Attention shoppers! Before hitting the yard sales, flea markets and second-hand stores this summer, check out Health Canada’s “Information for Shoppers of Second-hand Products”. It will help you avoid unsafe purchases and it has great tips for online shopping too!

Children and magnets don’t mix! Small powerful magnets that are loose or contained in a very small item are dangerous. If more than one magnet is swallowed over a short period of time, they can attract one another through the intestines and create a blockage or slowly tear through the intestinal walls. The results can be fatal. Older children are known to play with these small powerful magnets in their mouths: using them for fake tongue or cheek piercings, attaching them to braces, etc. Teach children to keep powerful magnets away from their mouths. For more information check out Facts for Hazards of Ingesting Small Magnets

Think safety first! Did you know that it is illegal to sell or give away baby walkers, infant self-feeding devices and polycarbonate baby bottles containing bisphenol A (BPA)? These products and more are banned in Canada. In fact, by law, you cannot import, sell, distribute, or even lend or give away products that do not meet the safety standards of the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act (CCPSA), by Health Canada. If you sell, lend or give away an item that is hazardous, you could be liable in a civil court of law. Find out all the details at Facts for Garage Sale Vendors.

Last updated: January 2017