Dozens of animals stranded in Houston shelters following Hurricane Harvey are now awaiting new homes in San Diego after Southwest Airlines stepped in, flying an entire plane full of displaced animals and volunteers to their new city. [More]
Quality & Safety
EpiPen Maker Allegedly Failed To Investigate 171 Complaints Of Non-Working Devices
By 9.8.17
The manufacturer of Mylan’s emergency allergy treatment devices has been accused of failing to investigate hundreds of complaints over three years that the EpiPen and EpiPen Jr. failed to work properly, a failure that resulted in the deaths of several people. [More]
No, You Can’t Keep A Hammerhead Shark In Your Basement Pool
By 9.8.17
We know it might be tempting to make your own Sharknado at home, but not only is it illegal to keep certain exotic sharks in a pool as pets, but it’s not good for the big fish, either. That’s why officials in New York have removed a bunch of sharks from a resident’s home after finding them in a DIY aquarium in the basement. [More]
3 Things You Should Do If Hurricane Irma Cancelled Your Cruise
By 9.7.17
Millions of Florida residents are battening down the hatches and evacuating in advance of the monstrous Hurricane Irma, which has already wrought havoc and devastation across many island nations of the Caribbean. But Florida is also a major travel and tourist destination for millions of visitors every year, whose plans to go to or through the affected areas are obviously going to be disrupted. So what are your rights and responsibilities if your vacation has to give way to the forces of nature? [More]
79,000 “Trolls” Slap Bracelets Recalled After Injuring Five Children
By 9.7.17
As a child, it was always exciting to receive a book that also included a toy, because well, I was a kid. But as it turns out some of those toys could be dangerous. Case in point: 79,000 slap bracelets included in the DreamWorks Trolls: It’s Hug Time! storybook were recalled after several children were cut by the accessories. [More]
4 Things To Look Out For When Returning Home After A Hurricane
By 9.7.17
As residents in Texas head back to their homes following Hurricane Harvey and those in Florida prepare for Irma to make landfall, federal safety regulators are warning them about potential dangers lurking in their storm-ravaged homes. [More]
Amazon Seller Offering Expensive, Potentially Contaminated Soy Butter 6 Months After Recall
By 9.6.17
When a product has been recalled and disappears from store shelves, that includes virtual store shelves. Yet jars of I.M. Healthy’s recalled soy butter, a peanut butter substitute, were available from a third-party seller on Amazon’s site last week, meaning that customers could potentially get a large helping of E. coli along with their sandwiches. [More]
1.6M Chests Recalled For “Serious” Tip-Over Issue After Child Injured
By 9.6.17
Nearly a year after IKEA recalled 29 million topple-prone dressers and chests following the deaths of at least four children, another furniture manufacturer has issued a similar safety campaign: Ameriwood Home recalled 1.6 million chests sold at Walmart. [More]
Honda To Pay $484M To Reimburse Some Drivers For Takata Airbag Recall Costs
By 9.5.17
Honda must pay more than $484 million to resolve customers’ financial losses related to vehicles equipped with shrapnel-shooting airbags from Takata and step up its efforts to ensure the dangerous safety devices are repaired. [More]
Country Fresh Diced Vegetables And Kabobs Recalled For Possible Listeria
By 9.5.17
A skewer of fresh vegetables, with or without meat, is a great meal fresh off the grill. What you don’t want, though, is to add a marinade of potentially life-threatening bacteria to your roasted veggies. Country Fresh brand diced vegetables and pre-skewered kabobs sold at Southeastern Grocers, Publix, and Walmart stores in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi have been recalled because they might be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. [More]
Over 17 Tons Of Chicken Sausage Recalled For Undeclared Allergens
By 9.1.17
When sitting down to eat a chicken sausage, you should be confident that there’s no meat, spice, or other substance in there that isn’t marked on the label. That’s not the case for two products distributed recently: Thin & Trim and Trader Joe’s chicken sausages have dairy and soy, respectively, in the sausages that aren’t declared on the label. [More]
Mom Spots 2-Year-Old In Hot Car At Target, Alerts Police
By 8.31.17
Even though summer is winding down, temperatures can still be pretty hot, and it’s especially dangerous to leave children or pets behind in your car. That’s why it was fortunate that one shopper at an Ontario, CA, Target store happened to notice a small child in the backseat of a locked car in the store’s parking lot. [More]
Amazon Sued Over Allegedly Defective Eclipse Glasses
By 8.31.17
Before the nationwide solar eclipse earlier this month, experts, including some at NASA, warned that solar eclipse glasses on the market may not meet normal standards for eye protection that one should normally wear when staring at the sun. The decentralized nature of Amazon’s marketplace meant that the site was a popular source for potentially insufficient eclipse glasses, and now people who bought them have filed a class action lawsuit against Amazon. [More]
Pizza Hut Workers Use Kayaks To Deliver Food To Hurricane Harvey Victims
By 8.31.17
In the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, flood waters have wreaked havoc on much of southeastern Texas. So when a Pizza Hut manager heard there were families trapped in their homes without food, she decided that if she couldn’t get to them by land, she’d send pizza over the water — by kayak. [More]
Dish Soap Marketed For Baby Bottles Recalled For Potential Bacterial Contamination
By 8.30.17
Soap has one job. It’s supposed to help clean things. Instead, Dr. Brown’s soap, which is marketed as “natural” and sold for use on dishes and baby bottles, has been recalled because it may be contaminated with bacteria. [More]
465K People Need A Pacemaker Security Update To Protect Their Hearts From Hacking
By 8.30.17
If you need more evidence that we are living in an increasingly internet-connected world, look no further than a recent software update aimed at making sure 465,000 people with pacemakers don’t have hearts that are vulnerable to hackers. [More]
FDA Issuing Fewest Warning Letters Since 2008
By 8.29.17
The Trump administration has not been shy about its desire to cut regulations, so perhaps it’s not surprising that the Food and Drug Administration could be pulling back on its efforts to hold companies accountable. The FDA has sent out fewer warning letters to date this year than in any year since 2008. If warning letters and enforcement actions are down, does that mean we’re all less safe? [More]
Volkswagen Recalls 281,000 Vehicles Because Engines Should Work
By 8.29.17
It’s fairly difficult to get from point A to point B when the engine in your car suddenly stalls. For that reason, Volkswagen recalled nearly 281,000 vehicles that could contain a fuel pump issue. [More]
