Reader Geoff was at a gas station with his girlfriend when a shady looking dude approached them and started asking for money so he could pay someone to unlock his car and free the 11 month-old kid whom he’d locked inside… in a dark corner of the next parking lot over. Hm. Was he telling the truth? Geoff writes:
Dear Consumerist,
American Airlines faces fines of up to $231,000 for unsafe work conditions that include fall hazards, electrical and fire hazards, hygiene issues, blocked exits and storage of oxygen and acetylene cylinders, according to the Chicago Tribune.
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Crystal-decorated pacifiers (aspiration, ingestion), Toro electric blowers (projectiles).
Health inspectors found over 200 fruit flies infesting the lower level food court of the Macy’s State Street store in Chicago. Inspectors first discovered the infestation last week after a disgusted customer complained to 311. Food court employees apparently were not bothered by either the fruit flies or the health inspectors. From the Chicago Tribune:
“Not only did they not do anything, the problems seemed to get worse,” [Tim Hadac, spokesman for the Chicago Department of Public Health] said. “It was a surprising and disappointing lack of adherence to basic food safety regulation… We stopped counting fruit flies when they hit 200.”
The inspectors also found:
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Brave Log Splitters (injury), Sky Rangers Park Flyer Radio Control Airplanes (explosion), Pottery Barn Crib Bumpers (entanglement), Sauder Woodworking TV Stands (collapsing, injury).
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Carrying an iPod, or any electronic device, increases your chance of serious injury, if struck by lightning.
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Black & Decker Trimmers/Edgers (laceration from projectiles), Rockingham deluxe reclining lounge chairs sold at Menard (collapsing).
In a plane crash, the seats in the back are the safest, Popular Mechanics statistical analysis of three decades of airplane crackups finds:
For several weeks, we poured [sic] over reports filed by NTSB crash investigators, as well as seating charts that showed where each passenger sat and whether they lived or died. We then calculated the average fore-and-aft seating position of both survivors and fatalities for each crash. We also compared survival rates in four sections of the aircraft.
Populists may harvest some pleasure from the fact that First Class passengers are paying a premium for an increased 20% likelihood that they will die when the airplane plummets to the earth.
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Easy-Bake Ovens (finger amputation), Atico Coffeemakers sold at Walgreens (fire), Playskool Sippy Cups (choking, THULE Bike Racks (amputation).
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Off-road Motorcycle Brake Master Cylinders (failure), Vance Kitira Cinnamon Spice Candles (fire), “Soldier Bear” Toy Sets (lead), Meyer Cooking Torches (fire) Ol’ Man Treestands (fall), Payless Children’s Clog Shoes (choking), Sportsman’s Warehouse Flashlights (fire), Genuine Innovations Combination Tire Inflators and Hand Pumps (injury), Florida Wal-Mart Children’s Earrings (lead). [CPSC.gov]
The Today Show’s report on TSA procedures is mainly a bunch of crap everyone knows already, but we decided to edit together all the passenger interviews from the story to give a little dose of the current passenger mood regarding security lines. Takeaway: they hate them and would like to be able to bring on baby formula to feed their children.
Remember the Washington Post’s analysis of FDA Refusal Reports? The New York Times double-checked the Post’s work and found that China isn’t the only country exporting filthy salmonella-infested goods. Exports from India, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic have all been stopped at the U.S. border for failing to meet basic sanitary requirements.
Salmonella was the top reason that food was rejected from India, and it was found in products like black pepper, coriander powder and shrimp. “Filthy” was the primary reason food was stopped from Mexico, and the rejections included lollipops, crabmeat and dried chili.
Trouble In The Air [MSNBC]
Both The Washington Post and The New York Times have done a magnificent job examining the complex nature of the Chinese Poison Train, but the Times finally cut to the chase and asked the million-dollar question: can China tame the Chinese Poison Train? The solution requires China to reform an ailing regulatory regime.
As many as 17 bureaucracies have overlapping responsibilities in just the food and drug sphere, and they jealously guard their power. The Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Agriculture, the State Administration of Industry and Commerce, and the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine have all vied for monitoring roles.
Why should you care? Because you’re more likely to need the protection of a headrest than you are an airbag. Rear collisions are common. The above painfully boring, yet awesome, video from the folks at the IIHS shows a failed test of a 2007 Dodge Nitro seat. (Hey, we like crash test dummies, ok?) You can see that the head is not supported from behind, which would cause the dummy to sustain neck injuries and have to wear one of those embarrassing neck brace things to school the next day.
Unlike seafood, the meat, produce and nuts you buy don’t have a country of origin label, despite a 5 year old law that says they should, according to the New York Times. Lobbyists and congresspeople have managed to hold off enforcement of the law since it was passed in 2002, but now proponents of country of origin labels (COOL) think they may have enough momentum from the Chinese Poison Train to finally make the label a reality. From the NYT:
“No. 1, there’s a basic consumer right to know,” said Michael Hansen, senior scientist at Consumers Union, an advocacy group that publishes Consumer Reports magazine and supports the labeling law. “People are more and more concerned about the food they eat.”
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Consumer Reports squarely places the blame for unsafe Chinese products on everyone.
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Top 10 Ways to Repel Mosquitoes with minimal cash outlay.
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