Almost six months after American Airlines flight attendants started complaining that their new uniforms were giving them hives, headaches, and rashes, the carrier’s CEO is admitting that it’s a major problem, while insisting that American won’t issue the recall of the clothing that employees have asked for. [More]
Quality & Safety
Whole Food Recalls Cheeses Linked To Two Listeria-Related Deaths
By 3.14.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Whole Foods has expanded a recent recall of Vulto Creamery cheese products potentially contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes after health officials linked two deaths and four illnesses to the cheese made from unpasteurized raw milk. [More]
We Still Don’t Know Who Made The E. Coli-Contaminated Soynut Butter
By 3.13.17
So far, 16 people sick from E. coli have had their illnesses officially linked to recalled soy butter from the brand I.M. Healthy. Half of the infected have been hospitalized, and 14 of them are children. Yet there’s one piece of information about the recall hasn’t been made public: The company has not released the name of the contract manufacturer that made the products originally. [More]
Regulators Investigating Hoverboard Fire That Killed 3-Year-Old Girl
By 3.13.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Nearly eight months after the Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled more than 500,000 “hoverboard” scooters from eight manufacturers over fire hazards posed by the devices’ lithium-ion battery backs, the agency has opened an investigation into a fire that killed a 3-year-old girl in Pennsylvania on Friday. [More]
Jet Skiers Snatched From Path Of Carnival Cruise Ship At The Last Second
By 3.13.17
While there might seem to be plenty of room for everyone out on the open ocean, a marine traffic incident almost led to a group of jet skiers getting run over by a Carnival Cruise Line ship in a Florida harbor. [More]
California DMV Releases Proposed Rules For Driverless Vehicles
By 3.10.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
After a high-profile spat with Uber of self-driving cars that were operating in San Francisco without proper permission, the state of California has proposed new rules that would make it easier for companies to test truly autonomous cars — no one behind the wheel at all — on the state’s roads. [More]
BMW Recalls 121K SUVs Over Defect That Could Render Vehicle Useless
By 3.10.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Just like a pathogen can infect a tiny cut in your skin and end up wreaking real havoc on your body, if a bit of water starts getting into the wrong place on your car it could set off a chain of events that leaves you with a car that won’t move. [More]
Highlights From The House Debate On Tanning Tax That Turned Into A Sideshow
By 3.9.17 — Updated: 3.10.17
Among the lesser-discussed points of the Affordable Care Act repeal and replace legislation is a move to get rid of a 10% tax on the use of tanning salons. Why is this suddenly an issue, and how did it cause the House Ways and Means Committee’s discussion of the bill to devolve into a sideshow, complete with debates on the merits of ice cream and Spain’s tax on the sun? [More]
Google Says Some Pixel Phones Have Broken Microphones
By 3.9.17
When you spend the better part of a thousand dollars on a new phone, it’s pretty reasonable to expect that it will actually work. But Google says that a small number of its Pixel phones contain a hardware issue resulting in broken microphones. [More]
FCC Investigating AT&T’s Massive 911 Outage
By 3.9.17
Federal regulators are looking into the source of an outage that left millions of AT&T wireless customers in 14 states and the District of Columbia without access to 911 emergency services for several hours on Wednesday. [More]
Soynut Butter Co. Expands Recall To All Products, Including Granola
By 3.8.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Earlier this week, we shared the news that I.M. Healthy soy butter, a product that’s handy for making PBJs for kids who attend peanut-free schools and daycares, has been linked to E. coli infections, mostly in children. Now the company has recalled all of its products, not just certain batches, and now including its granola as well. [More]
Craftsman Recalls 46,000 Collapsable Saws Over Laceration Hazard
By 3.7.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Working with saws and other tools can be a dangerous activity, and the risk increases when the table saw you’re using unexpectedly collapses, as is the case for some 46,000 Craftsman portable table saws now being recalled. [More]
Samsung Washing Machine Repair Woes? Tell Us About It
By 3.7.17
Dozens of owners of Samsung’s recalled top-load washing machines have shared their frustration over the recall process, from difficulty in contacting the company to continuously canceled repair appointments. But there have also been consumers who were able to complete the recall. To that end, we’d like to hear about your experience after the repair. [More]
Congressional Committees Release Text Of Obamacare Repeal & Replacement Bills
By 3.6.17 — Updated: 3.7.17
The piece of legislation that has been the hottest ticket in D.C. — the GOP effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act — is beginning to take shape, with the release by the House Committee On Energy & Commerce and the House Ways & Means Committee of their proposals to undo the healthcare reform legislation. [More]
Health Officials Investigating After Restaurant’s Apple Juice Burns Kids
By 3.6.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
We’ve heard of kids accidentally being served alcohol at restaurants before, but according to police in Pennsylvania, three kids complained that their throats and mouths were burning after drinking what was supposed to be apple juice at a Chinese buffet restaurant. [More]
TSA Introducing New, More Invasive Pat-Down Method
By 3.6.17
The next time you go through a pat-down at airport security, things might be a bit different: The Transportation Security Administration has a new, more invasive pat-down procedure that some travelers might find unusual. To that end, the agency is warning local police departments that they may see an uptick in reports related to these up close and personal examinations. [More]
Soy Nut Butter Recalled For Possible E. Coli Contamination
By 3.6.17 — Updated: 5.10.17
Soy nut butter is an alternative to peanut butter for people who have allergies, or for schools and child care facilities that have been declared peanut-free zones due to students’ allergies. However, a product meant to keep people safe is endangering their lives in a different way, after 12 people, mostly children, became infected with E. coli from the nut butter. [More]
Extremely Contagious Bird Flu Found On Tennessee Chicken Farm
By 3.6.17 — Updated: 5.9.17
It’s been a few years since a widespread avian flu outbreak hit U.S. poultry farmers hard, prompting national egg shortages and higher prices for products. Farmers are starting to get worried again, after a highly contagious strain of the flu has been found in a commercial chicken flock in Tennessee. [More]
