Defective Products’
Portable Grills Recalled Due to Fire Risk
Thursday, January 5th, 2012
The Consumer Product Safety Commission is drawing attention to the recall of more than 4,500 portable gas grills, because of the risk of gas leak and fire hazards.
The 4500 O-Grill portable gas grills were manufactured by Uni-O Industries Corp. of Xiamen, China. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission recall alert, these grills may leak gas, and pose a potential explosion and fire hazard. The recall includes the Iroda-o grill models 1000 and 3000. The models were manufactured before 2010. These were sold across the country at major retailers between November 2008 and December 2010.
The gas grills...
FDA Warns of Injuries from Drug Mix-up
Saturday, December 31st, 2011
The Food and Drug Administration is warning health-care workers of the very real risk of errors while using two separate health-care products that have similar sounding names. The first product is a wart remover, and the other is an eye salve.
The wart removal product is called Durasal, and has not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The eye salve cream is called Durezol and has received FDA approval. The agency is aware of at least one incident in which a pharmacist mixed up the 2 drugs. The patient was given the wrong drug, and suffered serious injuries...
CPSC Recalls Children’s Robes Due to Fire Risks
Thursday, December 29th, 2011
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a recall of children's robes, because these don't meet federal inflammability standards, and are susceptible to fires.
The recall involves more than 1,000 fleece robes for children that were imported by Hanna Andersson of Oregon. The robes were manufactured in China. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, these robes do not meet inflammability standards, and pose a possible burning hazard to a child.
So far, there have been no injuries reported from the use of these robes, but the Consumer Product Safety Commission believes that the risk is strong enough to recall the...
Enfamil Formula Maker Insists Product Is Safe, Even As Retailers Pull Product from Shelves
Tuesday, December 27th, 2011
Mead Johnson Nutrition Company, the manufacturer of Enfamil Premium Newborn formula insists that the product is completely safe, and has been properly tested, even as retailers around the country rushed to pull the formula from their shelves.
Last week, a 10-day-old boy in Missouri died after he contracted a deadly bacterial infection. He had been fed the Enfamil Newborn formula which his parents had purchased at a Wal-Mart in Missouri. Wal-Mart reacted immediately by pulling the product from more than 3,000 stores nationwide. Now, other retailers including Safeway and Walgreens say that they will pull the Enfamil Newborn formula from...
Calls for Recall of Wingspan Stent System Grow Louder
Friday, December 23rd, 2011
A former official with the Food and Drug Administration has joined a growing number of voices calling for the recall of the Wingspan stent system manufactured by Stryker. This medical device has been associated with an increased risk of suffering strokes and death.
According to consumer safety group Public Citizen, a recent study conducted by the National Institutes of Health found that persons with a Wingspan stent have a 2.5 times increased risk of suffering a stroke or death. Public Citizen has asked the Food and Drug Administration to have the device removed from the market.
The study investigated 150 patients...
Company to Pay $600,000 for Failure to Report Defective Toys
Thursday, December 22nd, 2011
Build-A-Bear Workshop has agreed to pay $600,000 in penalties to federal safety regulators to settle charges that the company failed to report defects in its toy beach chairs.
The company will pay the money to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. According to the allegations against the company, Build-A-Bear Workshop failed to notify the Consumer Product Safety Commission when it became aware of a defect in its product. The defect involves sharp edges on the beach chair’s wooden frame. The sharp edges can cause cuts, lacerations and other wounds. They can even be severe enough to amputate a child’s...
Holiday Decorating Injuries on the Rise
Thursday, December 15th, 2011
Tis the season to be jolly, but more and more people seem to be neglecting safety when they're caught up in the spirit of the holidays. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, there has been an increase in the number of people being taken to emergency rooms after suffering injuries while decorating trees and homes for the holidays.
There has been a rise in the number of injuries occurring in falls from ladders while stringing lights, cuts, wounds and lacerations from broken glass ornaments and other decorating-related injuries. More than 30,000 people were injured in these activities, and had...
NHTSA Proposes Quick Stop Keyless Ignition Standards
Tuesday, December 13th, 2011
The crash of a Toyota Lexus in 2007 in California brought international attention to the unintended acceleration problem in Toyota vehicles. In that accident, an off-duty police officer and his family were killed when their Lexus accelerated to high speeds and crashed. The keyless ignition control on that particular Lexus required the motorist to hold the control for a period of 3 seconds before the engine was shut off. This 3-scond time frame can be too long in an emergency. It is this problem that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is now trying to address.
The federal agency is...
CPSC Issues Warning against Using Bumbo Baby Seats on Elevated Surfaces
Sunday, November 27th, 2011
In spite of earlier warnings as well as recalls by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the manufacturer of Bumbo Baby Seats, too many parents continue to use these seats on elevated surfaces. The result is very often a nasty fall accident.
Several infants have fallen off the elevated baby seats, and suffered serious head injuries, like skull fractures. Now, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and Bumbo International are again advising parents not to use the baby seats on elevated surfaces. Bumbo International is warning that infants may have a high risk of falling, when they lean forward from the...
Report Indicates High Risk of Choking, Noise, Toxic Exposure Hazards in Children’s Toys
Thursday, November 24th, 2011
The US Public Interest Research Group has released its annual survey of toy safety Trouble in Toyland. The report finds that children still continue to be at risk from toys that contain toxic chemicals, or conceal choking or noise hazards.
The surveyors found several toys on the market that contain excessively high levels of lead and phthalates. Lead has been found to contribute to neurological delays in children. Phthalates have been linked to premature delivery and reproductive disorders.
The survey also found toys that concealed choking hazards, or failed to warn parents and consumers about choking hazards. The surveyors also included...
