News Tagged ‘claims

Traffic fatalities fall for fourth consecutive year

dot 100x100At a time when the news is full of reports of cars accelerating out of control and crashing, drivers texting behind the wheel and car roofs crushed in deadly rollovers, here’s some welcome news: the number of people killed in U.S. traffic accidents is the lowest since 1954.

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FDA warns food companies to change ‘misleading’ labels

Dreyers 100x100Several food products on store shelves have misleading labels that violate federal law, and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning companies to change those labels within 15 days or the agency will pull those products from grocery store shelves. The FDA sent warning letters to 17 different food makers last week demanding swift compliance.

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FDA warns consumers against using ear candles

ear candle 100x100Burning ear candles that manufacturers claim draw ear wax and “impurities” or “toxins” out of the ear canal should not be used because they may cause serious even if used according to manufacturers’ instructions, according to a warning from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Ear candles are hollow cones about 10 inches long and made from a fabric tube soaked in beeswax, paraffin or a mixture of the two. In ear candling, also called ear coning or thermal auricular therapy, a patient lies on his side while a candle is placed in the outer ear and lit.

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Transportation secretary says people should stop driving recalled Toyotas

ray lahoodToyota’s recent of 2.3 million cars and sport utility vehicles over “sticking” accelerator pedals follows a larger last October of 4.2 million vehicles for possible floor mat entrapment. The recalls have created an undercurrent of fear of confusion among Toyota owners, many of whom no longer feel their cars are safe to drive.

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Toyota recalls include the Pontiac Vibe

pontiac vibeAll the news about Toyota’s record-breaking recalls and its week-old production and sales suspension have made it easy to forget about the Pontiac Vibe, the hybrid car that General Motors manufactured for the 2009 and 2010 model years.

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Toyota begins repairing “sticky” gas pedals

toyota logoIndiana-based CTS Corporation is cooperating with Toyota by sending new gas pedal assemblies to replace the ones Toyota claims are potentially defective, but the supplier says that the new pedals won’t solve the sudden acceleration problem that afflicts so many Toyota vehicles.

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Federal government ordered Toyota production and sales suspension

toyota logoYesterday, Toyota ran full-page advertisements in more than 20 major American newspapers to tell customers that its decision to suspend production and sales of many of its top-selling vehicles is just a “Temporary pause. To put you first,” as the headline proclaims.

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Toyota adds more vehicles to sudden acceleration recall

toyota capToyota announced that it will more than a million other cars and trucks in the United States over concerns that the vehicles could accelerate suddenly and unintentionally.

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Surgical sterilizing, disinfecting system may pose risk to patients

steris sterilizerThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning hospital risk managers, surgical service managers and infection control professionals that a device used in surgical and endoscopy suites for sterilizing or disinfecting medical devices has been modified, has not been approved by the FDA, and may not properly disinfect or sterilize instruments, which may pose a serious risk to patients and health care staff.

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Consumer watchdog announces 10 Worst Toys List

george 100x100Just in time for the holiday season, W.A.T.C.H. (World Against Toys Causing Harm), a Massachusetts-based consumer watchdog organization, announced its annual “10 Worst Toys” list at a conference in Boston’s Franciscan Hospital for Children. According to the organization’s website, “Founder Edward M. Swartz and W.A.T.C.H. have fearlessly exposed potentially dangerous toys to the general public. As a result, children’s lives have been saved.”

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