Baby carrots that could be contaminated with Shigella bacteria are being recalled by the Los Angeles Salad Company, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced today. The recall of the company’s “Genuine Sweet Baby Carrots” was initiated after some of the product tested positive for Shigella in Canada. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency said that four incidences of the disease in that country have been linked to the carrots.

The Shigella infection lasts up to 14 days and can cause bloody diarrhea, fever, nausea and vomiting. The infection can occur when someone eats or drinks contaminated food or water, and Shigella be spread from person to person if an infected person does not wash their hands thoroughly. Food contaminated with Shigella will not look spoiled or have an unusual odor.

More Baby Carrots Recalled for Possible Shigella Contamination

The Tomato Safety Initiative launched this summer by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is looking for ways to prevent food borne illnesses associated with fresh tomatoes. The FDA started the program in Virginia this summer and will move it to Florida in the fall. The Tomato Safety Initiative will serve two purposes, said an FDA press release. First, investigators will look for farming and packing practices that could encourage bacterial contamination. Then, the program will try to find ways to improve those practices.

The FDA says that since 1998, fresh and fresh-cut tomatoes have been linked to 1,840 cases of food poisoning. Most of the outbreaks were traced to tomatoes grown in Virginia and Florida. Just last year, contaminated fresh tomatoes served in restaurants were the cause of a Salmonella outbreak that sickened dozens of people in 21 states. The outbreak made at least 183 people ill. There were no reports of deaths, although 22 people were hospitalized. Another outbreak of Salmonella in 2004 that sickened more than 400 people was linked to tomatoes sold in Sheetz convenience stores.

More FDA Tomato Safety Initiative Seeks to Prevent Food Poisoning

Two companies announced recalls of defective car seats today. Graco Children’s Products Inc. is recalling more than 276,000 ComfortSport 5-point convertible harness car seats because an anchorage belt may have been misrouted during assembly of the seat. The second manufacturer, Britax Child Safety, Inc., is recalling some of its Decathlon child restraints because a design problem could make it difficult for caregivers to properly fasten a child into the seat.

The Graco ComfortSport car seats were sold at specialty retailers and department stores between January 2, 2007 and July 31, 2007. The model number can be found on the back of the car seats. The following models are involved in the recall: 8629TWL, 8630MTR, 8631DFT, 8631DRA, 8632PSO, 8635TAC, 8639COS, 8C00BLG, 8C00DMN, 8C00GRP, 8C00LNW, 8C00MID, 8C00TBM, 8C01SVD, 8C01WTN, 8C02MGI, 8C02MRC, 8C03HAL, 8C03WCF, 8C04FRR, and 8433FOF.

More Defective Car Seats Recalled by Graco Children’s Products, Inc. and Britax Child Safety, Inc.

Toy recalls, like those issued by Mattel and Fisher-Price this month, are meant to get hazardous products away from children. But a recent study shows that recalls don’t always do that. An article in this month’s Injury Journal says that only 20-percent of recalled children’s products are ever returned to their manufacturers. What’s worse is that many of these dangerous toys and other items end up being resold on eBay or at garage sales and thrift shops. As a result, toys with dangerous magnets and lead paint, along with other defective items, can end up endangering even more children.

The Injury Journal article highlights a study done by the Center for Industry Research and Policy at Columbus Children’s Hospital. The researchers chose 141 children’s products that had been recalled between 1992 and 2004 and searched for them on eBay. The items included bassinets, walkers, furniture and riding toys. The researchers discovered recalled items for sale in 190 different auctions. At least one of the items found on eBay, the Evenflo Happy Camper and Happy Cabana portable play yard, had been implicated in the deaths of three children when it was recalled in 1997. The researchers also found that most of the recalled products received multiple bids, indicating that bidders were not aware of recalls. And nearly 70 percent of the items were sold, putting many more children at risk for injury.

More Recalled Toys Sold on eBay Expose More Children to Serious Injury

The investigation into the Minneapolis Bridge collapse is focusing on several key areas that could have played a part in the tragedy that left 13 people dead and 100 others injured. Yesterday, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said that investigators were looking at the corrosive properties of de-icing chemicals used on the I-35 W Bridge. Other news reports said that past inspections had raised concerns about a large build up of pigeon dung on the Minneapolis Bridge that could endanger its structural integrity.

Yesterday, the NTSB issued an update on its investigation into the Minneapolis Bridge collapse. The investigators said that they will be examining the de-icing system used on the bridge to determine if the chemicals that were part of that system might have had corrosive properties. According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, dangerous black ice was a constant problem on the I-35 W Bridge in the winter because of mist from the nearby St. Anthony Falls. The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MNDOT) had installed temperature and precipitation-activated nozzles on the bridge to keep it free of ice. The nozzles sprayed a chemical called C7 onto the bridge. C7 is a liquid potassium acetate made by Cryotech. C7 contains no nitrogen or chlorides, and is considered safer than other de-icing chemicals.

More Minneapolis Bridge Collapse Investigators Eye De-Icing Chemical

The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is still struggling to regain credibility after its approval process came under fire as a result of scandals surrounding drugs like Vioxx, Avandia and Ketek. That could be one reason why the FDA is approving new medications at a much slower rate than in the past. Since January, the FDA has approved only 38 new drugs. During the same period in 2006, the FDA had already approved 55 new medications.

In the past several years, the FDA’s drug approval process has been criticized for allowing defective drugs to go on the market even when serious questions were raised about their safety. Ketek is a prime example of the FDA’s lax approval process. Ketek, an antibiotic used to treat sinus infections, was granted FDA approval in 2004, even though the FDA had found serious irregularities in clinical trials conducted by its manufacturer, Sanofi-Aventis. At least one doctor involved in the trial falsified data and was sent to prison for fraud. Still, Ketek was approved by the FDA in 2004. Shortly after it approved Ketek, the FDA began receiving reports that linked it to liver problems. The FDA eventually confirmed 53 cases of liver failure in patients using the antibiotic, including five deaths. This past February, the FDA finally added black box warnings to the Ketek label and severely restricted its use.

More FDA Approving Fewer New Drugs in Wake of Vioxx, Avandia, Other Scandals

The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) issued four separate recalls today for lead-tainted children’s products. This is the third time this month that the CPSC recalled items because of a lead hazard. As in the case of all the previous recalls, these items were manufactured in China. The latest recalls encompass children’s jewelry sets, pails and tops featuring characters from Curious George and Thomas the Tank Engine, and journals picturing scenes from the TV show SpongeBob SquarePants.

Last week, Mattel, Inc. issued a toy recall that included 436,000 die-cast metal cars that that were manufactured with lead paint. Earlier this month, Mattel’s Fisher-Price unit recalled over a million Chinese-made toys because of the same lead hazard. Today’s round of CPSC recalls will only increase suspicion of the “Made in China” label.

More Lead in SpongeBob Journals, Children’s Jewelry, Other Toys Spark New Wave of Recalls

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that the agency has awarded researchers $5.5 million to find ways of preventing E. coli contamination of fresh produce. The funds will be used to identify risk factors and ways to prevent the deadly bacteria from making its way into fresh vegetables like spinach.

E. coli is a bacterium that is found in the intestinal tract of animals. The USDA funding will be used to study E. coli O157:H7, a strain that can cause severe diarrhea, kidney failure and death. Most E. coli infections are traced to contaminated, undercooked meat. But in recent years, several outbreaks of the disease have been linked to fresh produce. Last year, three people died and hundreds became ill after eating fresh spinach laced with E. coli O157:H7. Other such outbreaks have been linked to onions served at Taco Bell and other restaurants.

More E. Coli Prevention Research Gets Funding from USDA

Salmonella-tainted dog food is being recalled in several states. Mars Petcare US, Inc. of Tennessee announced the recall Tuesday. The company said that it is recalling 5 lb bags of Krasdale Gravy Dry Dog Food because the Salmonella contamination has the potential to make both pets and people sick.

The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) said the dog food was sold in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. The dog food bears the UPC code 753062596 and a “best buy” date of July 16, 2008 and July 17, 2008. FDA tests on a sample of the food found Salmonella bacteria. Anyone who purchased the dog food should throw it away and return the bags for a refund.

Salmonella is a potentially deadly type of food poisoning, symptoms of which include fever, abdominal pain, nausea, gas and bloody diarrhea. Symptoms appear within 36 hours of exposure, and usually last four to seven days. In very severe cases, Salmonella can lead to kidney failure and other complications. Salmonella can be particularly dangerous for children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems. Some victims of Salmonella will develop a disease called Reiter’s Syndrome, a difficult- to- treat condition that causes severe joint pain, irritation of the eyes, and painful urination. Reiter’s Syndrome can plague its victims for months or years, and can lead to chronic arthritis.

Pets can become ill with Salmonella poisoning if they eat the tainted Krasdale Gravy Dry Dog Food. But people can become sick as well, through cross-contamination. To avoid cross-contamination, anyone handling pet food should wash their hands with hot, soapy water when they are done. Likewise, pet food bowls, dishes and scooping utensils should also be washed after use. Dry food should be stored in a cool (under 80-degrees) dry place in its original bag or a container with a lid. Unused wet food should be refrigerated, and the thermostat should be no higher than 40-degrees. Any stale or spoiled food should be thrown away. Pet food also should not be stored or handled anywhere human food is stored or prepared.

The recall comes just ten days after the Pennsylvania Department of Health warned consumers in that state of the potential for Salmonella-contaminated pet food. Since January of 2006, at least 25 people in Pennsylvania have become ill with a rare strain of Salmonella called Schwarzengrund. Several of the victims have been children and infants, and nearly all of the cases have occurred in families where people have close contact with pets. State health officials were investigating the possibility that the Salmonella outbreak was linked to tainted pet food. There has been no word yet if any of those cases were caused by Krasdale Gravy Dry Dog Food.

Lax oversight by Mattel is partly to blame for this month’s massive toy recall, claims a Chinese official. American companies’ demands for low cost goods put pressure on Chinese suppliers to find the cheapest ways possible to make those products. This often leads the factories to cut corners and employ shoddy manufacturing practices.

Li Zhuoming, executive vice chairman of the Guangdong Provincial Toy Industry Association told the state-run Guangzhou Daily newspaper that Mattel “did not do its job well in quality inspections.” Li said that while the factories that make dangerous toys are responsible for their part in the fiasco, Mattel also shouldered much of the responsibility.

More Mattel Toy Recall Result of Poor Oversight and Demand for Cheap Goods, China Says