The advice for the Class of 99 was to wear sunscreen, but the Environmental Working Group doesn’t think that’s such great advice, concluding that sunscreen does little to prevent skin cancer and in fact may speed up the rate at which cancer develops and spreads. [More]
Quality & Safety
54,000 More HP Batteries Recalled
By 5.24.10
Hewlett-Packard doesn’t just make props for cringeworthy feature length commercials; the company also sells batteries that sometimes catch fire. A year ago HP recalled about 70,000 bad batteries, and now it’s added another 54,000 to the list. [More]
Congress May Consider Banning Drop-Side Cribs
By 5.24.10
Kirsten Gillibrand, a senator from New York, is apparently unsatisfied with the CPSC’s pledge to implement a voluntary ban of drop-side cribs. Gillibrand plans to introduce legislation this week that would outlaw the sale of drop-side cribs and ban them from daycare centers and hotels. Earlier this month, the CPSC said that this crib design has killed at least 32 infants and toddlers since 2000, that over 7 million drop-side cribs have been recalled since 2005. [More]
Some Skin Lightening Creams Are Full Of Banned Mercury
By 5.22.10
The Chicago Tribune bought 50 creams used to lighten skin and fade age spots and had them sent to an outside lab for testing — and got troubling results. Six of the creams were found to contain amounts of mercury banned by federal law. Five of the creams had enough of the toxic metal to cause kidney damage over time, the Tribune reports. [More]
Trader Joe's, Walmart Sprouts Recalled For Salmonella
By 5.22.10
Sprouts sold at Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Kings Super Market, Numero Uno Stores, Cárdenas Markets, Gonzalez Northgate Markets, Wal-Mart stores, Jons Markets, and Canton Foods have been recalled after an outbreak of salmonella sickened more than 20 people in 10 states. [More]
900,000 Walmart GE Coffee Pots Are Ready To Set Your House On Fire
By 5.20.10
The CPSC has announced the recall of 900,000 GE coffee makers that were sold at Walmart. The retailer has received 83 reports of overheating, smoking, melting, burning and fire, including three reports of minor burn injuries to consumer’s hands, feet and torso. Reports of property damage include a significant kitchen fire and damage to countertops, cabinets and a wall. [More]
Hide The Children: The KFC Double Down Is Here To Stay
By 5.20.10
This Sunday, May 23, was to have been the final day for grease and salt lovers everywhere to get their hands on the KFC Double Down, which for the two of you just waking from comas is a bacon and cheese sandwich that uses fried chicken as the bread. But before you go and unclog your arteries, KFC has just announced that the Double Down ain’t going anywhere anytime soon. [More]
FDA Announces Widespread Investigation Of McNeil After Tylenol Recalls
By 5.19.10
Remember the recalled liquid Tylenol and other children’s medicines last month? Or the stinky drugs that were recalled back in January? Or the children’s Tylenol that was recalled last September? The FDA remembers, which is probably why it’s “conducting a company-wide investigation of McNeil Consumer Healthcare’s drug manufacturing practices to determine whether similar problems exist throughout the company.” Also, a date has now been set (May 27) for the House Committee hearing where the CEO and chairman of parent company Johnson & Johnson are expected to testify. [More]
Customer Says Supermarket Sold Rotten Chicken With New Sell By Date
By 5.18.10
A woman in Brooklyn has accused a local grocery store of slapping a new “sell by” sticker over an expired one in order to unload some old poultry that was past its prime. [More]
BP Sucking Off 1,000 Barrels/Day From Spill, Only Thousands More To Go
By 5.17.10
By attaching a mile-long pipe to its leaking well, BP is now able to slurp off 1,000 barrels of oil daily. The Gulf of Mexico spill currently emits about 5,000 barrels of oil per day, according to BP/Coast Guard/NOAA estimates, which have been challenged by independent scientists who put the figure more at 70,000 barrels per day, and criticized BP for using methodology specifically not recommended for measuring large oil spills. BP’s response: we’re here to stop the oil, not measure it. Scientists are also concerned that the oil could reach a major stream that would ferry it into the Florida Keys and up the East Coast. Looks like we’re gonna need a bigger milkshake straw. [More]
1.8 Million Toy Dart Guns Recalled
By 5.17.10
After two boys died from choking on the darts, Family Dollar Stores recalled 1.8 million toy dart gun sets. If the soft plastic darts are placed in one’s mouth, it’s possible they can be inhaled and prevent breathing. [More]
Family Of Four Dies In Sinkhole After Yard Silently Liquefies
By 5.13.10
The bodies of a family of four were found on their couch at the bottom of a crevasse after the area underneath their house suddenly gave way Monday. The culprit was an ancient one, the modern-day after-effects of a 10,000-year old inland sea. [More]
Lettuce-Borne E.Coli Outbreak Hits Fourth State
By 5.13.10
Infected romaine lettuce from a single processing facility has been linked to the sickening of at least 23 people in four different states, NY, MI, TN, and OH, says the Center for Disease Control (CDC). [More]
Paramount Recalls Saving Private Ryan Blu-ray, Sending Out Replacements
By 5.13.10
For once, a recall that doesn’t tell you a product was trying to trap your babies in crib rails, sicken your children with lead paint, catch your car on fire or poison you via over-the-counter medicine. Paramount announced the Saving Private Ryan Blu-ray that came out last week has some audio-syncing problems, so the studio issued a recall and will send out replacement discs, High-Def Digest reports. [More]
USDA Tightens Chicken Rules
By 5.11.10
Yesterday the USDA announced new poultry safety rules intended to slightly reduce the number of poisonings annually from salmonella and campylobacter. An agency official says that the new rules should prevent about 65,000 cases of food sickness a year, which is only a fraction of the over a million cases annually. However, most of the other food products that contribute to that number fall under FDA regulation, so the USDA can’t say anything. “This is something we can do, so we’re doing it,” the spokesman told the Los Angeles Times. [More]
Safety Commission Cracking Down On Cadmium In Kids' Jewelry
By 5.11.10
It’s a good thing summer camps are coming up, with their weird seminars on bracelet weaving and whittling rings, because the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has just announced a recall of 19,000 charms sold at Claire’s stores, and says that’s just the beginning. [More]
Toyota Waited Months To Recall Trucks For Defect Linked To 3 Deaths
By 5.10.10
An AP investigation has found that Toyota waited nearly a year after a 2004 recall in Japan to issue the same recall in the U.S.– claiming that it had little evidence of a U.S. problem. The AP says, however, that the automaker had received at least 52 reports from U.S. drivers about a steering defect in trucks and SUVs. [More]
Police Officer Prepares Orders At McDonald's
By 5.10.10
Wherever Craig lives, that’s where the most Hamburgler-proof McDonald’s in the country is located. He says he was there the other night and a police officer got up from the seating area, went around behind the counter, and prepared his order for him. When Craig asked why the officer was also a McDonald’s employee, the officer followed him outside and asked why he cared. That officer probably thought you were the Hamburglar, Craig. [More]
