A Tamiflu-resistant strain of Swine Flu—the 2009 H1N1 pandemic virus—has emerged in Denmark. According to Bloomberg.com, Tamiflu drug maker Roche Holding AG said a patient treated with the Tamiflu in Denmark exhibited drug resistance, the first time this has occurred in this outbreak.

Bloomberg.com said the swine flu patient received a low and preventative dose of Tamiflu after coming in contact with someone infected with the virus, said David Reddy, Roche’s influenza task force head. Speaking on a conference call, Reddy said that the patient developed flu symptoms and was diagnosed with a virus mutation that showed resistance to Tamiflu, reported Bloomberg.com. (more…)

We recently wrote that Bausch & Lomb, maker of ReNu with MoistureLoc, settled around 600 lawsuits involving the recalled contact lens solution. Now, Bausch & Lomb is focusing on ReNu marketing. According to a prior report in the Associated Press (AP), the settled ReNu with MoistureLoc claims have cost the company about $250 million, to date.

WXXI Center for Public Affairs reports that Bausch & Lomb announced a massive marketing and re-branding campaign that is expected to cost several million dollars and is geared to helping consumers understand its ReNu products. (more…)

Dr. Gary D. Kao, the doctor linked to scores of potentially shoddy medical procedures conducted at the Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Center in Philadelphia admitted to making mistakes when administering radiation seed implantation—brachytherapy—to prostate cancer patients. It seems 92 veterans allegedly received incorrect radiation doses.

But, Kao, who admitted to “missing his target” when performing brachytherapy, claimed this type of error is not unusual and something for which he refused to be singled out, reported the Associated Press (AP). “Contrary to the allegations that I was a ’rogue’ physician, … I always acted in the best interest of the patients in delivering this important treatment,” said Kao, quoted the AP. Kao, a radiation oncologist, was quoted when testifying at a Senate field hearing at the hospital, said the AP, noting that Kao worked at the VA center from 2002 to 2008. (more…)

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just announced it found E. coli O157:H7 in a sample of prepackaged Nestlé Toll House refrigerated cookie dough currently under recall by the manufacturer and marketer, Nestlé USA. The contaminated sample was collected at Nestlé’s facility in Danville, Virginia on June 25, 2009.

On June 19, the FDA and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned consumers not to eat any varieties of prepackaged Nestlé Toll House refrigerated cookie dough due to the risk of contamination with E. coli O157:H7. The warning was based on an epidemiological study conducted by the CDC and several state and local health departments. As of June 25, the CDC reported that 69 peopled from 29 states had been infected with the outbreak strain; 34 people were hospitalized, nine with a severe complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). To date, there have been no reports of death associated with the outbreak, the FDA said. (more…)

A new report says four main causes led to the catastrophic Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) fly ash spill that dumped a devastating 5.4 million cubic yards—over one billion gallons—of toxic coal sludge into Tennessee’s Emory and Clinch rivers and the 300 acres surrounding the TVA Kingston plant. According to KnoxNews, William Walton, AECOM engineer, and TVA’s Chief Operating Officer, Bill McCullum, recently discussed the report.

In addition to a layer of unstable ash sludge—“slimes”—that went undetected, the “construction of retaining walls on top of the ash,” “saturation of the stored ash,” and “pressure exerted by rising stacks,” led “to this problem,” said Walton, who added that, “It’s almost a perfect storm,” quoted KnoxNews. Walton said the slimes were “comprised of fine particles of fly ash, water, and sediments underneath the ash stacked in one area of the pond,” explained KnoxNews, which noted that Walton compared the consistency to that of yogurt. (more…)

A group of officials from China have arrived in the U.S. to investigate problems with drywall made in that country. According to a report on heraldtribune.com, regulators from the General Administration for Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine (ASIQ) arrived in this country the week of June 15. They have met with U.S. regulators, and have visited at least two states to examine homes built with Chinese drywall.

As of last week, the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) had received more than 500 complaints from people in 19 states, as well of the District of Columbia, involving Chinese drywall. Homeowners living with the material have reported that it fills homes with a putrid, “rotten-eggs” odor and cause metals to corrode. Some have complained of sinus and respiratory problems that occur while they are in their homes. Many families have had to leave their homes, and in most instances, buildings must be gutted and the drywall replaced to fix the problem. (more…)

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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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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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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Residents nationwide are at increased risks of developing cancer according to just-released Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data, the Associated Press reported. About 600 neighborhoods in this country have measured with high concentrations of toxic air pollutants, said the AP.

The UPI reported that the analysis was the largest ever of its kind and the AP reported that 80 cancer-causing substances were found to be released by automobiles, factories, as well as trucks, buses, and construction equipment said News Blaze. According to USA Today, the analysis is based on 2002 emissions, which is the most recent year for which the EPA has data on air pollution in this country. (more…)