Wacky Warning Labels

               

            Wacky Warning Labels

In 1997, Michigan Lawsuit Abuse Watch (M-LAW) began a contest to expose how frivolous lawsuits, and a concern about potential frivolous lawsuits, have led to a new phenomenon: the wacky warning label. 

Now manufacturers, not wanting a law suit, often slap common sense warnings on their product... "just in case." 

Over the years, M-LAW www.mlaw.org  has received hundreds of warning labels from people around the world.  M-LAW Verifies the authenticity of each label and selects the 'TOP 5' for each year.  Here are some of the previous winners:

~A five-inch fishing lure which sports three steel hooks and cautions users that it is, "Harmful if swallowed"

~A warning on an electric router made for carpenters cautions: "This product not intended for use as a dental drill."

~A warning label found on a baby stroller cautions the user to "Remove child before folding"

~A prescription of sleeping pills says, "Warning, May cause drowsiness"

~A sticker on a toilet at a public facility in Ann Arbor, Michigan warns: "Recyled flush water unsafe for drinking"

~A CD player has this warning: "Do not use the Ultradisc2000 as a projectile in a catapult"

~An 'Aim-n-Flame' fireplace ligher cautions, "Do not uses near fire, flame or sparks"

~A label on a hand-held massager advises consumers not to use "while sleeping or unconscious"

~A cartridge for a laser printer warns, "Do not eat toner"

~An iron warns users: "Never iron clothes while they are being worn"

~A Wheel on a wheelbarrow warns: "Not intended for highway use"

~A cardboard car sunshield that keeps sun off the dashboard warns, "Do not drive with sunshield in place:

~A Bathroom Heater says:  "This product is not to be used in bathrooms"

~A can of self-defense pepper spray warns users: "May irritate eyes"

~A warning on a pair of shin guards manufactured for bicyclists says: "Shin pads cannot protect any part of the body they do not cover"

~A popular manufactured fireplace log warns: "Caution - Risk of Fire"

~A box of birthday cake candles says: "DO NOT use soft wax as ear plugs or for any other function that involves insertion into a body cavity." 

~A 12-inch-high storage rack for compact disks warns: "Do not use as a ladder."

~A warning label on a smoke detector reads: "Do not use the Silence Feature in emergency Situations.  It will not extinguish a fire."

~A warning on a sled reads: "Beware: sled may develop high speed under certain snow conditions.

~ And now for one more, one I think is one of the strangest labels: found on a bottle of drain cleaner: "If you do not understand, or cannot read, all directions cautions and warnings, do not use this product." 

If the person can't read, they are not going to be able to read the warning label!