Lunch Boxes Recalled for Potentially Poisonous Gel Packs

NEW YORK (MainStreet) — Cooler and food bag manufacturer California Innovations recalled approximately 248,000 expandable lunch boxes after discovering that their freezer gel packs could be poisonous, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Monday.

The gel in the pack contains diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol, which can leak if the package is damaged and can cause harm if ingested by children or adults.

The recall was issued after the company received reports that two dogs had chewed on the gel packs, causing one to die from ingesting the gel.

The lunch boxes were sold at Costco Wholesale Clubs, Leon Korol and Cost U Less stores between May 2007 and September 2008 for about $10. They were sold under the name Ci Sport as a three-piece insulated lunch box set, which includes the lunch box, aluminum bottle and the freezer gel pack. The code "1-61731-99-57" can be found on one of the two white labels sewn under the white fastener inside the main compartment.

Anyone who bought the lunch boxes is being advised to stop using the gel packs immediately and to contact their local waste disposal authority for instructions on how to dispose of them, since regulations vary from state to state.

Consumers may return the lunch box sets to Costco for a full refund, or they can receive a $5 cash refund for the gel pack only by contacting California Innovations.

For questions call California Innovations at (800) 722-2545 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. EST Monday through Friday or send email to ci-recall@ca-innovations.com. Consumers can also visit the company's website for more information.

—Jeanine Skowronski is staff reporter for MainStreet. You can reach her by email at Skowronski.jeanine@thestreet.com, or follow her on Twitter at @JeanineSko.