Do you wear contact lenses? Do you enjoy having un-scorched corneas? Then you should look out for Clear Care, a contact lens solution that uses peroxide to disinfect lenses. Used correctly, the peroxide cleans lenses nicely and is neutralized by the time you wake up. When used incorrectly to rinse lenses right before inserting them in your eyes, the product causes chemical burns to the cornea and copious screaming. [More]
Quality & Safety
BBQ Safety Begins When You Don't Commit Assault With A Scraper
By 6.3.10
As an addendum to our recent BBQ safety post and, of course, a shout-out to my hometown of Elgin, IL, we ask that you not assault your fellow grillers with a BBQ scraper. [More]
1.7 Million Maytag Dishwashers Are Waiting To Burn Down Your House
By 6.3.10
Do you have a Maytag, Amana, Jenn-Air, Admiral, Magic Chef, Performa by Maytag or Crosley dishwasher? If you do, you’re going to want to make sure your kitchen isn’t on fire. If you have a dishwasher from one of these brands that was sold between February 2006 and April 2010 for between $250 and $900 at various appliance, department and home stores — check to make sure it has not been recalled. If it has, you’ll need to shut off the circuit breaker that powers it. [More]
Survey: 15% Of Drivers Getting Their Swerve On While Driving
By 6.2.10
From cell phones to stereos to billboards to those pesky other vehicles on the road, driving a car comes with a whole host of distractions. A new survey attempts to quantify just how many people are being distracted by the various and sundry things vying for drivers’ attention. [More]
NYC School Kids Drank Antifreeze-Laced Water Because It Tasted Sweet
By 6.2.10
Almost 75 elementary school students in Queens had to be hospitalized earlier this week after they got sick by drinking contaminated water from a school water fountain, even after they noticed that the water had a decidedly pink color. [More]
PediaCare Pulled From Stores, Victim Of Latest Tylenol Recall
By 6.1.10
Blacksmith Brands bought the PediaCare line of children’s cough and cold medicines from Johnson & Johnson last November. Unfortunately, the company hadn’t switched production over to a different facility, so last Friday it had to recall nearly 100,000 bottles that are guilty by association. There have been no complaints so far about the products, but when your manufacturer is under investigation by the FDA’s criminal division you tend to want to play it safe. [More]
NHTSA Warns Of Possible Stuck Accelerators In 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan Vehicles
By 6.1.10
Over the weekend, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that it had opened a formal investigation to examine allegations of accelerator pedals in model year 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan vehicles “becoming trapped in the depressed position after the driver releases the pedal to decelerate.” [More]
I Like Smelling Farts, Chinese Drywall Distributor Tells Court
By 6.1.10
Do you like farts? Documents and depositions unearthed by ProPublica and the Sarasota Harold-Tribune show exchanges between homebuilder WCI Communities and drywall distributor Banner that reveal the sulfur-emitting drywall problem was known as far back as 2006, and yet customers and authorities were not notified. In one deposition, a Banner executive refuses to admit that sulfur-stinking drywall might bother others, seeing as he himself, on certain occasions, enjoys the sweet aroma of another man’s butt gas: [More]
Don't Worry About Oil Spill. Remember: Oysters Love Crude Oil!
By 5.31.10
The growing oil slick that once was the Gulf of Mexico doesn’t appear to be anywhere near resolution, with all attempts to staunch the flow of petroleum thus far having failed and the only solution that experts are sure will work — drilling relief wells — several months away. But as the fishermen in the area fret about what will happen to their livelihoods in both the short and long term, we found some video evidence that should quell the concerns of those in the oyster biz. [More]
Tylenol Recall Factory Was Staffed With Undertrained Temps
By 5.31.10
The manufacturing plant that has been the cause of Johnson & Johnson’s latest in a string of recalls has already been described as dirty and poorly maintained. It turns out that it was also staffed with temps and contract employees who weren’t properly trained, according to tax records and an FDA inspection report filed earlier this year. [More]
Kansas, You Are The Smartest Drivers, NY, The Dumbest
By 5.30.10
Every year GMAC ranks the average scores of their national driver’s test by state — and this year Kansas had the smartest drivers and New York the dumbest. Here are the top 5 and bottom 5 from the ranking: [More]
Creepiest Children's Cereals Of All Time
By 5.29.10
The Huffington Post has a gallery of the creepiest children’s cereals of all time — most of them we agree with, though we feel that Fruit Brute is getting a bum rap. [More]
This Is Where Stinky Drywall Comes From
By 5.28.10
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has released the names of the top manufacturers of stinky, dangerous drywall, which emits high levels of hydrogen sulfide (the source of its stinkiness). According to the agency, drywall from the manufacturers, all based in China, emitted hydrogen sulfide at levels up to 100x greater than samples from non-Chinese manufacturers. [More]
Indoor Tanning Quadruples Risk Of Skin Cancer
By 5.27.10
Think that tanning bed is safer than the evil ol’ sun? Not quite. A new study from the American Association for Cancer Research has determined that frequent use of tanning beds can quadruple your risk of skin cancer. But, hey, you’ll look great, and isn’t that the first step to good health? [More]
Oily Gulf Seafood Will Literally Be Sniff Tested By Expert Smellers
By 5.27.10
Oil from the explosion of Deepwater Horizon is flooding the waters of some of the most productive coastal fishing areas in the world, says ABC News, so how will the FDA ensure that no oily fish make it into the food system? They’re gonna smell it. With their noses. [More]
2,010 Calorie Cold Stone Shake Named Worst Drink In America
By 5.27.10
Only days after the Center for Science in the Public Interest ruined everyone’s dinner plans with their list of the worst meals available at U.S. restaurants, the muscle-bound dudes over at Men’s Health Magazine have released their own list of the worst drinks in America. [More]
Criminal Charges Are Possible For Tylenol Recall Scandal
By 5.27.10
CNN is reporting that the FDA has referred the Tylenol recall case to their criminal division for investigation. At issue is a pattern of non-compliance with FDA warnings and failures by management of McNeil to investigate and provide a timely resolution to serious problems with the product. These problems include excess amounts of the active ingredient in Tylenol, acetaminophen. [More]
Want More Lead Or Pesticide In Your Body? Try Dietary Supplements
By 5.26.10
Lead has a deservedly bad reputation when it comes to human health and development, but because it’s classified as a heavy metal it will always be kind of awesome. Well, to me. Pesticide, not so much. If you dislike ingesting either type of toxin, you might be interested in a new study being released today by the Government Accountability Office that found trace amounts of “lead and other contaminants” in every sample of 40 health supplements tested. [More]
