Interest in Product Recall andLiability insurance is rising among companies in the U.S.,especially as supply chains grow ever more global, therebyexponentially increasing exposures to manufacturing anddistribution problems.

Also driving buying decisions:businesses endeavoring to comply with a rash of recent federalregulations; and a desire to protect their brands from the sort ofreputational damage from which there can be no return.

“We are seeing an increase in thenumber of policies that we're writing and placing both on the foodand non-food sides,” says Bernie Steves, managing director incrisis management for Aon Risk Solution's Chicago office.

Here's a look at nine recentrecalls—mini-case studies of just how much can go wrong formanufacturers and food processors.

Death and injuries forcerecall: In May, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Toys “R” Us Inc.recalled some 21,000 inflatable Banzai water slides for in-groundpools after one woman died from a fractured neck and two peoplereported neck fractures, including a man who was paralyzed. Allthree injuries resulted from victims hitting their heads on a hardsurface at the bottom of the slide because it had partiallydeflated.

Ford lawsuit on productliability: In March the Ford Motor Co. was sued forallegedly selling trucks that the company knew had defective fueltank linings for 10 years while concealing this issue fromconsumers.

Salmonella lawsuit: InApril, two women from Wisconsin filed suit against Moon MarineU.S.A. Corp. for sushi they say was tainted with salmonella from“Nakaochi Scrape,” frozen back meat that is shaved from fish bones,which ended up in about 60,000 pounds of ground yellowfin tuna.

Dog food lawsuit: InJune, several consumers filed a class-action product-liabilitylawsuit against Diamond Pet Foods Inc. and Costco Wholesale Corp.over dog food allegedly contaminated with salmonella, which causedboth dogs and dog owners to become sick.

Toddler toy recall: InMay, Toys “R” Us recalled some 24,000 units of the Imaginarium5-Sided Activity Center, sold exclusively through the chain, due toa possible choking hazard related to removable wooden knobs on thetoy's xylophone keys. Units sold for about $25.

Blender recall: InMay, Select Brands Inc. of Lenexa, Kan. recalled some 4,069 unitsof its Kitcen Selectives 6-Speed Blenders, model BL-15, for apossible laceration hazard. No injuries had been reported.

Impact hazard: InDecember, Pottery Barn Kids, a division of Williams-Sonoma Inc. ofSan Francisco, recalled some 7,700 children's canopy beds in theUnited States and Canada due to 33 reported injuries fromcollapsing canopies.

Choking hazard: InDecember, Build-A-Bear Workshops Inc. of St. Louis, Mo. recalledsome 284,000 Colorful Hearts Teddy Bears after discovering thebear's plastic eyes could come loose, posing a choking hazard foryoung children.

Lead paint hazard: InDecember, Target Corp. of Minneapolis recalled some 139,000 Circo17-inch Children's Travel Cases after discovering the surfacecoating onthe cases contained excessive levels of lead.