Charlottesville Personal Injury Lawyer - baby

Botulism Fear Shelves Plum Organics’ Baby Food

Greg Webb — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 09:36:02 GMT

Plum Organics, a California-based company, recently announced that it is recalling its apple and carrot flavored baby food for fear of botulism poisoning. The company stated its product does not meet FDA requirements. While there have been no illnesses reported, the possibility is not taken likely; botulism is a rare, serious paralytic illness. The baby food packages in question are 4.22 ounce pouches with a sell by date of May 21, 2010; their UPC code is 890180001221. They were sold at Babies “R” Us and Toys “R” Us stores nationwide.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Webb

Baby Food Could Cause Botulism

Paul Thomson — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 15:59:41 GMT

An article in the Washington Post reports that Plum Organics of Emeryville, CA is recalling some of their products. Carrot and apple baby food portable 4.22-ounce pouches with UPC 890180001221 and a "best by" date of May 21, 2010 did not meet the FDA guidelines for acidity level. The defective product was sold in the U.S. at Toys-R-Us and Babies-R-Us. This product is unsafe because it could contain a dangerous chemical that could cause botulism, a potentially fatal condition! The product could put your babies' lives at risk, even if it does not appear to be abnormal, so be sure not to use it!

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Paul Thomson

Johnson & Johnson Under Fire Over Baby Products

Greg Webb — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 13:46:52 GMT

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, a coalition of health, environmental and consumer groups, is demanding that Johnson & Johnson remove tiny amounts of two chemicals, which are believed to cause cancer, from their baby shampoo and other products. They are asking the company to reformulate its personal care products so that by the end of August the products can be free of 1,4-dioxane and any preservatives that release formaldehyde. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), these two chemicals are probable carcinogens; formaldehyde is also an eye, skin and respiratory irritant. The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics believes the shampoo marketed as the number one choice for hospitals should not contain possible carcinogens.

In tests run by the campaign, an independent laboratory found the shampoo contained about 210 parts per million of formaldehyde. About two dozen other products out of forty-eight tested had similar or even higher levels. The shampoo also had low levels of 1,4-dioxane, which has been banned by the European Union. The chemical was found in three Aveeno baby wash products made by Johnson & Johnson, Johnson's moisture care and oatmeal baby washes, and about twenty-five baby and personal care products made by other companies. The campaign claims there are no safe levels of carcinogens. They also note the fact that these chemicals are not listed on the products labels because they are contaminants, not ingredients. In a letter to Johnson & Johnson’s chief executive, the campaign states many other companies make similar products by using ingredients with no contamination concerns. It is also noted that Johnson & Johnson does not include formaldehyde in the same products sold in Japan since it is banned in that country. Because the FDA does not regulate cosmetic products, the same has not been done in America.

Johnson & Johnson claims the figures the organizations are using can result from making the products safe from bacteria growth and gentle for the use of babies. They further claim many global regulatory agencies consider these trace levels found by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics to be safe. Johnson & Johnson claim to take concerns about their products very seriously and would consider meeting with the campaign, though they have no plans to remove the two ingredients from their products.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Webb

New Baby Crib Recall by CPSC

Greg Webb — Mon, 18 May 2009 20:47:10 GMT

For the third time, the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has recalled cribs that were manufactured by Jardine Enterprises due to slats that break. This time, about 96,000 cribs were added to the tally of those that could strangle or trap a baby. This action brings the number of recalled Jardine cribs, which are largely sold in Toys “R” Us and Babies “R” Us, to more than 472,000. The CPSC has announced it received thirty-one reports of slats breaking, including two that said children were trapped in the gap created by the broken slats.

This type of gap is considered one of the most dangerous hazards a baby product can have, because babies’ bodies can slip through the gaps, while their heads get caught. This may lead to a baby being hanged to death or dying of strangulation. Consumers told the CPSC that in ten cases the children broke the slats while they were still in the cribs; one child received bumps and bruises.

Those consumers that purchased a recalled crib can receive credit towards the purchase of a new crib. For a list of the recalled cribs, please go to www.cpsc.gov . For additional information, you may also contact Jardine at (800) 646-4106 from 7 a.m. to 3:50 p.m. Monday-Friday.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Webb

FDA To Reconsider Its Position On A Potentially Dangerous Chemical In Baby Bottles

Greg Webb — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:02:06 GMT

The Food and Drug Administration’s own advisory board accused the agency of failing to consider research on the dangers of bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical found in many plastic baby bottles, plastic food containers and metal can linings, causing the agency to finally agree to reconsider the issue. Exposure to this chemical is widespread and was seen in the urine of nearly ninety-three percent of the sample population. Although the FDA’s draft risk assessment claimed the chemical was safe, this conclusion stood out among other research that considered the chemical dangerous. For example, the National Toxicology Program, a branch of the Department of Health and Human Services, has stated the chemical can harm the brain, behavior and the prostate gland in fetuses, infants and children. Canada has also added the chemical to a list of toxic substances and said it will ban the chemical from being used in polycarbonate baby bottles. A recent study by the Journal of the American Medical Association has found adults with high levels BPA in their urine were more susceptible to heart and liver disease as well as diabetes.

The FDA’s position was based on information gathered from two large multigenerational studies by research groups that received funding from the American Plastics Council. According to the deputy director of the agency’s Office of Food Additive Safety, the FDA reviewed other studies, however, the two multigenerational were the only ones that met its guidelines for determining safety for human consumption; the other studies were said to have lacked details about how the study was administered and did not include all of the raw data, which prevent agency scientists from conducting an independent audit. However, after receiving criticism from an independent advisory panel regarding the FDA’s stance, the agency’s science board subcommittee determined the FDA was wrong to disregard the other studies. This led to the agency’s decision to reconsider its position.

Although the agency has decided to reconsider its position, many products containing bisphenol-A are still on the market, leading many people to look for alternative BPA-free products; Philips, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of baby bottles, has started to make products with and without the chemical to allow customers to choose. Beginning in 2009, the company also decided it will no longer take orders for polycarbonate bottles.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Greg Webb