500-Watt Halogen Bulbs Recall/Replace by Tensor NEWS from CPSC U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Ken Giles December 9, 1996 (301) 504-7052 Release # 97-038 CPSC and Tensor Corp. Announce Recall to Replace 500-Watt Halogen Bulbs WASHINGTON, D.C. - In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Tensor Corporation of Chelsea, Mass., is voluntarily recalling approximately 100,000 500-watt tubular halogen bulbs sold in 50,000 torchiere-style lamps. The bulbs may shatter during use, presenting a fire hazard when hot fragments of the shattered bulb land on nearby combustible materials, such as furniture, bedding, newspaper or carpet. Tensor is aware of 281 incidents of bulbs shattering resulting in at least six burn injuries and some small fires. Three fires resulted in more than $25,000 in damage. The halogen torchiere floor lamps, measuring 71 inches tall, have a round base, a three part pole, and a shallow, bowl-shaped shade. A small round switch located on the lamp's pole enables consumers to adjust the bulb's brightness. The model number "LT609N" or "LT609P" and a manufacturing plant code appear on stickers on the bottom of the lamp base. Montgomery Ward and Electric Ave. & More stores sold the lamps nationwide from October 1995 through April 1996 for about $20. Each lamp was packaged with one installed bulb and some were sold with a second replacement bulb. The affected bulbs were manufactured in China. Tensor lamps sold before October 1995 are not included in this bulb recall, and lamps sold after April 1996 contain the 300-watt replacement bulbs. Consumers should immediately discard the affected 500-watt bulbs. Consumers should retrieve the date of purchase, the model number, and manufacturing code from the bottom of the lamp base, then call Tensor's Customer Service toll-free number at (888) 564-4424. After verifying that the caller's lamp co