Not long ago, we wrote about the serious safety problems associated with many brands of microwavable soup. These dangerous products are very prone to spilling, and frequently cause scalding injuries to children and adults around the country, including some here in Tennessee.

A similarly dangerous product was recently the subject of a recall by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The CPSC says that a significant number of Tassimo single-cup brewers have malfunctioned, spewing hot coffee/tea or leaves/grounds onto unsuspecting consumers and sometimes causing significant burn injuries.

The CPSC has received 140 reports of such incidents over the last several years, including reports of second-degree burns to at least 37 people.

A 10-year-old girl from Minnesota became one of those burn victims in December of 2010. In the aftermath of the accident, she needed to receive synthetic skin grafts and suffered through an extended recovery period, including four weeks of missed school.

Her mother said: "She couldn't go outside because of the risk of infection. It was just really fragile skin - even now."

Because of the significant number of incidents like this, the U.S. CPSC and a similar agency in Canada have jointly announced the recall of 1.7 million of these products, sold under both the Tassimo Professional and Bosch brand names.

The family of the injured Minnesota girl says they have no plans to seek financial compensation, but others may wish to do so. Injuries from defective products can be costly as well as painful, and victims may lose significant money from medical bills, lost work time and other considerations.

Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune, "Minnesota girl suffered serious burns from a coffeemaker now under recall," Paul Walsh, Feb. 9, 2012