Another Virginia community has banned the use of Chinese drywall. The ban, adopted unanimously by the Virginia Beach city council last night, comes a week after the Norfolk city council adopted a similar measure.

Virginia is just one of several states where homeowners have complained about Chinese drywall that fills homes with a putrid, “rotten-eggs” odor, causes metals to corrode, and leads to sinus and respiratory problems in people living with the material. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, the U.S. imported roughly 309 million square feet of drywall from China during the housing boom from 2004 to 2007.

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Federal regulators have decided to wait on approving Botox as a treatment for upper limb spasticity in stroke victims. According to a Reuters report, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) wants to review a bit more information before deciding to expand the approved use of Botox to include treatment of the movement disorder.

Allergan markets two Botox products. Botox Cosmetic is made from botulinum toxin type A, and is approved for temporary improvement in the appearance of moderate to severe facial frown lines. It is different from Botox, another Allergan botulinum toxin product, which is approved to treat conditions such as blepharospasm (spasm of the eyelids), cervical dystonia (severe neck muscle spasms), and severe primary axillary hyperhydrosis (excess sweating).

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Nancy Nord, the controversial acting chair at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is finally stepping down. Nord will leave her post next week, but will continue on the CPSC’s board until 2012, when her term is up, reported the Bradenton Herald.

Until the Senate confirms a new chair, Thomas Moore, fellow commissioner, will handle the post, effective June 1, said the Bradenton Herald. Meanwhile, President Barack Obama nominated Inez Moore Tenenbaum, the former South Carolina Education Superintendent, as the next chair, said the Bradenton Herald. The CPSC is a three-member commission responsible to ensure the safety of a wide array of consumer products.

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There have been serious environmental concerns following the catastrophic December 22 Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) fly ash spill that dumped a massive 5.4 million cubic yards of coal sludge into Tennessee’s Emory and Clinch rivers and the 300 acres surrounding its Kingston plant. Now, according to a KnoxNews.com report, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation bolt dvdrip download

(TDEC) is claiming that selenium and mercury contamination in fish samples taken near the spill are below regulatory action levels.

In an earlier article, the Tennessean discussed the potential for dangerous amounts of selenium being released in area waterways. Also, KnoxNews discussed the first study that looked at the effects of the historic spill on aquatic live in the rivers and found that the fish there contain high selenium levels.

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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) just announced that Outdoor Play Sets sold exclusively at Toys“R”Us and Patio Umbrellas sold by The Home Depot have been recalled for fall and impact hazards.

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Outdoor Play Sets
About 4,300 Outdoor Play Sets sold exclusively at Toys“R”Us have been recalled by Step2® due to fall hazard. The Step2 Play Up Gym Play Sets were recalled by the Step2 Company LLC, of Streetsboro, Ohio because the swings can break. The triangular hangers that attach the swing’s ropes to the upper rail of the play set can break, posing a fall hazard to children. To date, Step2 has received 17 reports of hangers breaking.

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Chang Farm has issued a voluntary recall of some of its Bean and Soy Sprouts, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just announced. Chang Farm of River Road, Whatley, Massachusetts, issued the recall, with specific expired date codes, because of the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes (L. Monocytogenes) contamination.

The affected product is packaged in 10-pound bags (bulk) and 12-ounce plastic bags (retail), labeled under the Chang Farm Brand as Soy Sprouts and have a “Sell By” date of May 23, 2009 or May 24, 2009 and Bean Sprouts with “Use By” date of May 23, 2009 or May 24, 2009. The product has been distributed to retail stores and restaurants throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey.

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Atlanta-based Beazer Homes USA Inc. has agreed to pay up to $53 million to the government and homeowners to settle mortgage fraud allegations, reported Bloomberg.com, citing the Justice Department.

It seems Beazer’s mortgage unit inappropriately had buyers pay discount points and did not reduce interest rates when processing federally insured loans, said the Justice Department, according to Bloomberg.com. The Justice Department also stated that Beazer allegedly gave cash gifts to potential homebuyers that were funneled through charities and which better enabled those buyers to meet down payment requirements while also neglecting income requirements, reported Bloomberg.com. Continue »

A Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigator claims to have warned her superiors in 2004 about concerns she had with Bernard Madoff’s financial management firm, said the Washington Post. Attorney Genevievette Walker-Lightfoot, with the SEC’s Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations, was told to work on another issue, said the Post, citing SEC documents and its sources. Walker-Lightfoot worked at the American Stock Exchange, gaining proficiency in “specialized trading strategies,” the Post added.

Walker-Lightfoot was assigned to examine Madoff’s relationship with various hedge funds when the SEC was concerned he was allowing those funds to trade before his, enabling an unethical lead, said the Post. She sent emails to a supervisor about her concerns with the disgraced financer’s activities and developed some questions to ask his firm, reported the Post, which said some questions confronted some of Madoff’s actions, which were later connected to his historic Ponzi scheme. For instance, Walker-Lightfoot discovered a number of variations such as Madoff’s inconsistent settling practices, something counter to what Madoff, himself, documented he was doing. Continue »

Bridgestone/Firestone North America Tire has issued a recall of about 127,183 tread/belt tires, U.S. Recall News just announced. The tire brand name is Firestone, the tire line is the FR380, and the tire size is P235/75R15. The tires were produced from September 9, 2007 through July 2, 2008 and have been recalled because they were produced with insufficient tread base gauge.

Continued use of the recalled tires could lead to vibration and groove cracking, said U.S. Recall News, adding that extended use could lead to tread distortion or tread separation, and loss of vehicle control. Continue »

Polaris Industries Inc., of Medina, Minnesota has issued a recall for about 800 Polaris Assault model-year 2009 Snowmobiles due to loss of control hazard, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) just announced.

The bolts on the rear suspension of the Polaris Assault Snowmobiles can break, causing the rail tip to become dislodged, which can interfere with the snowmobile’s track. This can cause the track to lock up and the rider to lose control of the snowmobile, posing a risk of injury. Continue »

MarineTech Products has recalled about 450 Tabletop Rope Cutters because the recalled rope cutters can overheat, posing fire and burn hazards, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) just announced.

The Tabletop Rope Cutter product safety recall was voluntarily conducted by MarineTech Products, of White Bear Lake, Minnesota, in cooperation with the CPSC because the recalled rope cutters can overheat, which can result in fire and burn hazards. Continue »

Labeling for Chantix and Zyban will be updated to include a Black Box Warning regarding their link to mental health events, including changes in behavior, depressed mood, hostility, and suicidal thoughts. A Black Box Warning is the Food & Drug Administration’s (FDA) most serious safety notice.

It should be of no surprise to readers of this blog that Chantix is getting such a serious safety warning, as its problems are well-documented. The FDA actually began investigating its link to psychiatric side effects in late 2007. In 2008, Chantix maker Pfizer elevated the prominence of safety information regarding suicidal thoughts and other psychiatric problems to the warnings and precautions section of the Chantix prescribing information, or labeling. However, many consumer advocates, including the group Public Citizen, want the FDA to go further and highlight the Chantix suicide risk with a Black Box warning. Continue »

In addition to other suggestions, U.S. health advisers recommended yesterday that the maximum dose of over-the-counter (OTC) acetaminophen, be lowered.

Exceeding recommended acetaminophen dosages could increase risks for severe liver damage. In 1977, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA)—which has long been struggling with OTC acetaminophen use and overuse—wanted labels issued to indicate the potential liver damage that can occur when acetaminophen is not used correctly, explained Dow Jones previously. According to a prior FDA statement, safety data reported in medical literature indicates that people sometimes take more acetaminophen than labeling recommends. Others unknowingly take multiple products containing acetaminophen concurrently. Continue »

Arthritis and other autoimmune medications have made recent headlines over a variety of issues including links to serious opportunistic fungal infections and cancer. Now, as part of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul, a review of arthritis medications manufactured by Wyeth, Abbott Laboratories, and Johnson & Johnson (J&J) might warrant some additional scrutiny, reports Bloomberg.com.

Recently, we reported that federal regulators ordered the makers of Humira, Cimzia, Enbrel, and Remicade to strengthen the existing warnings about opportunistic fungal infections linked to the drugs. At least 45 people are known to have died from such infections. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) ordered the new labeling under authority it was granted with the passage of its Amendments Act of 2007. Continue »

A government panel voted that two popular prescription painkillers be taken off of the market because of their alleged impact in dangerous, sometimes fatal, overdoses. The Associated Press reported that Vicodin and Percocet, which are combined with the popular medication acetaminophen, should be removed because of issues linked with acetaminophen, a component in a variety of other common medications.

Acetaminophen is, said Dow Jones previously, the most “widely used drug in America” and is found in over-the-counter (OTC) painkillers, fever reducers, and cough medications such as Excedrin, Tylenol, NyQuil, and Theraflu, to name just some. Acetaminophen is also used in combination with powerful prescription medications such as Vicodin and Percocet. Continue »

Lantus, a synthetic form of insulin, is the subject of an Early Communication from the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). According to the agency, it has learned of four recently-published observational studies that looked at the use of Lantus (insulin glargine) and possible risk for cancer in patients with diabetes. Three of the four studies suggest an increased risk for cancer associated with use of Lantus.

Similar to human insulin, Lantus is used to control blood sugar in people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Lantus, however, is a modified version of human insulin (an insulin analogue) that allows for the control of blood sugar for extended periods of time (a long-acting insulin). Lantus is approved for once-a-day dosage by subcutaneous injection (injection under the skin). Continue »