Federal regulators have expanded a recall of Sloosh dive sticks to roughly 404,000 units, up from the 254,000 announced in June, and the stated reason is not a manufacturing defect. It is that the sticks violate a federal ban that has been on the books for a quarter century.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission said the recalled dive sticks exceeded the compression limit set by that ban, posing an impalement hazard. In shallow water, a child who falls or lands on an upright dive stick can suffer serious piercing injuries. Facial and eye injuries are also possible when children dive to retrieve them.
No injuries have been reported involving these products. That absence is worth stating plainly and also worth reading correctly, because the regulation exists precisely because injuries happened elsewhere, to other children, using products that looked much the same.
For a household with a pool toy bin, the action is straightforward and the timing matters. This is early August, the middle of the season these products are used.
Three Models and One Compression Test
The expansion covers Sloosh dive sticks in models 40041, 40003 and 16154, imported by Joyin US Corp. of Chandler, Arizona, and manufactured in China. The June recall covered only model 40041.
Model numbers 40041 and 40003 are printed on the back of the Sloosh water toys box next to the barcode. Model 16154 is printed on the polybag above the barcode. All three numbers also appear on the top of one end of each stick alongside the Joyin name.
The recalled sticks are hard plastic, cylinder-shaped, about 7 inches long and roughly an inch or less in diameter. Model 40041 came in a 30-piece water toy package containing five dive sticks. Model 40003 came in an 18-piece package with four sticks. Model 16154 was sold as a set of eight sticks with nothing else.
The dating is specific. Model 40041 sold before October 23, 2025, is covered. Models 40003 and 16154 sold before December 31, 2025, are covered. They were sold on Amazon, Temu, Wayfair, Target.com and SHEIN across a span running from January 2017 through December 2025, at prices from $10 to $22.
Other items in the Sloosh water toy packages are not recalled and can still be used.
The Ban Traces Back to a Documented Injury Pattern
Most consumer product recalls involve a defect specific to one brand. This category is different, and the reason is in the rulemaking record.
In June 1999, CPSC and 15 firms announced the recall of more than 19 million dive sticks. The agency knew of six impalement injuries and one facial injury in children aged 6 to 9. Three of the impalements were rectal and three were vaginal, occurring in backyard pools and, in one case, a hot tub. Four of the six required surgery and hospitalization.
CPSC Chairman Ann Brown said at the time that the sticks "are dangerous and should not be used."
The agency then concluded that the hazard was inherent to the product rather than to any one manufacturer, and moved to ban the category outright. The final rule issued in March 2001 recorded eight confirmed impalements from 1990 through 1999 plus a ninth in April 2000, noted that at least five victims required surgery and that one case involved a temporary colostomy, and stated that "serious rectal or vaginal injuries can result." The Commission also documented 17 non-impalement injuries associated with dive sticks.
The mechanism described in the record is consistent across cases. A child jumps or cannonballs into shallow water and lands buttocks-first on a rigid stick standing upright on the pool floor.
The Rule Is a Geometry and Force Test
The ban itself is narrow and technical, which is why compliant dive toys remain widely sold.
Under 16 CFR 1500.18(a)(19), dive sticks and similar articles used in pools that submerge and rest on the bottom are banned. Two exemptions follow. A stick is exempt if it comes to rest underwater at an angle greater than 45 degrees from vertical, or if it maintains a compressive force of less than 5 pounds-force under the specified test. Articles with a continuous circular shape, such as dive rings and dive disks, are excluded from the ban entirely.
In plain terms, a compliant dive toy either lies over rather than standing up, or gives way under weight rather than resisting it. The Sloosh sticks failed the second condition. CPSC said they exceeded the compress limit, meaning they stayed rigid at a force where the rule requires them to yield.
That detail explains why a product can be recalled without any injury report. The violation is measurable in a laboratory, and the agency does not have to wait for a child to be hurt to act on it.
Disposal Rather Than Return
The remedy here differs from a typical recall and requires a step parents may not expect.
Consumers should stop using the recalled dive sticks immediately, take them away from children, and dispose of them. Joyin then asks consumers to photograph the discarded sticks in the trash and email the photo to the company. Once received, Joyin will send redesigned dive sticks that meet federal regulations. The company can be reached toll-free at 800-781-3067 or through the recall page on its website.
Households should not resell, donate or hand down the sticks. Federal law prohibits selling products subject to a recall, and secondhand marketplaces are the most common way a recalled item reaches a second family.
Parents checking a toy bin should look at shape rather than brand first. A rigid cylinder that stands upright on the pool floor is the hazard pattern the rule targets, regardless of who made it. Rings and disks are outside the ban. Anyone unsure about an unbranded product can search the CPSC recall database by product type and report an incident through SaferProducts.gov, which is the reporting channel that surfaces patterns like this one.
Impalement injuries are a medical emergency. Bleeding from the rectal or genital area after a pool fall, severe abdominal or pelvic pain, or difficulty passing urine or stool warrant immediate emergency evaluation, and a child should not be assessed at home. Eye injuries from underwater retrieval also require prompt evaluation. This article is general information and is not a diagnosis.
CPSC has not indicated whether additional models will be added. MedicalDaily will report any further expansion of this recall or new enforcement in the dive toy category.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was recalled? About 404,000 Sloosh dive sticks in models 40041, 40003 and 16154, imported by Joyin US Corp. The total includes 254,000 units recalled in June.
Why were they recalled? CPSC says they exceeded the compression limit in the federal dive sticks ban, meaning they stay rigid where the rule requires them to give way.
Has anyone been injured? No injuries have been reported with these products. The ban itself was written after documented impalement injuries involving other dive sticks.
Where do I find the model number? On the back of the box next to the barcode for models 40041 and 40003, on the polybag for 16154, and on the top of one end of each stick.
What is the remedy? Dispose of the sticks, photograph them in the trash, and email the photo to Joyin. The company will send redesigned replacements.
Are all dive toys banned? No. Sticks that rest at more than 45 degrees from vertical or that compress under less than 5 pounds-force are exempt, and rings and disks are excluded.
Can I use the rest of the package? Yes. Only the dive sticks are recalled. Other items in the Sloosh water toy sets are not affected.
