The FAA says that Southwest Airlines has grounded at least 42 planes for “possible structural damage,” says the Dallas Morning News. The announcement comes after the FAA proposed record-breaking fines after an investigation uncovered that Southwest may have kept 46 planes flying even though they required safety inspections for fuselage damage.
safety
AP: 41 Million Americans Drink Water Contaminated With Antibiotics, Anti-Convulsants, Mood Stabilizers, And Sex Hormones
By 3.9.08
A soup of pharmaceutical waste spews from the faucets supplying drinking water to 41 million Americans, according to a disturbing study from the Associated Press. At least 24 major cities are affected, including New York, Washington, Boston Chicago, and Los Angeles.
Here are some of the key test results obtained by the AP:
By 3.7.08
../../../..//2008/03/07/if-you-keep-a-gun/
If you keep a gun in the house, don’t use the Stack-On P-B 201 Pistol Box sold by Walmart to keep it safe and out of sight. A local news investigation found the pistol safe can be opened with a normal filing cabinet key. [WMCTV]
Did FAA Allow Southwest To Fly Unsafe Planes To Avoid Flight Disruptions?
By 3.7.08
Yesterday the FAA sought $10.2 million in civil damages from Southwest Airlines for neglecting to inspect the fuselages of 46 of its planes.
Charges Filed Against Importers Of Toxic Toothpaste
By 3.7.08
On Tuesday, the city of Los Angeles and the FDA charged the heads of two U.S. importing companies with 14 counts each of “receiving, selling and delivering an adulterated drug,” for their roles in importing and distributing over 70,000 tubes of toothpaste containing diethylene glycol (DEG) instead of glycerin. “Each count carries a maximum penalty of one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.”
By 3.6.08
../../../..//2008/03/06/a-tsa-screener-contaminated-a/
A TSA screener contaminated a 14-year-old boy’s sterile backup feeding tube in the name of national security: “If I can’t open it, I can’t let you on the plane.” [WFTV via BoingBoing]
Retired Safety Inspector Picks Up Slack For CPSC In Brooklyn
By 3.6.08
Martin Bennett is a 69-year-old former inspector for the Consumer Product Safety Commission who retired over six years ago.
By 3.3.08
../../../..//2008/03/03/a-gas-leak-at-the/
A gas leak at the Plymouth, New Hampshire Walmart has lead to the hospitalization of three workers. [Boston .com]
FAA: New Planes Are Held Together With "Substandard" Parts
By 3.2.08
Terrible news for anyone afraid of flying: the FAA is reporting that the newest passenger planes are held together with “substandard” parts. The oversight at several supplier factories was so shoddy that workers were caught using rulers made of scotch-tape and paper.
Go Buy A Shredder Right Now
By 3.1.08
A shredder is an indispensable tool for keeping your identity safe and secure. If you receive credit card offers or have old bank statements littering your files, then you can’t do without a cross-cutting shredder to slice and dice your personal information into an indecipherable medley of confetti. Frugal For Life points out a few of the many reasons we all should be devout shredders.
Lead Found In Dental Appliance
By 2.29.08
Finally! It’s been so long since we’ve posted about anything tainted with lead that we were starting to wonder if all the world’s trade problems had been resolved—but now comes a new study that found 210 parts per million (ppm) of lead in the porcelain veneer of a dental crown ordered from China. That’s a lot less than the CPSC’s current 600 ppm threshold, but a lot more than the international standard of only 90 ppm. The good news is it’s highly unlikely developing children will need a mouth full of crowns and bridges. The bad news is it’s yet another example of how hazardous material can slip undiscovered into the marketplace—and your mouth.
24,000 Cribs Recalled For Faulty Railing
By 2.29.08
The CPSC has announced the recall of 24,000 cribs for a faulty railing that puts children at risk of falling out.
By 2.28.08
../../../..//2008/02/28/the-humane-society-of/
The Humane Society of America has sued the USDA in an attempt to close a loophole that allows downer cows who aren’t otherwise ill into the food supply. They claim the loophole increases the risk of introducing mad cow disease to humans, and leads to abuse against the cattle—like with, oh, say, a forklift. [Wall Street Journal]
The FDA Wants More Money
By 2.27.08
Unlike Nancy Nord (she’s the CPSC boss that tried to hint to Congress that her agency needed more funding through sly winks and interpretive dance numbers), the FDA chief is ignoring Bush’s “do not ask for more money” rule and demanding more funds.
Beware Dirty Lemon Wedges At Restaurants
By 2.21.08
The slightly alarmist HealthInspections.com has a story about dirty lemon wedges in restaurants—apparently they’re a “witch’s brew of bacteria,” to use the hilariously over-the-top language of the video narrator, who speaks in a parody of a newscaster voice. Our favorite trick of theirs: overlaying gigantic bacteria animations on everyday objects, as you can see in this screen capture. But anyway, the point is a microbiologist from New Jersey found various bacteria on three quarters of the lemons she tested from 21 different restaurants: “The very first sample that we took was loaded with fecal bacteria.”
Toys "R" Us Announces New Safety Guidelines
By 2.19.08
Just got this email from Toys ‘R’ Us in my inbox and thought you’d be interested. I’m normally pretty skeptical about corporate promises like this, but if they implement these changes I’m going to be pretty impressed.
By 2.19.08
../../../..//2008/02/19/in-response-to-consumer-backlash/
In response to consumer backlash, Verizon has decided to make it so alarms on its new phones don’t go off on its phones when you dial 911. This is so if you hide and call 911 when a prowler breaks in, you don’t give them a handy homing signal. [KOMO]
USDA Recalls 143 Million Pounds Of Beef
By 2.17.08
The U.S. Department of Agriculture initiated the largest meat recall in U.S. history today, recalling 143 million pounds of beef from a macabre California slaughterhouse that chopped up downer cows—a rich source of mad cow disease—and sold them to school districts across the nation. The massive recall affects all beef produced by the Westland/Hallmark Meat Company after February 1, 2006.
