There is some tainted turkey making the rounds, as more than 75 people in at least 26 states have gotten salmonella poisoning from chowing down on the ground-up gobbler. And according to the Centers for Disease Control, which has yet to ID the source of the foul fowl, at least one person has died. [More]
Quality & Safety
FDA Warns Evital May Be Counterfeit Morning-After Pill
By 8.2.11
According to the Food and Drug Administration, morning-after pills labeled Evital may be counterfeit and unsafe and ineffective at preventing pregnancy. The label of the counterfeit pill reads “Evital Anticonceptivo de emergencia, 1.5 mg, 1 tablet” by “Fluter Domull.” [More]
What If Food Labels Looked Like This?
By 8.1.11
Maybe the real reason Americans are so fat is because our food labels are so ugly. If they were easier on the eye to read, maybe more people would read them and make better eating choices. That was the idea in mind behind a recent design contest at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Journalism aiming to give the standard government-mandated food label a much-needed makeover. The winning entry uses colored boxes for each ingredient that are sized in proportion to how much of each is inside the package. [More]
IIHS Crash Test Video Library Provides Edification, Entertainment
By 7.22.11
Have you always wanted to visit a web site that combines all of the fun of a demolition derby with all of the usefulness of serious research for your next vehicle purchase? No, you probably haven’t, but it exists. It’s the Consumer Reports crash test video player, loaded up with about 300 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety crash-test videos for various makes and models of cars. [More]
Got Questions For The Consumer Product Safety Commission? Ask Away
By 7.21.11
Later this afternoon, I’ll be meeting with Inez Tenenbaum, Chair of the Consumer Product Safety Commission to talk about everything from the process of determining whether or not to issue a product recall to the CPSC’s work in getting lead paint off kids’ toys to opponents’ attempts to gut the just-created recall database. [More]
Dodge Recalls 242,000 Ram Pickups Over Steering Concerns
By 7.13.11
Because they don’t want you possibly smashing up your truck — or anyone else’s vehicle — the folks at Dodge have issued a recall on more than 240,000 Ram pickup trucks over concerns about the tie rod assembly in the front steering system. [More]
Dollar Tree Recalls 117,000 Glass Candles For Shattering
By 7.13.11
117,000 glass votive candle holders sold at Dollar Tree, Dollar Bill$, and Dollar Tree Deal$ stores have been recalled. They can shatter when they’re lit, leaving glass and fire all over the place where it can cut and/or burn you. [More]
Meat From Radioactive Cows Sold In Japan
By 7.12.11
Four months following the massive earthquake and tsunami that devastated parts of Japan and caused a disaster at the nuclear power plant in Fukushima, the Japanese government has confirmed that a bit of cesium-contaminated beef from that region has made its way to groceries and likely to the dinner plates of consumers. [More]
Macy's To Pay $750K For Selling Hoodies With Drawstrings
By 7.11.11
When I was a young thing, the drawstring on your hooded sweatshirt was something to chew on or play with while being bored to death in school. But as of 2006, such drawstrings have been considered strangulation hazards in children’s clothing. That, however, didn’t stop Macy’s from selling hoodies, jackets and other kids’ clothing with drawstrings, which is why the retailer now has to pay a penalty of $750,000. [More]
NHTSA: Hybrids & Electric Vehicles Are Silent But (Possibly) Deadly To Pedestrians
By 7.7.11
One of the first things most people notice when driving or riding in a hybrid or electric vehicle is just how much quieter the engine is compared to your standard gasoline engine. But the folks at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration are worried that these cars might be a little too quiet for passing pedestrians. Thus, NHTSA is looking for ways these vehicles can alert pedestrians to their presence. [More]
Keep Your Dogs Away From Gum With Xylitol So Their Organs Don't Bleed
By 7.6.11
Icebreakers gum may be a great way to “break the ice,” but you wouldn’t want to use them to help your dog freshen his breath. Many pet owners aren’t aware that the artificial sweetener inside it and many other products, Xylitol, can be acutely toxic to dogs if the canines eat it. KCBS has the tragic story of one corgi who suffered acute liver failure after he got into a bag of Icebreakers. [More]
Your Baby's Crib Probably Fails Tough New Safety Rules
By 6.30.11
Does your crib pass the new strict safety rules that went into effect Tuesday? Most likely not. “Newly required safety tests are so stringent that few cribs in American homes — even those that have escaped recall after recall — are sturdy enough to pass them,” reports the Los Angeles Times. “As a result, federal regulators recommend that families that can afford to do so buy new cribs and destroy their old ones.” Here’s what you need to know. [More]
Toyota/Lexus Recall 82,000 SUVs Over Possible Faulty Wiring
By 6.29.11
The folks at Toyota have sounded the recall horn, summoning back a total of 82,200 Highlander Hybrid and Lexus RX 400h vehicles over concern about faulty wiring which could result in an inoperable vehicle. [More]
Some Endocet Recalled For Having Double The Acetaminophen
By 6.28.11
Bottles of the pain-killing drug Endocet are being recalled because they erroneously contain 650 mg of acetaminophen while their label says 325 mg. While no injuries have been reported, consuming more acetaminophen than prescribed can lead to liver toxicity. [More]
Survey: More Than A Third Of College Kids At UAB Use Apps While Driving
By 6.28.11
An apparently unscientific but eye-opening survey found that 35 percent of college students polled at University of Alabama at Birmingham use mobile apps while driving. The sample size was only 93 students, all at UAB, and participants were not selected at random, but the survey was enough to draw the attention of the American Psychological Association, which asked the student who conducted the survey to present her findings at its August convention. [More]
Martha Stewart Tables Are Still Exploding Glass In Your Face
By 6.27.11
FOX31 reports a family in Colorado was just chilling on the porch during a barbecue when all of a sudden their Martha Stewart glass table exploded, sending shards of tempered glass flying all over the place. The son and his girlfriend bled from cuts and lacerations after they were hit by the glass. This is a line of tables that have racked up similar exploding glass complaints for years and though they are not being sold any more, there are some still out there in people’s homes, ticking glass bombs waiting to go off. [More]
House Committee Votes To Gut Safe Products Database
By 6.23.11
The Consumer Product Safety Commission’s public database, SaferProducts.gov, which allows people to report unsafe products and search recalls and safety reports, has only been around since March. And already the House Appropriations Committee has moved to cut funding for the project. [More]
Dole Recalls Some Bag Salads Because Listeria Isn't Part Of The "Italian Blend"
By 6.23.11
The folks at Dole have announced a recall of certain batches of its Italian Blend bag salads — including those it makes under the Kroger Fresh Selections Italian Style Blend name for the Kroger grocery store chain — over concern of possible Listeria contamination. [More]
