Salsa Bicycles is recalling about 8,600 of its Handlebar Stems Used on Salsa Bicycles, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) just announced.

The recalled Salsa Bicycles Handlebar Systems were made in Taiwan and distriubred by Salsa Bicycles, a subsidiary of Quality Bicycle Products, of Bloomington, Minnesota.  The recall has been issued because the handlebar stems can crack or break, posing a fall hazard to the consumer.  To date, Salsa Bicycles has received three reports of handlebar stems breaking.  One such incident resulted in a rider suffering a broken wrist as a result of the damaged Salsa Bicycle Handlebar Stems. (more…)

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) Kingston’s Fossil Plant fly ash spill that dumped 5.4 million cubic yards of sludge into East Tennessee and its Emory River was seemed structurally sound only two months before the catastrophic accident that has decimated homes and water and wildlife, said Knoxville News.  The damage to some homes was so severe that repair is impossible.

According to Knoxville News, inspectors found the TVA Kingston pond sound based on the report of three engineers who inspected the facility and said that despite the raised pond’s walls seeping water and some scars in the structure as a result of erosion, the TVA plant was in “good shape.”  The inspection was conducted on October 20, 2008, said Knoxville News, and was completed after the December 22 TVA fly ash spill. (more…)

Despite an outbreak of 22 E. coli illnesses there, a KinderCare Learning Center is not being forced to close its Lemont, Illinois  location, reports Chicago Breaking News.

The Cook County Health Department made the decision not close the contaminated KinderCare Learning Center, according to a department spokeswoman.  The outbreak has sickened 21 children and one adult care provider.  Health department spokeswoman, Amy Poore, said that closing the KinderCare Learning Center will force children not presenting with symptoms to go to other child care centers, thus potentially spreading the dangerous, sometimes deadly, E. coli germ, according to Chicago Breaking News. (more…)

Ciguatera fish poisoning—ciguatera—although not very well known, is a dangerous type of food poisoning that affects at least 50,000 people every year.  According to MSNBC, the true number of illness could be at least 100 times higher.

The exotic fish poisoning is difficult to detect and diagnose, is relatively unknown in the United States, and is incurable.  Caused by coral algae toxins that build up in large tropical reef fish, it strikes with bizarre symptoms, reports MSNBC.  And, while rare in the U.S., ciguatera fish poisoning is, says Richard Weisman—toxicologist and director of the Florida Poison Information Center—“the most common seafood-toxin illness reported in the world,” said MSNBC. (more…)

The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has launched two studies to determine if bisphenol-A (BPA) in some medical devices is exposing patients to health risks.  According to the Website medpagetoday.com, the two medical device studies will focus on whether BPA in plastic components can leach into patients during cardiopulmonary bypass and hemodialysis.

BPA has been linked to a variety of diseases including an increased risk of diseases or disorders of the brain, reproductive, and immune systems; recent studies have linked BPA exposure to problems with liver function testing, an increased risk of diabetes and heart disease, and interruptions in chemotherapy treatment.  The chemical  has also been linked to hormonal disturbances. (more…)

A facility operated by Ranbaxy Laboratories, the much maligned generic drug maker, has been accused of faking data and test results in approved and pending drug applications.  The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has halted the review of drug applications made at Ranbaxy’s Paonta Sahib plant in India because of the issue.

Based in India, Ranbaxy is one of the 10 largest generic-drug producers in the world and has been operating in the States since 1995. According to a report in the Washington Post, the Paonta Sahib plant makes 25 FDA approved drugs.  While the FDA would not provide a list of the drugs involved, the agency maintained that drugs are not carried in U.S. pharmacies.  The FDA is not planning on issuing a drug recall, the Post said. (more…)

Recently unsealed documents indicate that Seroquel maker AstraZeneca many have attempted to hide the antipsychotic drug’s diabetes risks. The documents – which include company emails and voicemails – add weight to claims that AstraZeneca hid Seroquel’s serious side effects for years.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Seroquel – which was introduced in 1997 – has long been linked to a risk of weight gain and diabetes.  Information on this risk was originally included in the “Adverse Reactions” section of its label.  In 2003, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) required AstraZeneca to give the information added prominence by moving it to the label’s “Warnings” section.  Then last month, the label was updated to include data on children and adolescents, including blood-glucose levels, cholesterol, weight gain and increased appetite, the Journal said. (more…)

Heart burn drugs that contain metoclopramide, including Reglan Tablets, Reglan Oral Disintegrating Tablets, Metoclopramide Oral Solution and Reglan Injection, will now be labeled with a Black Box that warns of their link to a movement disorder.  According to the Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Reglan and other metoclopramide-containing drugs can cause a neurological problem called tardive dyskinesia when they are taken in high doses, or  over a long period of time.

According to the FDA, more than 2 million people use Reglan and other metoclopramide drugs.  The medications are meant for the  short-term treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease in patients who have not responded to other therapies.  The are also used to treat diabetic gastroparesis (slowed emptying of the stomach’s contents into the intestines). Treatment with such medications is not supposed to exceed three months, the FDA said. (more…)

Comparative Effectiveness, a component of the just-passed economic stimulus plan, is allegedly receiving favor by some top executives in the medical device industry.  Not everyone agrees.  Dow Jones reported that the industry supports the comparison only as long as patients are not narrowed to just one treatment option as a result of seeking cost savings.

“We can’t afford a cheapest-at-best approach to medicine,” said Bill Hawkins, chairman and chief executive of device maker Medtronic Inc. (MDT).  “Cheapest in the short run is not necessarily the best value for patients over the long term,” reported Dow Jones.  The stimulus plan includes $1.1 billion for research that compares what drugs and devices are most effective for what purposes.  While Hawkins claims industry supports the research, media outlets say that industry lobbyists fought to have that element of the plan removed, said Dow Jones. (more…)

Thanks to the likes of Bernard Madoff, Arthur Nadel and other financial scammers, a record number of people have been victims of securities fraud in the past year.  Many of these wronged investors have looked to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) to settle their claims against brokers, financial advisors and others who have failed in their fiduciary duty.

According to the Associated Press, there were 4,982 disputes filed with FINRA last year.  That’s a  54 percent increase over the previous year.  According to its website, FINRA is  the largest non-governmental regulator for all securities firms doing business in the United States. All told, FINRA oversees nearly 5,000 brokerage firms, about 172,000 branch offices and approximately 663,000 registered securities representatives.  Any organization registered with FINRA is subject to the agency’s arbitration rules, the Associated Press said. (more…)