Fear of E. Coli contamination has prompted the United States Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) to recall 22,737 pounds of ground beef products. Wow, that’s a lot of meat.
The recall affects cases of beef from National Beef Packing Company in Kansas, including the following:
Earlier this month, we told you that Chrysler was refusing to recall 2.7 million vehicles due to a concern with the gas tank. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requested a recall stating that the gas tank design in the 1993 to 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee and the 2002 to 2007 Jeep Liberty is unsafe.
NHTSA says that the gas tank design in the 1993 to 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee and the 2002 to 2007 Jeep Liberty is unsafe. Chrysler disagreed and said that they weren’t willing to do it. It was the first time since 1996 that a car manufacturer refused a NHTSA request for a recall. Chrysler was given until June 18th to formally respond to NHTSA. Well, in the final hours before the deadline, they have given in.
In a statement provided by Chrysler, they said they will recall the vehicles for inspection and, in “some cases,” will “provide an upgrade to the rear structure of the vehicle to better manage crash forces in low-speed impacts.” If they had not agreed to act by the deadline, they faced the prospect of high-profile public hearings. There would have been testimony from both car safety advocates who have pushed for the recall, as well as the parents of children who burned to death in fires. Experts say the hearing would have caused Chrysler’s reputation to take a hit, even if it had avoided the recall.
According to a transfer order issued last week, The U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) has agreed to consolidate all Stryker Rejuvenate hip replacement lawsuits filed throughout the federal court system, centralizing the cases before one judge. This will include both Rejuvenate and ABG II Implants.
Complaints filed involving any Stryker Rejuvenate or Stryker ABG II hip components will be transferred to one U.S. Judge in the District of Minnesota as part of an MDL or multidistrict litigation. There are currently at least 41 lawsuits filed against Stryker, filed in 16 different U.S. District Courts. This figure is expected to increase greatly over the coming months as individuals throughout the country continue to experience hip failures, which often result in the need for revision surgery. Typically designed to last 15 to 20 years, a recall was issued for Stryker Rejuvenate and ABG II hips in July 2012 after data suggest that the implants were prone to corrode or fret at the modular junction, increasing the risk of inflammation, loosening and eventual failure of the artificial hip within a few years.
As all the complaints involve similar allegations, the MDL has been created to reduce duplicative discovery, eliminate conflicting rulings from different judges, and to serve the convenience of the parties, witnesses, and the courts. As additional cases are filed in the future, they too will be transferred to the Minnesota Judge for coordinated handling before trial.
Honda has announced a recall that will affect approximately 18,000 vehicles due to a brake problem.
Apparently a manufacturing error in the power brake system components may cause it to decrease the assistance it provides in braking, thus increasing the risk of a crash. This recall includes 5,239 Honda S2000, model years 2006-2007, as well as 13,113 Acura RSX, 2006 model year.
No crashes or injuries have been reported as being related to this issue.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced the recall of Cedar Lake Propane Heaters/Cookers.
The recall affects approximately 325 heater/cookers, manufactured in China. It was discovered that the regulator on the heater/cooker malfunctions when the consumer switches from a cooking to heating option, or vice versa, and the gas propane turns to liquid. This can flare easily and pose a fire hazard.
The heater/cooker was sold from May 2012 through February 2013 at various sporting goods, outdoor and Army/Navy stores nationwide. It was also sold online through Sears, Kmart, and Amazon.
Diabetes is one of the most problematic illnesses of our society today. It is not a disease that stands by itself, but those who have it know all too well that the chances of it leading to many other illnesses for them are tremendous. A diabetic is most likely also going to end up with one or more of heart disease, kidney disease (resulting in dialysis), blindness, and peripheral neuropathy (incapacitating pain in the legs) to name just a few. The studies done on the disease and the medicines to treat it are too numerous to count. And yet, the incidence of this disease is steadily increasing every year. It’s no wonder that there is such a quest to get it under control.
The most common type of diabetes is Type 2. With this type, whereas the pancreas used to secrete enough insulin to take care of the sugar eaten, over time it becomes less and less efficient and produces less and less insulin. And the cells become more and more resistant to the insulin it produces. At some point, medication is needed to help the pancreas produce more insulin, and eventually, nothing can get it up to producing enough so the body then needs to be given the insulin that it so desperately needs, by way of injection. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in childhood. In this case, the pancreas is either not producing any insulin, or is producing a dreadfully small amount, and for whatever reason cannot be boosted by medication to produce more, so insulin injections must be started right away.
Ford is announcing the recall of nearly 390,000 vehicles in the U.S., as well as another 77,000 vehicles in other global markets, for a potential fuel tank leak that could result in a fire. This announced on the heels of Chrysler’s refusal to initiate a recall for a fire hazard with certain Jeep Cherokees and Jeep Libertys.
Ford’s recall affects several vehicles, but only from the 2013 model year. Included are the Explorer, Taurus, Flex, Fusion, Interceptor Utility, Interceptor Sedan, and Lincoln MKS, MKT, and MKZ.
After receiving 600 complaints as of March 31st, it has been determined that a part within the gas tank may fail and leak fuel onto the ground. If the spilled fuel catches a spark, a fire could occur, though no fires, accidents, or injuries have been reported.
For the first time since 1996, a car manufacturer is refusing a National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) request for a recall. The Government agency says that the gas tank design in the 1993 to 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee and the 2002 to 2007 Jeep Liberty is unsafe. Chrysler disagrees.
In a 13 page letter, NHTSA says that these models have fuel tanks that are located behind the axle, leaving them less protected in the event of a rear-end collision. This could potentially result in a fuel leak, leading to a fire.
The recall would affect 2.7 million vehicles and Chrysler just isn’t willing to do it. While they say they remain committed to continue working with NHTSA to provide information confirming the safety of vehicles, they do not intend to recall the SUVs as they regard them as safe and stand behind the quality of their vehicles.
Toyota has claimed the top spot for vehicle recalls three out of the last four years. In 2012, Toyota Motor Corp recalled more vehicles than any other automaker operating in the U.S.
Another recall has been announced, this time affecting their pride and glory, the Prius. Toyota is recalling approximately 87,000 2010 Toyota Prius and Lexus HS 250h vehicles due to a brake problem. At issue is a brake pressue accumulator that may develop a fatigue crack on an internal part due to vibration. Though they have not come out and said what the result would be, one could assume that it would be a loss of braking pressure.
A total of 5.3 million Toyota vehicles were recalled in 2012 in the U.S. From brake issues to suspension problems, from accelerator concerns to airbag issues, we’ve brought ’em all to you. Nearly half of the vehicles recalled were for a single recall – involving potential vehicle fires. In the largest recall in its history, Toyota announced the recall of 2.5 million vehicles (a whopping 7.5 million vehicles worldwide) for a faulty window switch that could short circuit and catch fire.
Shortly after Byetta was approved in 2005, questions about the risk of pancreatitis arose for that and other diabetic drugs such as Januvia. Now, new and more serious is the possible risk of pancreatic cancer, a virtually untreatable disease that kills most victims within a year.
Should these drugs be recalled?
With annual sales of more than $9 billion dollars, the futures of Januvia and other drugs in its class are being threatened due to latest studies by Dr. Peter C. Butler. A former editor of Diabetes, the flagship journal of the American Diabetes Association, he is not easy to ignore. Though he faces powerful opponents in the makers of the drugs, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Medicines Agency have begun investigations based on his latest study that could lead to new warnings on the drugs, or possibly their removal from the market altogether. On the other hand, they may make no impact at all.
Byetta and Januvia, as well as other drugs in the class known as incretin mimetics, are used by hundreds of thousands of people with Type 2 diabetes. These drugs increase the level of incretin hormones in the body which in turn, raises insulin production in response to meals and decreases the amount of glucose (sugar) that the liver produces.
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