- Greg Webb | February 22, 2008 9:44 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsA handful of well-known baby products made out of vinyl plastic, such as baby bibs and lunchboxes, have recently been found to contain high levels of lead. Some other baby products were also found to contain high amounts of lead: a Medela-brand cooler used to store breast milk, a carrying case sold with the First Years breast pump made by RC2, a Playtex baby bottle cooler, and a vinyl pacifier...
- Greg Webb | February 22, 2008 9:40 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsA Chinese factory, which has not been inspected by the Food and Drug Administration, is the source for the active ingredient of heparin, a drug used widely in dialysis, heart surgery and chronic care in hospitals. Heparin is a blood-thinning drug whose production was suspended after 350 patients reported bad side effects from it. Late last year, heparin was recalled after many pediatric dialysis...
- Greg Webb | February 20, 2008 4:55 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsDuragesic twenty-five (25) microgram pain patches, made by Johnson & Johnson's Alza Corp., are being recalled due to manufacturing defects that could lead to leaks of the powerful painkiller fentanyl, a drug stronger than morphine commonly used to treat cancer pain. Such a leak could expose consumers directly to the painkiller's fentanyl gel that in turn would potentially create a fatal overdose...
- Greg Webb | February 19, 2008 10:11 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsSioux Manufacturing of Fort Totten, a manufacturer in North Dakota has agreed to pay $2.2 million to settle a lawsuit, originally for $159 million in damages, brought when the company shortchanged the armor in about 2.2 million military helmets, including the helmets worn by the first troops sent to Iraq and Afghanistan. Two former plant employees claimed the Kevlar woven at the manufacturer...
- Greg Webb | February 19, 2008 10:04 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsPublic Citizen, a District-based advocacy group, criticized the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) for sometimes taking more than six months to inform the public about dangerous products. The advocacy group also complained that it took some companies almost three years to report hazards to the commission. Forty-six cases, from 2002-2007, were taken into consideration in Public Citizen's...
- Greg Webb | February 19, 2008 9:57 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsThe Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is pushing a proposal to require all home furnishing products sold in the United States be nonflammable. The CPSC has been trying to get this proposal passed for more than ten years because they believe such a standard could save about one hundred lives and prevent one hundred and thirty injuries annually. It would require consumer upholstered...
- Greg Webb | February 14, 2008 9:52 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsThe year 2007 was full of nerve-racking recalls for American consumers. Millions of lead intoxicated toys littered the consumer market. Even babies' cribs were being recalled after three children were strangled by one particular model due to defective side rails. It has become apparent that the slow-moving Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is part of the problem at hand. The CPSC, for...
- Greg Webb | February 14, 2008 9:41 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsA new study suggests chemicals found in some baby powders, shampoos, and lotions expose infants to dangerous toxins that could later affect their reproductive capabilities. Phthalates, the chemicals in question, are commonly used to make plastics flexible and to also stabilize fragrances. They are commonly found in many products such as toys, cosmetics, vinyl flooring, and medical supplies. The...
- Greg Webb | February 14, 2008 9:38 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsFord Motor Company is recalling more than 225,000 vehicles, most of which were part of an earlier recall of 9.5 million cars and light trucks that were recalled due to a dangerous defect in the cruise control switches. Although no injuries or accidents have yet to be reported, these vehicles, mostly the E-Series vans, are being recalled again to fix wiring that does not protect fuses from...
- Greg Webb | February 06, 2008 5:15 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsA Baltimore jury awarded seventy-three year old George J. Linkus $15.3 million dollars in damages after continued exposure to asbestos laced rope led him to develop mesothelioma. The company being charged is John Crane Inc., a sealant company responsible for producing the rope. Linkus worked for Key Highway Shipyard from 1952 to 1959. In 1954, he worked with the contaminated rope after being...
- Greg Webb | February 06, 2008 5:12 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsLast week, Allstate Insurance Co. handed over parts of the McKinsey Documents, a controversial set of documents that gives insights on how insurance companies determine rates, to attempt to appease the state of Florida. For some time now, the Florida Office of Insurance Regulation has sought the documents to supplement an investigation into how Allstate has set the rates on its homeowner...
- Greg Webb | February 06, 2008 5:04 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsA report made by consumer activists claims the United States property/casualty insurance agency systematically overprices policy holders and underpays their claims. This report shows, in 2007, the insurers paid fifty-five cents in benefits from each dollar collected. The insurance companies are overcharging their consumers while cutting back on benefits and not fully paying claims. This new rise...
- Greg Webb | February 06, 2008 4:56 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsRed toy wagons are being recalled by the U.S. Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and their importer, Tricam Industries, due to a violation in the paint lead standard. The recall is voluntary, although consumers are being asked to stop using the recalled products immediately unless instructed otherwise. The fifteen thousand affected toy wagons, manufactured in China, were sold for thirty dollars at...