forced to grieve the preventable death of their child.”

IKEA’s three-drawer Kullen dresser was found to be noncompliant with the furniture industry’s safety standards in August 2019. The company took the dresser off the market in December – four months later. A safety recall of the Kullen dressers was issued on March 4, nearly seven months after the furniture was first found noncompliant with safety standards.

The STURDY Act directs the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to adopt a stronger, mandatory stability standard for clothing storage units, including chests, bureaus, and dressers, which are a major category of furniture at risk for tipping over.

This bicameral, bipartisan legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Edward J. Markey (D-MA), Tom Cotton (R-AR), Tina Smith (D-MN), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Mike Braun (R-IN) in the Senate and is led by U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) in the House with 23 cosponsors. The STURDY Act was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives in September 2019.

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