The FDA yanked the heart surgery drug Trasylol off the market last November, but a medical researcher now claims that 22,000 lives could have been saved if Bayer AG hadn’t withheld the results of an earlier internal study proving the drug’s danger. An FDA committee held hearings in September 2006 to determine Trasylol’s safety, but three of the committee members had a financial interest in Bayer, and the drug maker had underwritten the committee chairman’s research.
safety
Glass Baby Bottles Hit The Market To Answer Concerned Parents' Fears Of Plastic
By 2.16.08
Earlier this month, several consumer groups announced that heated plastic baby bottles leach bisphenol A “in amounts that were within the range shown to cause harm in animal studies.” Now a reader writes in to tell us that companies are already starting to respond to the issue with announcements that they’ll be releasing glass bottles in addition to plastic versions.
Recalls
By 2.15.08
A Life of Faith Charm Bracelet Sets (lead), Polaris All-Terrain Vehicles (fire), Soft Air USA Remote-Controlled Helicopter Toys (Fire and Burn), GE Gas Clothes Dryers (shock), Trek MT220 Girls Bicycles (frame failures), eeBoo Corp Sketchbooks with Colored Spirals (lead).
Birds Live In Virginia Safeway Store
By 2.12.08
Jose writes, I thought that the long lines and the produce always being out of stock was bad enough, but then I noticed the small family of birds living at my local Safeway (Nutley St, Fairfax, VA).
Members Of Congress Implore Mattel To "Do The Right Thing," Recall Lead-Tainted Toy Blood-Pressure Cuff
By 2.2.08
56 Members of Congress want to know why Mattel CEO Robert Eckert refuses to issue a nationwide recall for a toy blood-pressure cuff that is contaminated with lead. The affected blood-pressure cuff, sold as part of the Fisher-Price Medical Kit, was recalled exclusively in Illinois after Mattel received a complaint from State Attorney General Lisa Madigan. Legislators want Eckert to stand by a pledge made to reassure a jittery public before the holiday buying season that Mattel would ‘earn back our trust with deeds, not just with words.’
White House Mulls Another Industry Shill To Head CPSC
By 1.28.08
The Washington Post reports that the Administration is considering another industry hack to head the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CSPC). They have in mind is Gail Charnley, a scientist who has testified on behalf of and writes articles supporting the views of tobacco, energy and pesticide companies. She’s not thought of as a consumer advocate per se but as someone hired by industry to represent their point of view,” said Lynn Goldman, a former assistant administrator for the Environmental Protection Agency. Awesome. Last time around, the White House tried unsuccessfully to install Michael Baroody, a lobbyist for the National Association of Manufacturers, as CPSC head. Should Charnley fail, there’s probably some guys from Enron still looking for work.
CPSC Boss: Toys "Are Safer Than They Have Ever Been"
By 1.16.08
Consumer Reports takes issue with some of the statements CPSC chairperson Nancy Nord said in a recent speech:
By 1.15.08
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The FDA’s announcement today that cloned beef and dairy is safe was met with criticism by several consumer groups, which isn’t surprising, and the US Department of Agriculture, which is—they say that food producers should continue to honor a “voluntary moratorium” for the indefinite future…
By 1.10.08
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RECALLS: Kash N’ Gold Tinker Bell Novelty Lamps (lead), A.O. Smith Exhaust Fan Electric Motors (fire), Shims Bargain Pacifiers (choking), TJ Promotions Coin Banks (lead), Lowe’s Torchiere Lamps (fire), Honda ATVs (loss of speed control), Intermatic Digital Timers (shock), Pacific Cycle Children’s Trailer Bicycles (can detach from adult bicycle), Canondale Scalpel Mountain Bikes (crashing), Mark’s Quality Meats Beef (E.coli), New Era Mexican-Style Beans (botulism), Raw Oysters Harvested from the West Karako Bay Section of Growing Area 3 in Louisiana (norovirus), Shangai Chaojimengnan (actually Viagra).
By 1.3.08
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Last year was the safest year to fly in more than four decades, says the private Aircraft Crashes Record Office (ACRO). Hmm—maybe United has just been trying to take the record for safest flights by cancellng them all. [Reuters]
By 12.24.07
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As part of a 3-month fire-safety campaign, the Chinese city of Zhuhai has banned all Christmas trees and related flammable decorations from all stores, malls, restaurants, and other public spaces: “Those that fail to rectify the situation will be subject to legal measures like suspension or closure.” [Reuters]
TSA Declares Victory, Achieves Same Vaunted Status As IRS
By 12.23.07
The IRS is celebrating the results of an AP poll that ranks the TSA as the most hated arm of the federal government. More than anything, Americans apparently hate being inconvenienced by seemingly pointless and arbitrary security checks.
The AP poll, conducted Monday through Wednesday, found that the more people travel, the less they like TSA.
By 12.21.07
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RECALLS: Man’s Trading Company Super Magnets (aspiration, intestinal hazards), Pre-Filled Heparin Lock Flush Solution (Serratia marcescens, life-threatening injuries, death), Empire Silver Teething Rings (choking), Manttra Pressure Cookers (burn), Liberty Apparel Girls’ Hooded Sweatshirts with Drawstrings (strangulation), Lenox Covered Warmer Dishes (fire, burn).
CNN Wants You To Be Very Afraid Of Parking Lots
By 12.21.07
CNN has a hilarious article about shopping safety that you should certainly read before you hit the mall this weekend for last-minute gifts. We’re all for safety, but according to this article, letting your senior citizen wander off from the rest of the family is like like tying a fawn to a skateboard and pushing it into a den of lions: “He has to be at least 75 or 80 years old. Now, he’s a potential victim.”
By 12.20.07
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RECALLS: Royal Seafood Baza Inc. Dried Roach (botulism), Top Line Specialty Produc Green Paradise label” Fresh Italian basil (salmonella), Specialty Merchandise Corporation Snowman And Christmas Tree Candles (fire), DEWALT Cordless Drills (fire), Remington and McQuay “ComfortPac” Air Conditioners and Heat Pumps (fire).
By 12.19.07
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RECALLS: Victoria’s Secret Stuffer Bear (choking), Discount School Supply Giant Measuring Chart (lead), AAFES “Soldier Bear” Toys (lead), Honda Walk-Behind Lawn Mowers (laceration), Bombardier Ski-Doo® Model Year 2008 MXZ X 600 RS Snowmobiles (crashing),
By 12.19.07
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If you have babies visiting you this holiday season, don’t let them sleep on air mattresses, says the CPSC. They’ve received several reports of suffocation deaths because the mattresses can be too soft for infants. The same goes for waterbeds, although if you have a waterbed then you’re probably living in 1982 and this blog hasn’t been invented yet. [CPSC]
