Hundreds of Florida homeowners have been plagued by odious smells and ongoing wiring, pipe, and air conditioning problems—corroding air conditioning coils and deteriorating pipes and wiring—due to defective Chinese Drywall.  Worse, consumers are complaining about a wide variety of health problems that seem to lift when they are away from the toxic Chinese Drywall.  Health concerns include an array of respiratory problems, nosebleeds and irritated eyes, and headaches.  The defective Chinese Drywall smells very strongly of putrid eggs

It is possible that the Chinese Drywall is emitting excessive amounts of hydrogen sulfide fumes, which can cause extreme irritation, unconsciousness, and even death when exposed to amounts of 50 parts per million for more than 10 minutes. More The Defective Chinese Drywall Debacle

A new study has found that caffeine might be dangerous to unborn babies.  Mail Online reported that pregnant women who drink caffeinated drinks might be increasing the likelihood that their babies could develop leukemia.

Leukemia is the most common cancer afflicting children, said Mail Online, which explained that caffeine intake, while a woman is pregnant, could damage a baby’s DNA when in utero.  Leukemia, a cancer of the bone marrow and white blood cells, can affect people of all ages and is the most common type of childhood cancer, said Science Daily.  Leicester University plans on initiating a detailed review of the caffeine consumption of hundreds of pregnant women, comparing blood samples taken from their babies following birth said Mail Online. More Caffeine in Pregnancy May Be Linked to Cancer

Last week, the second engine from the US Airways plane that was forced to crash-land in the Hudson River near Manhattan was found.  Now, Newsday is reporting that flight 1549’s engine is in the process of being raised from the Hudson, say authorities.

Bloomberg News previously reported that “organic material” and a feather were found on parts of the engine, which corroborates the pilot’s report of a bird collision leading to the forced landing.  The airbus’s right engine—the CFM56-5B4/pturbofan—was removed and shipped back to its manufacturer in Ohio for detailed investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), reported Newsday.  Meanwhile, the left engine was located at the bottom of the Hudson River, said Bloomberg News last week, and was located in about 50 feet of water.  The NTSB believes the engine shook loose on impact, said Bloomberg News. More US Air Crash Update

Some doctors will be required to disclose their financial ties to medical device companies as well as the dollar amounts associated with those relationships, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported.

At the urging of lawmakers and in response to lawsuits, the 5,000 member North American Spine Society (NASS) is requiring its researchers to make these financial disclosures, said the WSJ, when those researchers present studies at medical conferences.  The Journal explained that some of these well-known surgeons have been involved in financial relationships in which large amounts—sometimes in the millions—were paid to them by industry. More Spine Doctors Mandated to Disclose Financial Ties to Industry

One infant has died and four other children have fallen ill from a disease that had been all but eradicated, CNN has reported; the baby was just seven months old.  Hib—Haemophilus influenzae type b—is the pathogen responsible for the deaths and illnesses, which have all occurred in Minnesota, CNN added.

The baby and two other children did not receive any vaccinations, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said CNN.  FiercePharma reported that the other two children had not completed the immunization series.  “The situation is of concern,” said Dr. Anne Schuchat, CDC director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Disease.  “It could be happening elsewhere and, of course, it’s tragic that one of the children actually died from a preventable disease,” quoted CNN. More Vaccine Shortage Connected to HIB Illness Outbreaks

The U.S. salmonella outbreak has claimed yet another life.  To date, the number of deaths linked to the salmonella outbreak has reached seven, with the most recent casualty an 80-year-old women from Minnesota, reported Reuters.

The woman’s name and her date of death have not been released, but it is known that she was living in a long-term care facility, according to a Minnesota Department of Health representative, who added that he was unsure if the woman ingested peanut butter, said Reuters. More Another Salmonella Death

Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme has claimed victims worldwide and now investors in Spain are taking steps to recoup their money.  Over 100 Spanish investors are scheduled for talks with both Barclays Bank and Banco Santander, said the Times Online, in a bid to recover cash.  Fifty other investors are also involved in another action there.

Madoff is accused of running a massive so-called Ponzi scheme, a type of pyramid scheme in which Madoff used cash from new investors to cover payments to earlier clients.  The investors have lost at least €120 million, with amounts ranging between €150,000 and €10 million in the $50 billion Madoff fraud debacle that has plagued investors globally, said the Times Online.  The Spanish investors are part of The Association of Victims of Madoff, which represents Spanish, and also Latin American, small- and medium-sized investors.  Talks are scheduled for next week with Banco Santander, reported the Times Online; additional meetings are scheduled with Barclays, Fortis of Holland, and Espirito Santo, a Portuguese bank. More Madoff’s Ponzi Scheme Claims Spanish Victims

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has been accused by critics of downplaying the seriousness of last month’s fly ash spill at it’s Kingston Fossil Plant.  Now, the Associated Press is reporting that those critics may have had a point.

According to the Associated Press, a memo prepared by TVA’s public relations department for a press briefing held the day after the spill was edited to call the fly ash spill a “sudden, accidental release”, rather than “catastrophic”.  The memo, dated Dec. 23, was accidently sent to the Associated Press, and according to the news service, was once labeled “risk assessment talking points”. More TVA Memo Shows Attempt to Downplay Fly Ash Spill

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) just announced three more recalls involving a furnace due to a fire hazard, bicycle stands for a fall hazard, and boys pajamas for a burn hazard.

The Air Conditioning Division of Rheem Manufacturing Co., of Fort Smith, Arkansas—the manufacturer of the defective product—is recalling about 14,000 Rheem, Ruud and United Refrigeration Oil-Fired Furnaces because if the furnace is not properly wired, the oil burner can continue to operate when the blower shuts off, which poses a fire hazard to consumers.  To date, Rheem has received one report in which the furnace was incorrectly wired.  The recalled Rheem furnaces were sold nationwide by contractors from January 2006 through December 2008 as part of installed systems for between $1,500 and $10,000. More CPSC Recalls: Furnaces, Bicycle Stands, and Boys Pajamas

In a recent government report, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been found incapable of fully protecting Americans. Congress’s U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released its findings yesterday saying that the FDA is, according to Reuters, “hampered by increasing globalization and a rise in complex products,” and might not be up to the task of protecting public health.

SmartBrief also reported that the GAO called federal regulators outdated and inadequate, finding significant problems in federal regulation.  Noting that, as concerned the FDA, “… the American consumer may not be adequately protected from unsafe and ineffective medical products,” said the GAO, according to Reuters, which also said that the GAO included the FDA in its list of “high-risk” federal government areas.  The GAO list is released with each new Congress to better enable it to determine priorities.  The report also pointed out that emerging regulations were affecting the agency’s ability to ensure public safety concerning pharmaceuticals, biologic drugs, and medical devices. More Another GAO Report Faults FDA