Defective & Dangerous Products

• Couple Files Lawsuit Against Restaurant after Eating Salmonella Contaminated Hummus

  Chrissie Cole | July 27, 2007 7:22 PM | 0 CommentsOrange County, CA

  A couple that became seriously ill after eating food at the Taste of Chicago Food Festival has filed a lawsuit against Pars Persian Cuisine, whose booth served the salmonella contaminated hummus. The couple was hospitalized for four days and suffered from dehydration, high fever and diarrhea, said their attorney. The lawsuit, filed in Cook County Circuit Court, seeks unspecified damages.Although...

• Senate Wants Graphic Warning Labels on Cigarettes

  Staff Writer | July 27, 2007 6:15 PM | 0 CommentsPinellas, FL

  A Senate committee has added an provision to a bill to place more graphic warning labels to packages of cigarettes. Canada already has a similar law to stop people from smoking cigarettes. The aim is to show the potentially deadly side effects of cigarette smoking. The amendment was accepted as part of overall legislation that would give the Food and Drug Administration authority for the...

• RC2 Gets the Lead Out of Thomas Toy Trains

  Michael Phelan | July 27, 2007 3:36 PM | 0 CommentsRichmond, VA

  Kudos to Illinois company, RC2, which sells Thomas & Friends toy trains. It was discovered recently that the trains contained lead-based paint, a known neurotoxin which has been banned in this country since 1978. The risks to toddlers and small children prone to chewing on toys is obvious. These toys were unreasonably dangerous, defective products anyway you slice it. Rather than trying to...

• Class 1 Recall of Thoratec TLC-II Portable Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) Driver

  Jenny Albano | July 27, 2007 3:06 PM | 0 CommentsWaterloo, IA

  The Thoratec TLC-II Portable Ventricular Assist Device (VAD) Driver has been recalled by the FDA and the Thoratec Corporation because the VAD support for the patient's circulatory system may fail. A Ventricular assist device is a mechanical pump that assists a person's heart that is too weak to pump blood throughout the body itself. The VAD is used to give sufficient blood flow to the damaged...

• Diabetes Drugs Linked to Heart Failure

  Amy Rothschild | July 27, 2007 1:54 PM | 0 CommentsCharleston, SC

  It was just reported that two of the most widely used drugs to treat diabetes and which were taken by thousands of overweight people in the United Kingdom last year, are causing widespread heart failure. The use of the drugs including Avandia and Actos has increased two fold in the last three years as a result of the increasing problem of obesity. The United Kingdom recently reported that in...

• Sara Lee Food Recall

  John Inserra | July 27, 2007 12:52 PM | 0 CommentsOmaha, NE

  Thanks to Darin Schanker for his Sara Lee Recall blog. The FDA has issued the alert for the voluntary recall of some of Sara Lee's products which were found to have metal pieces in them. If you have purchased Sara Lee products, please review the FDA alert.For more information on this subject, please refer to our section on Defective and Dangerous Products.

• Chinese Made Tire Recall Smaller Than Expected

  Shannon Weidemann | July 27, 2007 10:59 AM | 0 CommentsLong Beach, CA

  An upcoming recall for Chinese made tires was estimated to be for 450,000 tires but may only be for 250,000 tires instead. The recalled tires were made in China and imported into the United States by Foreign Tire Sales. In a letter to NHTSA, FTS said its has narrowed the group of questioned tires. The impacted tires were produced in three phases, FTS said, but only those produced in the...

• Electric Blowers Recalled Due to Projectile Hazards

  Jenny Albano | July 26, 2007 6:58 PM | 0 CommentsMinneapolis, MN

  The CPSC, in cooperation with The Toro Company, is voluntarily recalling about 900,000 Toro Power Sweep Electric Blowers because the blower's impeller can break which can result in pieces of plastic flying out of the blower. This can pose a risk of serious injury to a bystander or to the user.So far Toro has received 154 reports of broken impellers. There have been 21 minor injuries reported...

• EPA Fines Landlord for Lead Poisoning Violations

  Larry Buckfire | July 26, 2007 6:54 PM | 0 CommentsDetroit, MI

  The EPA recently levied huge fines against a San Diego landlord for failing to provide tenants with the federally mandated lead paint poisoning pamphlet and disclosure form. Under the terms of a settlement ,Sunview Properties must spend $216,664 in lead paint removal and pay a $31,000 fine over alleged violations of the Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act in connection with the...

• Man Injured in Ford Rollover Awarded $6 Million

  Jenny Albano | July 26, 2007 1:36 PM | 0 CommentsFort Lauderdale, FL

  Julian Feilpe was awarded $6 million by a Broward Circuit Court jury after a six-week product liability trial. The 22 year-old suffered serious injuries after a 1993 Ford Aerostar van rolled over five years ago.The jury found that Ford Motor Company, the only defendant, was negligent in putting the Aerostar on the market with a design defect of the roof structure, which caused the roof to...