Defective & Dangerous Products

• Mattel Recalls 9 Million Potentially Deadly Toys

  Claude Wyle | August 27, 2007 7:52 PM | 0 CommentsOakland, CA

  Tuesday Mattel recalled 9 million toys due to a potentially deadly magnet. The recall includes toys containing small, rare-earth magnets, which are twenty times stronger than an average magnet. The magnets pose a risk to children because if they swallow more than one, the magnets may attract each other through the intestinal walls and tear into soft tissue. This is exactly what happened to...

• China Says "It Wasn't Me"

  David Rowell | August 27, 2007 6:35 PM | 0 CommentsFresno, CA

  When I was in law school, one of my study partners was a guy who'd been a cop for a long time, and he talked about the "some other dude" defense, which goes like this: when he'd snatch up some bad guy, often the bad guy would say "it wasn't me, it was 'some other dude.'" Although my friend didn't think much of the defense, apparently the Chinese government likes it.As reported by the Associated...

• Who's Watching for Defective Products?

  David Rowell | August 27, 2007 2:02 PM | 0 CommentsFresno, CA

  Most people are familiar with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and know that it is the government agency charged with protecting consumers from dangerous products. But in an editorial in the Washington Post on Sunday, Ann Brown, former chair of the CSPC, and Pamela Gilbert, former executive director, charge that the Commission has been "neutered almost to the point of uselessness." If the...

• Beware the eBAY Toys

  Robert Blanchard | August 27, 2007 10:49 AM | 0 CommentsPensacola, FL

  While some Chinese toys are being pulled from store shelves, it appears that previously recalled toys are reappearing as auction items on eBay. Injury Prevention Journal looked into children's items recalled between the years of 1992-2004 and 190 of them were still available on eBay. The dangerous toys included a collapsing playyard, a car that has a battery that can overheat and burn children;...

• Dismissal of Tobacco Lawsuit Upheld in Appeals Court

  Chrissie Cole | August 27, 2007 2:25 AM | 0 CommentsPinellas, FL

  The First U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in Boston, upheld the dismissal of a tobacco lawsuit filed by a group trying to strong arm tobacco companies to repay $60 billion spent by Medicare to treat smoking-related illnesses.The group believes the tobacco companies should be held accountable for expenditures to treat illnesses that arise from smoking.The original lawsuit was dismissed in August...

• New Warnings Recommended for Sunscreens

  Jamie Sheller | August 26, 2007 4:05 PM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  Sunscreen has long been advocated to protect people from the damaging effects of the sun. Recently, the FDA called for new warnings and information to be included on sunscreen labels. The two kinds of rays from the sun are ultraviolet A (UVA) and ultraviolet B (UVB). Sunscreens have standard ratings for protection against UVB rays, which cause sunburn. However, the suggested new labels would...

• Drug Manufacturers Spend Billions On Direct To Consumer Ads - Many, Such As Vioxx, Attacked As Misleading

  Mike Ferrara | August 25, 2007 2:38 PM | 0 CommentsCherry Hill, NJ

  The August 16, 2007 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine contained a study that did not get the media attention it deserved. Studies were done of the amount of money big drug companies spent on "direct to consumer ads" and found the amount increasing each year. The latest year for which data is available was 2005 when $29.9 billion was spent. Total real spending on promotion grew...

• San Jose Jamba Juice Alerts Customers About hepatitis A

  Courtney Mills | 2007-08-24T13:43:10 | 0 Comments

  A female worker at a San Jose, California, Willow Glen Jamba Juice store has developed hepatitis A, announced the chief medical officer for Santa Clara County. She put approximately 4,000 customers who frequented the store during the shifts she worked at risk for the virus.Hepatitis A is a serious, infectious disease of the liver that is transmitted by oral-fecal passage. The disease can be...

• Baby Carrots Recalled for Shigella

  Shannon Weidemann | 2007-08-24T12:20:15 | 0 Comments

  Baby carrots sold at grocery stores such as Trader Joe's and Krogers have been recalled because of possible contamination with Shigella. Shigella can cause food poisoning if ingested and is especially harmful to the elderly and babies and children. The baby carrots were distributed by Los Angeles Salad Co. The product was sold under two labels -- "Los Angeles Salad Genuine Sweet Baby...

• Benzene Lawsuit Filed

  David Rowell | 2007-08-24T10:51:04 | 0 Comments

  Robert Oakley, a former employee of Houston Chemical, filed suit on August 16, 2007, in the U.S. Court for the Eastern District of Texas. Oakley, who worked as a laboratory technician, operator, pipe fitter and mechanic, claims that he was exposed for 51 years to toxic chemicals and carcinogens, including naptha, toluene, benzene and products containing benzene. Oakley was diagnosed with cancer...