A company in Ohio has voluntarily recalled a binding agent used to make “pellet” type feed for fish, goats, cows, and whathaveyou, because it contained melamine.
Quality & Safety
AMO Recalls Complete Moisture Plus Multi-Purpose Solution
By 5.27.07
Advanced Medical Optics (AMO) is recalling their Complete Moisture Plus Multi-Purpose Solution after the CDC discovered that 138 people using the solution contracted acanthamoeba keratitis (AK).
UIC investigators think the infection is not originating in the manufacturing process, but that the cleaning solution is not protecting people from the infection, which they get in their eyes through showering or swimming, Tu said.
AK is caused by an amoeba, which if left untreated, can cause pain and blindness.
Two Hospitalized After Eating Deadly Mislabeled Chinese Pufferfish
By 5.25.07
Two Chicagoans have been hospitalized after eating poisonous pufferfish that was imported to the US mislabeled as harmless monkfish. Pufferfish is a delicacy in Japan, but
“Chefs must be licensed and usually undergo at least two years of training on how to safely remove the toxic parts of the fish.
Costco Recalls Dirty Underwear Punching Bag
By 5.25.07
We are issuing this voluntary recall notice for the TKO Sports Heavy Punching Bag with Speed Bag Combination, manufactured by TKO Sports, of Houston, TX. We have learned that the fill material in the heavy punching bag does not meet our high quality standards.
Yeah, that’s quite the understatement. If Costco’s records reflect that you’ve purchased this bag, they’re sending a box and UPS shipping label out to you right away. They’re also sending you an Everlast punching bag to replace the one that is filled with used underwear. You know, the more we write about it, the more we notice that the concept just doesn’t get any less gross. Even the grasshopper leg in the Applebee’s salad got less gross the more we thought about it. Not so, used underwear punching bag.
Recall Round-Up: Your Toddler Could Be Drowning Right Now
By 5.24.07
Let’s all do the safety dance, it’s time for the CPSC Recall Round-Up:
CPSC Still Unable To Form Voltron
By 5.24.07
For those who resent government interference in industry’s ability to make baby strollers that don’t fit through doorways, Baroody’s withdrawal of his nomination as CPSC commissioner has an ancillary benefit.
FDA To Test All Chinese Toothpaste
By 5.24.07
The FDA will test all toothpaste made in China. It was discovered last week that some Chinese manufacturers had been substituting a more costly sugar flavoring with a cheaper, and deadly one, one that is also used in antifreeze. The toothpaste was discovered and sold in Panama.
BREAKING: Baroody Withdraws CPSC Nomination
By 5.23.07
Michael Baroody withdrew his nomination for head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
FDA Approves Birth Control That Eliminates Periods
By 5.23.07
The FDA has just approved a new type of birth control pill that totally eliminates your period, according to the WSJ. Trouble is, that idea freaks some consumers out. According to the WSJ Health Blog about half of women polled “agreed with the statement that their period comforts them because ‘it lets me know I am not pregnant.'” Poppycock, we say! Buy a pregnancy test.
FDA Knew About Potentially Lethal Diabetes Drug Since Last August, Said Nothing
By 5.22.07
The study was outed yesterday on the New England Journal of Medicine’s website. The editors of the journal and the study’s lead author both warned that the research methodology left the “findings open to interpretation.”
Should Beer Be Labeled "Organic" If It's Made With Non-Organic Hops?
By 5.22.07
The more we continue to live and breathe on this earth the more we realize that the term “organic” is really just code for “awesome marketing idea.”
Chinese Poison Train Declared Unstoppable: Next Stop, You!
By 5.21.07
Poison toothpaste, killer cough-syrup, and tainted pet food are the tip of the disgusting iceberg of yuck heading our way from China. Over the past four months, the FDA has rejected 298 shipments from China that included “filthy” fruits, cancer-causing shrimp, and “poisonous” swordfish.
Chinese Poison Train Rolls On: Next Stop, Panamanian Toothpaste
By 5.20.07
6,000 tubes of toothpaste in Panama have been found to contain diethylene glycol, a poison used in solvents and antifreeze. The poison appears to have originated in China.
Walmart, Menu Foods, Del Monte Sued Over Pet Food Debacle
By 5.18.07
Schwinger alleges that his dog Sandy, an otherwise healthy 2-year-old, had to be euthanized as a result of eating Menu Foods’ Ol’ Roy Pet Food and Del Monte’s Canine Carry-out Bacon Bite, which were purchased at a Wal-Mart store in Cassville.
Get Ready To Show ID When Buying Cough Syrup
By 5.17.07
In a move that we still haven’t processed the logic behind, Stop and Shop will now require young people to prove they are 18 by showing ID before buying cough medicines that contain Dextromethorphan. Cough syrups, for example Robitussin, will produce a hallucinogenic experience if, say, one was to drink the entire bottle. Also, you might die.
2.5 Million GE Potentially Flammable Dishwashers Recalled
By 5.17.07
A plague of burning dishwashers sounds like something that would happen after the 6th seal has been opened, but no. It’s real and it’s happening now. You may have a dishwasher in your very home that is, at this very second, thinking about lighting itself on fire. From the CPSC:
GE has received 191 reports of overheated wiring including 56 reports of property damage. There were 12 reports of fires that escaped the dishwasher. Fire damage was limited to the dishwasher or the adjacent area. No injuries have been reported.
This recall involves a huge number of dishwashers, so you’ll want to check this list to see if your GE dishwasher is part of the recall. If it is: “stop using the recalled dishwashers and contact General Electric for a free repair, a $150 rebate towards the purchase of a new GE dishwasher, or a $300 rebate towards the purchase of a new GE Profile or GE Monogram dishwasher.”
Baroody To Receive $150,000 Pay Off From National Association of Manufacturers
By 5.16.07
This is re-goddamn-diculous. From the New York Times (emphasis ours):
A senior lobbyist at the National Association of Manufacturers nominated by President Bush to lead the Consumer Product Safety Commission will receive a $150,000 departing payment from the association when he takes his new government job, which involves enforcing consumer laws against members of the association.
This guy has no business being the head of the CPSC. The reason there is a Consumer Products Safety Commission in the first place is so that there is something to keep tabs on people like Michael Baroody and the companies he represents.
Mr. Baroody said in the letter that the payment would not prevent him from considering matters involving individual companies that are members of the manufacturers’ association, many of whom are defendants in agency proceedings over defective products or have other business before the commission. Nor would it preclude him from involvement with smaller trade groups like those representing makers of home appliances and children’s products that have alliances with the association.
Oh no, $150k won’t influence his opinion. It doesn’t need to, his opinions are already known. He’s a lobbyist, for pete’s sake.
Deadly Recalled Toy Spotted In California Walmart
By 5.16.07
A toy that was recalled in March of 2006 after killing a small boy and seriously injuring 2 dozen others is still for sale at a California Walmart according to Reader Kevin.
