While it would be nice to if there was one product that cures anything and everything that ails you, bleach is not that miracle solution. And yet, people keep selling something called “Miracle Mineral Solution,” an industrial chemical unfit for human consumption, as a treatment for a slew of complaints from asthma to HIV. The most recent example is in Texas, where a new complaint accuses a company of shilling a concoction that it claims “is able to overcome most diseases known to mankind.” [More]
poison
Legislation Aims To Make It Harder For Kids To Snack On Yummy-Looking Detergent Pods
By 2.26.15
Federal safety agencies and poison control centers have continuously expressed concern that the ever-popular, and convenient detergent pods are extremely dangerous to children, with more than 17,000 kids being poisoned by ingesting the detergent since they came on the scene three years ago. Today, the House and Senate took steps to ensure the single-serve detergent packs no long threaten childrens’ safety by introducing legislation that would enact stricter packaging standards for liquid detergent. [More]
E-Cigarettes: A Reliable Smoking Alternative Or Vials Of Toxic Poison?
By 3.25.14
For more than 50 years the Surgeon General has warned consumers of the risks associated with smoking cigarettes. Since that time, many products introduced as alternatives. One of the most recent, and popular options is the use of e-cigarettes. But poison control officials say the reusable sticks contain enough nicotine to be bad for your health. [More]
Feds Seize Deadly And Illegal Pest Poison Called "The Cat Be Unemployed"
By 9.21.11
The amusing name belied the deadly and illegal contents. “The Cat Be Unemployed” read the package, featuring a yellow background with a bright-eyed cartoon feline and thick black Chinese characters underneath. Within, was rat poison, and the chemical brodifacoum at 61 times its legal limit. It doesn’t kill just rodents. [More]
14 People Foods That Will Poison Your Puppy
By 6.24.10
Any good dog owner knows it’s a bad idea to feed your dog chocolate. And you know at Christmas to keep the pooch out of the poinsettias. But the ASPCA’s Animal Poison Control Center handled more than 17,000 cases of poisoned pets in 2009 — and not all of them were because Snarf got into your Cadbury’s stash. [More]
Candy or Medicine?
By 9.14.09
I suppose we can’t expect little kids to tell the difference, huh? The University of Rochester Strong Memorial Hospital and the Finger Lakes Regional Poison & Drug Information Center created this chart to help you grown-ups test your ability to identify delicious candies vs pharmaceuticals. It must have been sort of fun to find ones that matched.
Mercury: High-Fructose Corn Syrup's Secret Ingredient?
By 8.13.09
First, we learn of a possible sugar shortage, now an article by Mother Jones finds that part of the production procedure for high-fructose corn syrup might involve contaminating it with mercury. Basically, today is the best day ever for the president of NutraSweet.
Multivitamins May Give You A Dose Of Vitamin L — That Would Be Lead
By 7.14.09
How does that Alanis Morissette song go? Oh yeah, “It’s like meeting the multivitamin of your dreams, and then meeting its beautiful lead.”
Don't Drink Lamp Oil Or You'll Die
By 7.2.08
Lamp oil manufacturers have issued a new warning: don’t drink lamp oil. The TV says someone died recently after doing so. Not sure what the story is, but like other household products, it’s important to keep them in their proper containers. For instance, some colored lamp oils can look like cranberry juice. Here are some other poisons and the foods they can look like.
Mattel Losing Money As Manufacturing Costs Rise
By 4.21.08
Sales of Barbie fell 12 percent in the U.S. as the 49-year- old doll faced competition from Hannah Montana and Ganz’s Webkinz. Mattel, which recalled more than 21 million Chinese-made products in 2007, expects Chinese manufacturing costs to rise further. The yuan has climbed 10 percent against the dollar over the past 12 months, and inflation in China is near an 11-year high.
Poison: The High Cost Of Cheap Batteries
By 1.15.08
Cadmium batteries are cheap and safe to use, but hazardous to manufacture. They’ll save you money—about $1.50 for the average cadmium-powered toy, says the Wall Street Journal.
Accidental Deaths On The Rise: Poisoning Deaths Increasing Quickly
By 9.26.07
People! You are accidentally poisoning yourselves! What the hell? Stop it.
New Zealand And Australia Recall Chinese-Made Formaldehyde Tainted Blankets
By 8.22.07
The formaldehyde-tainting scandal over in New Zealand and Australia continues today with a recall of Chinese-made blankets that are so full of formaldehyde that they could cause skin or respiratory irritation, according to the Associated Press.
Wholesale firm Charles Parsons said the level of formaldehyde in the Superlux brand of blankets ‘may cause short-term skin or respiratory irritation.’
The Softer Side Of Lead Paint
By 8.19.07
Foreign manufacturers use lead paint not because they want to poison American children, but because lead paint is, “bright, durable, flexible, fast-drying, and cheap.” The domestic use of lead paint in residences, hospitals, and children’s products was banned in 1978, though lead paint is still widely used. Slate explains:
Thomas The Poisonous Tank Engine Recall Fallout Continues
By 6.20.07
Today’s New York Times has an interesting article about the process of assigning blame in the recent Thomas the Tank Engine recall debacle. Whose fault is it? The company that outsourced the manufacturing to China, RC2? The company that holds the rights to Thomas the Tank Engine, HIT Entertainment? Both? Neither?
Colgate: Phony Toothpaste Poses Little Health Risk
By 6.15.07
Colgate has released a statement on the four-state counterfeit toothpaste scare, saying that the quantities of diethylene glycol (a chemical more often used to give flavor to antifreeze) are not high enough to pose a significant health risk. Diethylene glycol is the same chemical, sources say, found in toothpaste imported from China that was recalled just two weeks ago. According to MSNBC News, “consumers who have purchased 5-ounce toothpaste under the Colgate label can return them to the place of purchase” to get their ninety-nine cents back.
Watch Out For Poison Colgate
By 6.14.07
The 5 oz of poison can be identified by these tell-tale package misspellings:
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.
