BMW has announced a worldwide recall of around 1.3 million 5- and 6-Series vehicles built between 2003 and 2010, because of a problem with a battery cable cover that could lead to some unpleasant results. [More]
Quality & Safety
BMW Recalls 1.3 Million Cars Because "Flaming Battery Cable" Is Not A Desired Dealer Upgrade
By 3.26.12
Court Orders FDA To Investigate Use Of Antibiotics In Animal Feed
By 3.23.12
Back in 1977, the FDA proposed a ban on putting penicillin and other antibiotics in animal feed solely for the purpose of promoting growth. Amazingly, that proposal has been gathering dust long enough to begin losing its hair and regretting its life choices. That is until yesterday, when a federal court ordered the FDA to finish what it started 35 years ago. [More]
An Actual Ton Of Sausage Recalled For Possible Listeria Contamination
By 3.23.12
Listeria is a familiar, if not unpopular name to many Americans by now, as an outbreak of it spread last year, causing multiple deaths, through contaminated cantaloupe. Now the bacteria is having its way with a ton of ready-to-eat sausage from Texas, triggering a recall of a few products. [More]
Supreme Court Limits EPA's Ability To Enforce Clean Water Act
By 3.21.12
Earlier today, the Supreme Court issued a ruling in a case that has been a hot-button topic for both environmentalists and advocates for the rights of land owners. In the end, the Supremes came down on the side of landowners, allowing them to take legal steps to void Environmental Protection Agency compliance orders. [More]
Match.com, eHarmony, Other Dating Sites To Screen For Sex Offenders
By 3.21.12
It’s been almost two years since women’s safety advocates began pushing online dating sites to begin screening their customers against available info for registered sex offenders. Yesterday, the operators of a handful of the most popular dating sites signed an agreement to do their best with the information they have access to. [More]
New DOT App Gives You Potentially Scary Info About The Bus You're Riding
By 3.20.12
When you take your seat on that bus to visit grandma in Atlantic City, you’re putting your life in the hands of a driver you don’t know and a bus company whose safety record you may not be familiar with. But a new app from the Dept. of Transportation aims to put some of that info in the palm of your hand… if you own an iPhone, that is. [More]
Believe It Or Not, People Want More Oversight Of Implanted Medical Devices
By 3.20.12
It seems almost silly to think that anyone would want to scale back the amount of regulatory control on the safety of medical devices, and a new poll shows that an overwhelming number of Americans believe in strong oversight of these products. Yet members of the House and Senate are considering legislation that could allow potentially unsafe items to hit the market. [More]
Appeals Court Rules Graphic Cigarette Labels Don't Violate Free Speech
By 3.20.12
The latest battle over those graphic anti-smoking labels on cigarette packaging has been won by the FDA, after a federal appeals court ruled yesterday that requiring the warnings does not violate tobacco companies’ First Amendment right to free speech. [More]
Michigan Bars Using Coasters With QR Codes To Help Drunk People FInd A Ride Home
By 3.15.12
There will be lots of green beer going down (and unfortunately coming back up) the throats of drinkers around the country this weekend. But a new initiative in Michigan is hoping to keep drunk bar-goers from getting behind the wheel by giving them a way to find the number for a nearby taxi service. [More]
Safety Regulators Investigating Claims Of Sticky Throttles In Ford Tauruses
By 3.12.12
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is looking into claims that 2005-2006 Ford Tauruses are having acceleration problems, reminding us that the Ford Taurus still exists. Those cars have been around so long, it’s more like, dino-taurus! Am I right? [More]
Unsafe Kitchen Appliances Account For 1 In 3 Consumer Complaints
By 3.9.12
It’s been one year since the Consumer Product Safety Commission launched its SaferProducts.gov portal for consumers to post reports of unsafe items. With thousands of complaints filed in the last 12 months, it’s already become clear that kitchen appliances dominate consumers’ safety concerns. [More]
Recall Roundup: Beware Of The Dancing Teapot
By 3.8.12
In this edition of the Recall Roundup, a scary number of bicycle parts are recalled, grass cutters might cut humans, and we learn that a “dancing teapot” (pictured) is a lot less fun than the name makes it sound. Especially when it burns you. [More]
What Is "Pink Slime" And Why Is It In 70% Of Supermarket Ground Beef?
By 3.8.12
Earlier this year, McDonald’s made headlines when it said it would stop using ammonia-treated beef trimmings lovingly known as “pink slime” in its burgers. Now the former USDA scientist who coined the phrase is speaking out against the widespread use of the stuff — not because it’s unsafe, but because he feels like consumers are being deceived into paying for cheap filler. [More]
Report: Recalled Products From Meijer Pop Up For Sale Elsewhere
By 3.7.12
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says products that were already recalled from Meijer stores where they were sold exclusively were then sold at discount retailers, dollar stores, liquidation forms, flea markets and thrift stores around the country. Yikes. [More]
Toyota Recalls Another 681,000 Camry, Venza, Tacoma Vehicles
By 3.7.12
It’s been a few months since the last big Toyota recall, so it probably comes as no surprise to some of you that Toyota has issued recalls a grand total of 681,000 Camry, Venza and Tacoma vehicles. [More]
FDA Warns Makers Of Inhalable Caffeine Against False Labeling
By 3.7.12
The Food and Drug Administration is issuing what amounts to a “hey, hey, not so fast, guys,” to the makers of a new inhalable caffeine product called AeroShot Pure Energy. They’ve been under the FDA’s eye for awhile, since Sen. Chuck Schumer brought up his concerns that the canisters could be used as a kind of party drug. [More]
Should The FDA Inspect Non-Meat Food Plants More Than Once A Decade?
By 3.5.12
Back in the day, slaughterhouses were the ones grabbing the attention when it came to health concerns and the need for inspectors from the U.S. Department of Agriculture on a regular basis to ensure food was safe. Now, the Food and Drug Administration checks in on most of what we eat — and they only inspect plants around once a decade, says one report. [More]
CVS Hands Kids Breast Cancer Drugs Instead Of Fluoride Pills
By 3.5.12
For almost two months, some children in New Jersey were taking breast cancer drugs instead of fluoride pills for their teeth. CVS made a big whoopsie, as parents were picking up tamoxifen unbeknownst to them, and handing it out to their kids at home. [More]
