Conventional wisdom holds that you should replace a toothbrush you used when you were sick, lest you face extending the illness or re-infecting yourself. [More]
Quality & Safety
It Turns Out Mothballs Aren't Just Bad For Moths
By 2.8.11
In a newly released study, doctors say the idea of preserving kids’ clothing in mothballs should be mothballed. An ingredient that had been widely used in the pest repellent has been found to cause neurological damage, and sometimes death, in infants. [More]
Yep, There Was Semen In The Yogurt
By 2.7.11
The woman who reported to police last week that the free yogurt sample she received tasted like it had semen in it? Turns out she was right. Police have confirmed that the sample of Greek yogurt was tainted with semen. Results from DNA sample taken from the employee who handed out the sample are still pending. There’s something fishy about the free sample story though, according to the police report it doesn’t sound like there was an official sampling going on that day. UPDATE: The Smoking Gun has copies of the search warrant affidavit, police report, and a hand-written witness statement. [More]
Should Supermarkets Be Responsible For Notifying Club Card Members Of Recalls?
By 2.4.11
A new class-action lawsuit being brought against Safeway claims that the supermarket chain failed in its duty to actively notify members of its Safeway Club card program about recalls for food sold at the store. [More]
O.B. Tampons Are Back
By 2.4.11
Johnson and Johnson say new shipments of o.b. tampons have started going out and they should start showing up in a few days or weeks, depending on your store’s restock schedule. You can also get them online at Amazon.com, drugstore.com and soap.com. o.b. Ultras will not be returning as they’ve been discontinued. [More]
Feds Aim For Harsher Regulations On Toxic Chemicals In Drinking Water
By 2.3.11
The Environmental Protection Agency is ratcheting up restrictions on drinking water, setting the first standards for perchlorate, a compound found in rocket fuel, as well as new standards for as many as 16 other toxic and carcinogenic chemicals. [More]
Consumer Reports Warns Against Top 5 Super Bowl Party Fouls
By 2.2.11
Publishing pal Consumer Reports has got their list of top 5 Super Bowl party fouls to watch out for this Sunday. We’re not just talking double-dipping or seat stealing, but some important ways to make sure your party is safe and fun. For instance, you don’t want to get flagged for a “false start” by undercooking your meats! [More]
USDA's New Guidelines Finally Listen To Tyler
By 2.1.11
“If you read the document it really is what I’ve been saying for over 2+ years. The government realized, “What’s the point in recommending all this ultra-healthy Whole Foods type of food if NOBODY listens to us? Let’s just simplify it and listen to Tyler and what he’s been saying for two years: eat less of ANY food you’d like to start off with (and learn about nutrition as you go) and just move around.” – A tongue-in-cheek email about the USDA’s new dietary recommendations from Tyler Weeks who documented his weight-loss journey to less than 200 lbs on 344pounds.com. [More]
Shocking New USDA Recommendations: "Just Eat Less"
By 1.31.11
For the first time ever, the USDA came out and said that in order to combat obesity, you have to eat less. So just eat a single down, okay? [More]
Taco Bell Thanks "Meat Filling" Lawsuit Plaintiffs In Full-Page Ad
By 1.28.11
The folks at Taco Bell are letting it be known that they’re going to put up a very public fight over the recently filed lawsuit alleging that its ground beef doesn’t meet USDA standards for being advertised as ground beef. [More]
Strange, This Yogurt Sample Tastes Just Like Semen
By 1.28.11
Earlier this week, a shopper in a New Mexico grocery store received a free sample of yogurt. She tasted it, then immediately spat it out on the floor and called the police. The woman told police that the yogurt tasted like it contained a “bodily fluid.” Specifically, semen. [More]
Morningstar Corn Dogs Make Triumphant Return To Grocery Shelves
By 1.27.11
They’re back! Around this time last year, we investigated the sudden disappearance of Morningstar Farms’ delicious vegetarian corn dogs and hot dogs from grocery shelves. Consumers seem to care very deeply about this product. We’re happy to report that the corn dogs, at least, are back on the Morningstar Farms website, and a reader has spotted them in the wild. [More]
Only 56% Of Dialysis Technicians Pass New Skills Test
By 1.26.11
Almost half of the dialysis technicians in California are failing a new Federally-mandated skills test, throwing the industry’s tarnished reputation under the magnifying glass once again. [More]
Recall Issued For 245,000 Lexus IS & GS Cars
By 1.26.11
Another big recall for Toyota. This time the car maker is recalling a total of 245,000 Lexus IS and GS vehicles in the U.S.because of a possible problem with the fuel pressure sensor installation. [More]
Study: Smoking Increases Breast Cancer Risk
By 1.25.11
If you were looking for yet another reason to trash that last pack of cigarettes, medical journal Archives of Internal Medicine has got one for you. Smoking slightly ups your odds of developing breast cancer, according to a study. [More]
HCG Diet Products Are Fraud, Says FDA
By 1.24.11
There are tons of diet pill pages on the internet prosthelytizing the wonders of the miracle diet drug HCG, or “human chorionic gonadotropin.” You have the usual “before” and “after” pictures where you get to play that fun game of trying to figure out if they’re actually two different people, and the promises of losing 30 pounds in 4 weeks. Only problem is that HCG doesn’t work for weight loss, and an FDA exec says they may even be illegal and fraudulent. Quelle surprise! [More]
Photos You Post Online Can Give Away Your Location
By 1.20.11
Every time you post a photo online from your smartphone, you’re potentially identifying exactly where you were when you shot the picture. Digital images are encoded with geotags that record the coordinates, which can be easily uncovered by anyone with the software and know-how. [More]
Cigarettes Start Giving You Cancer Within Minutes, Not Years
By 1.18.11
It doesn’t take years for smoking to start the cancer-making process in your body, but minutes, according to a new study in the Chemical Research in Toxicology. [More]
