Following a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendation last month that some artificial turf athletic fields be tested for lead, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is saying children are “not at risk” from lead in turf products. U.S. congresswoman Representative Rosa DeLauro—Democrat-Connecticut—disagrees and expressed skepticism about the report, saying she plans to continue reviewing the CPSC’s examination.

DeLauro questioned the effectiveness of the CPSC’s investigation, which—by the way—led it to call for voluntary standards that would exclude lead use in future products. DeLauro said she will continue pushing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to examine the crumb rubber used in turf. “Given this is the same (CPSC) that oversaw record recalls in 2007, I have concerns about the conclusions drawn in their evaluation,” DeLauro said in a statement to USA TODAY. “It is particularly disconcerting that at the same time they are saying the synthetic fields are safe, they are urging that voluntary guidelines be developed. I intend to further examine this evaluation to determine the best course of action.” (more…)

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and U.S. Marshals Service representatives just seized $24.2 million worth of unapproved drugs from KV Pharmaceutical Company of St. Louis, Missouri.  The seizure followed a civil forteiture suit filing by United States Attorney Catherine L. Hanaway in which a a warrant was obtained to seize the unapproved new drug products being made by KV Pharmaceutical.  “American consumers are entitled to have safe and effective drugs,” said Hanaway.

The products seized were made after the FDA required an end to production and the seizure followed an inspection of several of the company’s plants where FDA investigators found KV Pharmaceutical was not in compliance with a prior FDA enforcement notice.  KV was also manufacturing unapproved new drugs such as products for cough, cold, topical wound healing, skin bleaching, and gastrointestinal conditions, as well as narcotic drug products.  “The FDA is committed to taking enforcement action against firms that circumvent the drug approval process,” said Janet Woodcock, M.D., director of FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). “Consumers need to be confident that the drugs and medical products they use are safe and effective, and the FDA will take the necessary measures to ensure safety and effectiveness throughout the lifecycle of the product, including keeping the product from reaching the marketplace.” (more…)

Federal regulators have decided that the anemia drugs Aranesp, Epogen and Procrit need to have additional safety-related changes to their labels.  The changes mandated by  the Food & Drug Administration (FDA)  would restrict the use of the drugs in some cancer patients.

Procrit, Aranesp and Epogen are known as erythropoiesis-stimulating agent (ESA).  All are made by Amgen, but Procrit is sold by Johnson & Johnson subsidiary Ortho Biotech under a licensing agreement. ESAs are a bioengineered version of a natural protein made in the kidney that stimulates the bone marrow to produce more red blood cells. When Procrit was first approved in 1989, the drug was touted as a treatment to lessen fatigue and improve quality of life among cancer and HIV patients with anemia. But since then Procrit has been forced to undergo five label changes, and the label now states that there was no evidence to back that claim. (more…)

The toxic chemical Perfluorooctanoic Acid—more commonly known as PFOA—has been found to be present in 98 percent of Americans’ blood and 100 percent of newborns’ blood.  Meanwhile, the chemical industry says there’s no reason to worry about PFOA in our bloodstreams.

Packaging for many common products, such as microwave popcorn or frozen pizza, contains PFOA, a chemical that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has long considered to be potentially carcinogenic.  PFOA is also used to make Teflon pans, Gore-Tex clothes, and to prevent food from sticking to paper packaging.  PFOA is part of a larger group of chemicals known as perfluorinated chemicals, or PFCs.  When heated, PFCs break down into compounds that can be absorbed into food and enter the bloodstream.  In 2005, Federal investigators found that PFOA is a “likely carcinogen” and called for expanded testing to study its potential to cause liver, breast, testicular, and pancreatic cancers.  The following year, the EPA invited all companies involved with PFOA to join a voluntary “stewardship program” to reduce use and emissions of the chemical by 2010 and eliminate it by 2015. (more…)

The Salmonella Saintpaul outbreak that began in April, sickened over 1,200, and hospitalized over 240 is now being linked to irrigation water and serrano peppers at the Nuevo Leon farm in Mexico.  The outbreak has affected people in 43 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada and was initially attributed to a variety of raw tomatoes.  Meanwhile, The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) previously announced it discovered salmonella on a jalapeño pepper imported from Mexico at the Agricola Zarigosa produce distribution center in McAllen, Texas.  Serranos are a type of chili pepper similar to jalapeños, but hotter.

Laboratory testing by the FDA confirms that both a serrano sample and a sample of irrigation water collected by agency investigators on a farm in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico—the farm’s business address is in Nuevo Leon, Mexico—contain Salmonella Saintpaul with the same genetic fingerprint as the bacterial strain causing the current outbreak in North America. This particular Salmonella Saintpaul fingerprint is normally seen in only 25 cases a year, said Ian Williams, chief of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Outbreak Net. (more…)

Moxifloxicin, a fluoroquinolone antibiotic sold as Avelox by Bayer, is being subjected to new warnings and restrictions by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) because of its association with adverse liver reactions.

Moxifloxacin is used to treat respiratory infections, including acute sinusitis, acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis, and community-acquired pneumonia, as well as skin and skin structure infections. Moxifloxacin is also used for the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections, such as those seen in hospitals. It has also been used as a second line treatment for tuberculosis. (more…)

An appeals court has upheld a bad faith insurance lawsuit verdict against the Allstate Insurance Co., leaving in place a $16 million verdict against the company.  Like the Missouri jury that originally found against Allstate, a three-judge appeals panel did not believe the insurance company’s assertion that its failure to settle the claims of two car accident victims in a timely manner was not intentional.

The Allstate lawsuit stemmed from a car accident that occurred in March of 2000, when a pickup truck driven by an intoxicated Wayne Davis Jr.  collided with the subcompact car carrying Edward Johnson and his wife, Virginia.  Both the Johnson’s survived, but their medical bills came to at least $320,000. (more…)

Traffic on the Mississippi River near New Orleans came to a halt again yesterday, as more oil leaked from the sunken barge responsible for last week’s oil spill.  For about six hours, the Mississippi was closed to traffic, and communities downriver from the leaking barge were forced to shut off water intake valves once again.  Both the river and intakes were reopened by later afternoon, but the US Coast Guard said it could not guarantee that similar closures would not occur as the oil spill cleanup continues.

The leaking barge was involved in an oil spill that occurred early last Wednesday morning.  The barge, loaded down with more than 400,000 gallons of heavy fuel oil, was being towed by the tugboat the Mel Oliver when it collided with an oil tanker.  The barge split in half, spilling its cargo into the Mississippi River.  One week later, the barge - still holding some of the oil it was carrying - remains in the river, (more…)

The Associated Press (AP) is reporting today that nine people in southeast Nebraska have tested positive for E. coli infection.  Health officials believe a community event may the link for some of the illnesses. Vicki Duey, executive director of the Four Corners Health Department in York, said five people have tested positive for E. coli since her office was first alerted on July 22; others may also be sick.

Although Duey said it the event that health officials are looking at was a one-time event, she declined to provide any other information about the occasion or where it occurred and has also declined to provide details about the sick Nebraskans or where they live, citing patient privacy. The event was held two weeks ago.  Duey’s department handles Butler, Polk, Seward, and York counties in Nebraska.  Duey said the cases her department is reviewing may have been caused by improperly cooked or mishandled food and that organizers of the suspected event are assisting investigators and working to identify others who may have fallen ill.  The state health department is also involved. (more…)

A Missouri family has filed a lawsuit against a raw milk distributor over claims of an E. coli infection.  Brian and Angela Pedersen allege they bought raw milk from Soni Copeland and The Herb Depot and Organic Market in Barry County, Missouri last April.  The Pedersen’s say that after they fed the raw milk to their one-year-old infant son, he tested positive for E. coli and then developed a life-threatening syndrome.  The Pedersen’s attorney says retail establishments, such as The Herb Depot, should not sell raw milk.

Meanwhile, four people recently fell ill after ingesting E. coli-tainted raw milk purchased from Town Farm Dairy—the only Connecticut farm certified to sell raw, organic milk.  In the first E. coli case, a two-year-old fell ill last month.  The second cased followed five days later and struck a seven-year-old.  In another recent  E. coli case linked to raw milk, three adults and 15 children were sickened by raw milk traced back to Dee Creek’s dairy; three of the children were hospitalized with renal failure, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).  Michael and Anita Puckett, owners of Dee Creek’s, pleaded guilty to distribution of adulterated food involved in the December 2005 E. coli outbreak that involved raw milk and sickened 18 people in Washington and Oregon.  The couple faces a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a $100,000 fine at their September 5 sentencing later this year. The case was prosecuted in federal court because the milk crossed state lines.   (more…)