From the New York Post:
A 16-year-old boy says he suffered “severe and permanent personal injuries” after eating food from a Long Island Taco Bell.
Quality & Safety
Let the Taco Bell Lawsuits Begin
By 2.13.07
Trans-Fats Banned In Philadelphia
By 2.8.07
The Philadelphia City Council has unanimously passed a city ordinance banning trans-fats from most dishes served by restaurants:
First FDA Approved OTC Weight-Loss Drug: "Alli"
By 2.8.07
An obesity specialist in Washington, Dr. Arthur Frank, said Alli had a safe track record and could help patients lose 5 to 10 percent of their weight. On the negative side, Alli can cause annoying side effects including diarrhea and oily stools.
We're Scared Of Spinach
By 2.6.07
Plummeting spinach sales have also prompted the produce industry to seek federal oversight to assure buyers that fresh produce is safe.
Almost 1 Million Easy-Bake Ovens Recalled
By 2.6.07
Hasbro is recalling 985,000 Easy-Bake ovens due to reports of children’s hands getting stuck inside the oven, resulting in burns and lacerations.
Maytag Recalls 2.3 Million Dishwashers Due To Fire Hazard
By 2.3.07
Do you have a Maytag or Jenn-air dishwasher? Did you buy it from July 1997 through June 2001? If so, you need to check the model number against the CPSC’s website and if it matches… stop using the dishwasher immediately, as “liquid rinse-aid can leak from its dispenser and come into contact with the dishwasher’s internal wiring which can short-circuit and ignite, posing a fire hazard.” It’s supposed to be jet dry, not jet burn the damn house down, so taking steps to prevent your dishwasher from igniting are, uh, strongly recommended.
US Food Safety Is Broken: Different Agencies Oversee Open-Faced vs Closed-Faced Sandwiches
By 2.1.07
A report was released Wednesday by the Government Accountability Office that designated Food Safety as a high risk area “because of risks to the economy and to public health and safety.” The report finds that: “The current fragmented federal system has caused inconsistent oversight, ineffective coordination, and inefficient use of resources,” and they’ve recommended a fundamental reorganization of the entire system.
Protect Yourself While Using Free Wi-Fi
By 2.1.07
Connecting to a hot spot can be an open invitation to danger. Hot spots are public, open networks that practically invite hacking and snooping. They use unencrypted, insecure connections, but most people treat them as if they are secure private networks.
FDA To Change The Way Drugs Are Approved
By 1.31.07 — Updated: 11.5.12
The Food and Drug Administration said yesterday that it is making changes in the way it operates to prevent the kind of drug safety controversies that have dogged the agency in recent years.
Why Pyrex Bowls "Explode"
By 1.30.07
A reader wrote in because he set his Pyrex bowl on the stove top to reduce some broth, and the bowl promptly “exploded.”
Cell Phone Use Linked To Brain Tumors
By 1.25.07
- Long-term (10+ years) cellphone use has been linked with brain tumors. According to the study, people who had used cellphones for more than 10 years had a 40 percent higher chance than others of developing certain brain tumors. This news comes to us from the same British researcher who said that more research was needed to determine if there actually is a relationship between (long-term) cellphone use and cancer.
Getting A Self-Charging Smoke Alarm Is Better Than Dying In A Fire
By 1.24.07
If you are anything like us, and you may well be, you forget to do things like change the batteries in your smoke alarm. Or, worse yet, you remember to take the batteries out when the thing starts beeping, but you forget to replace them. One potential answer to this problem is the self-charging smoke alarm. Simply screw the detector into a ceiling mounted light socket (providing you have one) and never need to change a battery again. This is an especially good idea for places where fires start, but people do not always go, or would not be annoyed by a beeping reminder. Garages, laundry rooms, etc. They’re a bit more expensive than your typical cheap-ass smoke alarm, but may be worth it for the forgetful among us.—MEGHANN MARCO
Toyota to Recall 553,000 Trucks, SUVs
By 1.23.07
- Toyota Motor Corp. plans to recall about 533,000 Sequoia SUVs and Tundra pickup trucks in the United States to repair faulty components that could make the vehicles difficult to steer….The latest recall covers certain 2004 to 2007 model year Sequoias and 2004 to 2006 model year Tundras, both built at Toyota’s Indiana plant, the automaker’s U.S. sales unit said in a statement.
The defect has caused 11 accidents and 6 injuries, Toyota said. They’ll begin notifying owners in Mid-February and will repair the “defective front suspension lower ball joints free of charge.”—MEGHANN MARCO
Study Finds Higher Levels Of Nicotine In Cigarettes
By 1.19.07
NPR has an interesting report on The Harvard School of Public Health’s findings that nicotine levels in cigarettes are rising, despite tobacco companies’ promise not to work to increase the levels of the addictive substance in their products.
Vitamine Shoppe Multivitamins Contaminated With Lead
By 1.19.07
- Of 21 brands of multivitamins on the market in the United States and Canada selected by ConsumerLab.com and tested by independent laboratories, just 10 met the stated claims on their labels or satisfied other quality standards.
Chemicals in Cosmetics You Should Avoid
By 1.19.07
Consumer Reports has an article about chemicals in cosmetics that are probably not that awesome for your health. They’re called phthalates and they are found in nail polish, body lotion, perfume, hair spray, and more.
Consumer Reports: Um, About Those Car Seats…
By 1.19.07
- Consumer Reports received information from NHTSA raising questions about the test.
