The amusing name belied the deadly and illegal contents. “The Cat Be Unemployed” read the package, featuring a yellow background with a bright-eyed cartoon feline and thick black Chinese characters underneath. Within, was rat poison, and the chemical brodifacoum at 61 times its legal limit. It doesn’t kill just rodents. [More]
Feds Seize Deadly And Illegal Pest Poison Called "The Cat Be Unemployed"
By September 21, 2011
14 People Foods That Will Poison Your Puppy
By June 24, 2010
Any good dog owner knows it’s a bad idea to feed your dog chocolate. And you know at Christmas to keep the pooch out of the poinsettias. But the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center handled more than 17,000 cases of poisoned pets in 2009 — and not all of them were because Snarf got into your Cadbury’s stash. [More]
Candy or Medicine?
By September 14, 2009
I suppose we can’t expect little kids to tell the difference, huh? The University of Rochester Strong Memorial Hospital and the Finger Lakes Regional Poison & Drug Information Center created this chart to help you grown-ups test your ability to identify delicious candies vs pharmaceuticals. It must have been sort of fun to find ones that matched.
Mercury: High-Fructose Corn Syrup's Secret Ingredient?
By August 13, 2009
First, we learn of a possible sugar shortage, now an article by Mother Jones finds that part of the production procedure for high-fructose corn syrup might involve contaminating it with mercury. Basically, today is the best day ever for the president of NutraSweet.
Multivitamins May Give You A Dose Of Vitamin L — That Would Be Lead
By July 14, 2009
How does that Alanis Morissette song go? Oh yeah, “It’s like meeting the multivitamin of your dreams, and then meeting its beautiful lead.”
Don't Drink Lamp Oil Or You'll Die
By July 2, 2008
Lamp oil manufacturers have issued a new warning: don’t drink lamp oil. The TV says someone died recently after doing so. Not sure what the story is, but like other household products, it’s important to keep them in their proper containers. For instance, some colored lamp oils can look like cranberry juice. Here are some other poisons and the foods they can look like.
Mattel Losing Money As Manufacturing Costs Rise
By April 21, 2008
Sales of Barbie fell 12 percent in the U.S. as the 49-year- old doll faced competition from Hannah Montana and Ganz’s Webkinz. Mattel, which recalled more than 21 million Chinese-made products in 2007, expects Chinese manufacturing costs to rise further. The yuan has climbed 10 percent against the dollar over the past 12 months, and inflation in China is near an 11-year high.
Poison: The High Cost Of Cheap Batteries
By January 15, 2008
Cadmium batteries are cheap and safe to use, but hazardous to manufacture. They’ll save you money—about $1.50 for the average cadmium-powered toy, says the Wall Street Journal.
Accidental Deaths On The Rise: Poisoning Deaths Increasing Quickly
By September 26, 2007
People! You are accidentally poisoning yourselves! What the hell? Stop it.
New Zealand And Australia Recall Chinese-Made Formaldehyde Tainted Blankets
By August 22, 2007
The formaldehyde-tainting scandal over in New Zealand and Australia continues today with a recall of Chinese-made blankets that are so full of formaldehyde that they could cause skin or respiratory irritation, according to the Associated Press.
Wholesale firm Charles Parsons said the level of formaldehyde in the Superlux brand of blankets ‘may cause short-term skin or respiratory irritation.’
The Softer Side Of Lead Paint
By August 19, 2007
Foreign manufacturers use lead paint not because they want to poison American children, but because lead paint is, “bright, durable, flexible, fast-drying, and cheap.” The domestic use of lead paint in residences, hospitals, and children’s products was banned in 1978, though lead paint is still widely used. Slate explains:
Thomas The Poisonous Tank Engine Recall Fallout Continues
By June 20, 2007
Today’s New York Times has an interesting article about the process of assigning blame in the recent Thomas the Tank Engine recall debacle. Whose fault is it? The company that outsourced the manufacturing to China, RC2? The company that holds the rights to Thomas the Tank Engine, HIT Entertainment? Both? Neither?
Colgate: Phony Toothpaste Poses Little Health Risk
By June 15, 2007
Colgate has released a statement on the four-state counterfeit toothpaste scare, saying that the quantities of diethylene glycol (a chemical more often used to give flavor to antifreeze) are not high enough to pose a significant health risk. Diethylene glycol is the same chemical, sources say, found in toothpaste imported from China that was recalled just two weeks ago. According to MSNBC News, “consumers who have purchased 5-ounce toothpaste under the Colgate label can return them to the place of purchase” to get their ninety-nine cents back.
Watch Out For Poison Colgate
By June 14, 2007
The 5 oz of poison can be identified by these tell-tale package misspellings:
Two Hospitalized After Eating Deadly Mislabeled Chinese Pufferfish
By May 25, 2007
Two Chicagoans have been hospitalized after eating poisonous pufferfish that was imported to the US mislabeled as harmless monkfish. Pufferfish is a delicacy in Japan, but
“Chefs must be licensed and usually undergo at least two years of training on how to safely remove the toxic parts of the fish.
Chinese Poison Train Declared Unstoppable: Next Stop, You!
By May 21, 2007
Poison toothpaste, killer cough-syrup, and tainted pet food are the tip of the disgusting iceberg of yuck heading our way from China. Over the past four months, the FDA has rejected 298 shipments from China that included “filthy” fruits, cancer-causing shrimp, and “poisonous” swordfish.
