Plainview Milk Products Cooperative, Plainview, Minnesota, is voluntarily recalling instant nonfat dried milk, whey protein, fruit stabilizers, and gums (thickening agents) that it has manufactured over the past two years, because the products might be contaminated with Salmonella, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced.

The company sells these products to other industry customers, including distributors and manufacturers, who may have incorporated them into their own products. None of Plainview’s recalled products were sold directly to the public. Plainview has stopped production of these products and has notified its customers of the recall. Currently, the Plainview recall is limited to industry customers who received suspect product(s). (more…)

Pms-Phenobarbital tablets have been recalled in Canada because of an overdose risk. According to Health Canada, the pms-Phenobarbital tablets may be oversized, and could contain too much Phenobarbital. The Canadian distributor, Pharmascience Inc. of Montreal Quebec, has initiated a recall of all lots presently on the market.

Phenobarbital is widely used as an anticonvulsant for the treatment of seizure disorders, and it is also used to treat anxiety and sleep related disorders as it has sedative and hypnotic properties. (more…)

The recent June 24th Class I recall of potentially E. Coli-tainted JBS Swift Beef Company beef products has been expanded, said the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). A Class I recall is a health hazard situation in which there is a reasonable probability that use of the product will cause serious, adverse health consequences or death. The recall has been expanded to include approximately 380,000 pounds of assorted beef primal products.

We reported late last week that JBS Swift Beef issued a recall of approximately 41,280 pounds of beef products over E. coli contamination concerns. The original problem was discovered through FSIS microbiological sampling and an investigation into the distribution of other products. (more…)

There have been serious environmental concerns following the catastrophic December 22 Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) fly ash spill that dumped a massive 5.4 million cubic yards of coal sludge into Tennessee’s Emory and Clinch rivers and the 300 acres surrounding its Kingston plant. Now, according to a KnoxNews.com report, the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation bolt dvdrip download

(TDEC) is claiming that selenium and mercury contamination in fish samples taken near the spill are below regulatory action levels.

In an earlier article, the Tennessean discussed the potential for dangerous amounts of selenium being released in area waterways. Also, KnoxNews discussed the first study that looked at the effects of the historic spill on aquatic live in the rivers and found that the fish there contain high selenium levels. (more…)

Lantus, the blockbuster diabetes drug made by Sanofi-Aventis, may increase the risk of cancer in some patients. The possible link, seen in some new European Lantus studies, prompted the European Association for the Study of Diabetes to call for more studies on the drug.

Lantus is an insulin analogue – an artificial form of insulin. Lantus is an important drug for Aventis, with sales up 28% last year, to $3.43 million, Reuters said. (more…)

Accutane is being pulled from the market by its maker, Roche AG. According to the Associated Press, Roche said the decision to withdraw Accutane was made for economic rather than safety reasons. But as anyone who reads this blog known, over the past couple of years, Roche has lost several Accutane lawsuits, and been ordered to pay more than $33 million to people who claim they were injured by the drug.

Approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 1982, Accutane has been the subject of controversy for years. It first garnered attention in the late eighties for causing severe birth defects. It has also been known to cause psychiatric problems, and has been linked to hundreds of cases of suicide in the United States. Accutane has also been associated with problems of the liver, kidneys, central nervous system, and pancreas, as well as the cardiovascular, musculoskeletal and auto-immune systems. (more…)

Nancy Nord, the controversial acting chair at the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is finally stepping down. Nord will leave her post next week, but will continue on the CPSC’s board until 2012, when her term is up, reported the Bradenton Herald.

Until the Senate confirms a new chair, Thomas Moore, fellow commissioner, will handle the post, effective June 1, said the Bradenton Herald. Meanwhile, President Barack Obama nominated Inez Moore Tenenbaum, the former South Carolina Education Superintendent, as the next chair, said the Bradenton Herald. The CPSC is a three-member commission responsible to ensure the safety of a wide array of consumer products. (more…)

Federal regulators have decided to wait on approving Botox as a treatment for upper limb spasticity in stroke victims. According to a Reuters report, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) wants to review a bit more information before deciding to expand the approved use of Botox to include treatment of the movement disorder.

Allergan markets two Botox products. Botox Cosmetic is made from botulinum toxin type A, and is approved for temporary improvement in the appearance of moderate to severe facial frown lines. It is different from Botox, another Allergan botulinum toxin product, which is approved to treat conditions such as blepharospasm (spasm of the eyelids), cervical dystonia (severe neck muscle spasms), and severe primary axillary hyperhydrosis (excess sweating). (more…)

Another Virginia community has banned the use of Chinese drywall. The ban, adopted unanimously by the Virginia Beach city council last night, comes a week after the Norfolk city council adopted a similar measure.

Virginia is just one of several states where homeowners have complained about Chinese drywall that fills homes with a putrid, “rotten-eggs” odor, causes metals to corrode, and leads to sinus and respiratory problems in people living with the material. According to a recent Wall Street Journal article, the U.S. imported roughly 309 million square feet of drywall from China during the housing boom from 2004 to 2007. (more…)

Government regulators will be taking an even closer look next week at painkillers such as Tylenol and how these medications affect the liver. Dow Jones reported that acetaminophen, an ingredient found in a vast array of over-the-counter drugs is at the center of the issue.

Acetaminophen is, said Dow Jones, the most “widely used drug in America” and is found in OTC painkillers, fever reducers, and cough medications such as Excedrin, Tylenol, NyQuil, and Theraflu, to name some. (more…)