After more than a decade, a report that minimized the cancer threat of toxic water at Camp Lejeune has been discredited by the federal government. According to the Associated Press, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is withdrawing its report on Camp Lejeune’s water because of omissions and scientific inaccuracy.

Lawsuits seeking $33 billion in damages have been filed by veterans who say the water at Camp Lejeune made them sick, the Associated Press said. These veterans and their advocates had long disputed the ATSDR’s conclusion that chemicals in Camp Lejeune’s water posed no health risks to adults. (more…)

About 50 “Dinosaur Era 2 Hunting Dinosaur” play sets imported by DND Imports of Los Angeles, California, are being recalled for violation of the lead paint standard, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced. The recalled “Dinosaur Era 2 Hunting Dinosaur” play sets were manufactured in China.

The surface paint on the recalled “Dinosaur Era 2 Hunting Dinosaur” play sets’ monkey figure contains excessive levels of lead. Each “Dinosaur Era 2 Hunting Dinosaur” play set contains a dinosaur, a helicopter, trees, a hunter, a monkey, and various hunting equipment. The “Dinosaur Era 2 Hunting Dinosaur” play sets sold for about $7 and were sold at DND Trading in Los Angeles throughout December 2008. (more…)

Nature & Health Company has issued a voluntary, nationwide recall of its Libimax product, announced the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Libimax is marketed as a dietary supplement but was found to contain an active ingredient in an FDA-approved drug.

Nature & Health is located in Brea, California and has been informed by representatives of the FDA that laboratory analysis by the agency of Libimax samples found Libimax to contain tadalafil, an active ingredient of an FDA-approved drug for erectile dysfunction (ED). This finding renders Libimax an unapproved drug. The FDA says this finding poses a threat to consumers because tadalafil may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs and may lower blood pressure to dangerous levels. Tadalafil may also cause headaches and flushing, said the FDA. (more…)

The commercial bus industry is under fire following several accidents in recent years that have left many dead and scores injured. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has criticized Department of Transportation regulators for negligence, unanimously voting to cite the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for not implementing important safety standards, said the Washington Post.

Late last year, we pointed out that while airline crashes tend to receive more press, many travelers die in bus and train accidents as well, noting the August 2008 bus crash that killed 17 people traveling from Houston to a religious event, the Atlanta bus accident the prior year involving Bluffton University athletes, and the 2002 Texas bus accident involving Texas church campers. (more…)

More than a year after beginning a safety review, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) announced today that labels on Botox and similar products will bear its strictest safety warning. The agency said today that the warning, known as a “black box”, will include information on the risk of adverse events when the effects of a botulinum toxin injection spreads beyond the site where it was injected.

The new black warning will apply to several products. Botox, which is made with botulinum toxin type A, is approved for treatment of conditions such as blepharospasm (spasm of the eyelids), cervical dystonia (severe neck muscle spasms), and severe primary axillary hyperhydrosis (excess sweating). Botox Cosmetic, which also uses botulinum toxin Type A, is approved for temporary improvement in the appearance of moderate to severe facial frown lines. A third product, Myobloc, is made from botulinum toxin Type B and is approved for the treatment of adults with cervical dystonia. The new black box warning will also apply to Dysport, a botulinum toxin product that was just approved for use in the U.S. by the FDA today. (more…)

We recently reported that dozens of middle school children fell ill with Salmonella poisoning. The unusually high incidence of absences prompted a Department of Health and Human Services investigation (HHS), said The Eagle Tribune, which is now reporting that health officials linked the outbreak to pudding served to campers at Stone Environmental Camp. The camp was closed last week when a second group of campers became infected with the dangerous, sometimes deadly, pathogen, said The Eagle Tribune.

Last week, more students from two other schools became sick at the Stone Environmental Camp while the outbreak was being investigated, said The Eagle Tribune. State public health director Dr. Jose Montero closed the camp during the investigation. When HHS found that pudding was to blame and was able to locate the mixer used to prepare the pudding, the state allowed the camp to reopen, said The Eagle Tribune. (more…)

In the wake of the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme debacle, a group of financial planning organizations is calling for stricter oversight of money managers. The coalition, made up of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors, the Financial Planning Association and the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc., is advocating for the formation of a national oversight board to set standards and enforce fiduciary duty for financial planners.

Madoff pleaded guilty to 11 fraud counts on March 12. The former chairman of the Nasdaq stock exchange ran an investment advisory business for decades that was, in reality, a Ponzi scheme. Last November, Madoff told his investors that his fund held more than $64 billion, but in reality, he only had a fraction of that amount. (more…)

Federal regulators have opened a probe into possibly faulty transmissions on Ford Explorers and Mercury Mountaineer SUVs. According to The Atlanta Constitution-Journal, some owners of these Ford SUVs have complained that they can unexpectedly slip out of park.

Consumers have filed scores of complaints with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regarding transmission problems with the Explorer, the Constitution-Journal said. Most involve a delayed engagement of the transmission when the SUV is shifted from park into reverse, or into reverse from another gear. Some complaints indicate problems with the vehicle slipping into gear from park. (more…)

A key U.S. Senator is calling for a hearing on the Chinese drywall problem that has been plaguing homeowners in Florida and many other states. According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-LA, has sent a letter to the Senate Commerce Committee requesting the hearing.

Chinese drywall has been causing problems in newer homes across the country. The material reportedly emits sulfur fumes that fill homes with a “rotten eggs” odor. The fumes from the drywall have also been linked to corroding metals in many of the homes, and people living with the material have reported sinus and respiratory problems. Many residents have had to leave their homes because the Chinese drywall has made them unlivable, and some builders are scrambling to gut homes and replace the drywall. (more…)

Last month we wrote about the possibility that carcinogens had made their way into a variety of baby products. Following the study that broke that news, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is taking steps to protect the nation’s children, said the Hudson Valley Press.

Baby shampoos, bubble baths, and lotions were reviewed by the nonprofit health advocacy group, Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC) and over half of the products tested came back positive for cancer-causing toxins, said the Washington Post in March. Now, Senator Gillibrand has taken steps with new legislation she wrote entitled “The Safe Baby Products Act,” said the Hudson Valley Press. The Act “directs” the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to “investigate and regulate … chemicals in cosmetics and personal care products marketed to and used by children,” said the Hudson Valley Press. (more…)