IKEA stops selling dressers cited in deaths of 3 children, recalls millions

IKEA is recalling 27 million dressers and chests from its Malm series of products after three children were killed by pieces that tipped over onto them.

Because they "could be a danger," the products are no longer being sold at IKEA stores, IKEA USA President Lars Peterson told NBC News. He also urged people who already own pieces to "please take them out of the room." Last year, the company started a campaign to bring awareness to anchoring furniture, and says it sent out 300,000 anchor kits to customers. Anyone who has purchased a Malm piece is eligible for a free kit, and refunds will also be offered.

The statistics are scary: The Consumer Product Safety Commission says every 24 minutes, a child goes to the emergency room after being hit by a falling piece of furniture or TV, and every two weeks, a child dies. A Malm dresser killed 2-year-old Cullen Collas; his mother, Jackie Collas, found him in his room pinned between the dresser and his bed. The dresser was not anchored to the wall, and Collas told NBC News she "had never heard of that before." Her goal now is to "just spread the word about anchoring anything that could fall."

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