Alison Young of USA Today reports that food safety watchdogs are critical of the U.S Department of Agriculture staff on site at the two Iowa egg processors linked to the recent egg recall. They “question whether USDA egg graders should have noticed the vermin problems cited by the FDA, potentially preventing the recall of a [...]
Archive for the ‘Consumer Safety’ Category
Posted in 
No recalls on van despite cracking axles
August 6th, 2010 
Beth Tim Darragh of The Morning Call (Allentown, Pa.) reports that Ford Windstars from 1999-2003 are under investigation due to rear axles breaking while the car is being driven at high speeds – but no recall has been ordered. Hundreds of drivers have already complained to the federal government, but recalls on older vehicles are hard [...]
Food service at stadiums often riddled with health code violations
July 28th, 2010 Beth A story by Paula Lavigne, of ESPN, reveals some unappetizing realities about food service at the 107 stadiums used by the MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL across the country. Through a review of inspection records from local health departments, Lavigne revealed that at “30 of the venues (28 percent), more than half of the concession [...]
Chinese drywall “remediation” offers new niche for scammers
July 26th, 2010 Beth In Florida, convicted scammers and thieves are among workers selling unproven fixes and dubious diagnoses in the completely unregulated Chinese drywall “remediation” and inspection industry, a Palm Beach Post investigation found. A lack of state oversight makes dealing in drywall remedies a free-for-all for even the least qualified entrepreneurs, who are capitalizing on homeowner’s fears [...]
Consumers call tactics of debt collectors abusive
April 20th, 2010 Beth An investigation by Mc Nelly Torres, of ConsumerAffairs.com, found consumers complaining of illegal, abusive conduct as collectors defy federal and state enforcers. “There’s no doubt that the debt collection industry is thriving. You can’t get blood from a rock, but these guys are trying,” said Ira Rheingold, executive director and general counsel of the National Association of Consumer Advocates, a consumer advocacy group based in Washington D.C.
Nanomaterials may pose serious health risk
March 26th, 2010 Beth Once confined to cutting-edge labs, nanotechnology has an increasingly pervasive place in everyday life. Its ultra-tiny engineered particles are now in as many as 10,000 products. A series by Andrew Schneider of AOL News shows a growing body of research suggests these nanomaterials pose significant and potentially fatal health risks including lung, heart and brain [...]
Materials, construction increase risk of fire in modular homes
March 16th, 2010 Beth The investigative team at WFXT-Boston found material and construction methods used to make modular homes may raise the risk of fire danger according to some fire safety experts.
Unintended acceleration problems not just limited to Toyota
March 5th, 2010 Beth The dangerous problem of cars accelerating without a driver’s input has put Toyota in the headlines – and brought the car maker’s executives to congressional hearings. But an NPR News Investigation by Robert Benincasa found that unintended acceleration is not limited to Toyota. It is actually a problem found throughout the auto industry.
Payday loan industry profits, fights regulation
March 3rd, 2010 Beth Keith Epstein of the Huffington Post Investigative Fund provides an inside look at the tactics of the influential $42 billion-a-year payday lending industry, which is thriving from a surge in emergency loans to people struggling through the recession as it pours record sums into lobbying and campaigns.
Eight deaths reported by homeowners with toxic drywall
March 2nd, 2010 Beth Homeowners with toxic drywall have reported eight deaths to federal consumer safety officials, though no direct linkage has been found. That’s according to a Scripps Howard News Service analysis of almost
2,700 drywall complaints to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, and 467 follow-up inspections by the CPSC, obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
