Articles Posted in Product Recalls

Standard Homeopathic Company is recalling all of its Hyland’s Baby Teething Tablets and Hyland’s Baby Nighttime Teething Tablets nationwide. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration has concluded that the medicines have been found to contain inconsistent amounts of an herb that may differ from the calculated amount on the products’ labels and could potentially be dangerous.

That herb is belladonna which has been used as a homeopathic medicine for many years but its scientific evidence of recommended use is insufficient.  Because the effects of belladonna are unpredictable, the FDA believes that belladonna represents a serious health hazard to children.  The FDA stated that “there is no known safe dose or toxic dose of belladonna in children because of the many factors that affect it.”

The FDA began investigating the products after receiving a September 2016 comprehensive report of a child having a seizure after using one. An FDA preliminary investigation found reports of adverse effects, including 10 possible deaths, seizures, shortness of breath and tremor.  Standard Homeopathic Company stopped making and shipping the medicines nationwide in October 2016.

Over the past few years consumers have been becoming more aware of the potential that the hoverboard (self-propelled scooter) they purchased may burst into flames and do untold damage to property and people.  Tragically, the first deaths in the United States related to a hoverboard ignited fire occurred this month in Pennsylvania.  Ashanti Hughes (2) and Savannah Dominick (10) both lost their lives as a result of a fire that destroyed their Harrisburg home on March 10, 2017.  The fire was caused by a hoverboard that ignited as it was charging in the home of the victims.  The fire also claimed the life of Harrisburg firefighter Lt. Dennis DeVoe who died from injuries he suffered in a crash on the way to the scene of the fire. Other injuries related to the fire were also reported.

Hoverboards have been recalled, banned on airplanes, and removed from countless stores. In 2016, more than 500,000 hoverboards made by 11 companies were recalled.  The reason for the recall was that the products did not meet fire safety standards. However many still remain in circulation. This has encouraged a renewed call for officials to again warn consumers about the potential dangers of these products and to get these dangerous products out of stores and homes.

The reasons for the hoverboard igniting vary but the most common is the faulty lithium-ion batteries overheating and catching fire.  Many of the incidents have been reported to have happened while the hoverboard was charging but fire incidents have also been reported when it was sitting idle off the charger and while being ridden.

Long shelf-life snacks like chocolate covered pretzels are being recalled by six grocery store chains across the country, as reported by Food Safety News. Palmer Candy Company produced the snacks, which are recalled for salmonella contamination. The salmonella was found specifically in the powdered milk product used in the making of the snacks and manufactured by Valley Milk Products LLC. The six chains recalling the products are HyVee, Albertsons, Vons, Pavilions, Tom Thumb and Lucky.

The affected products are dated between Jan. 26 and Feb. 23, 2017. Consumers can either throw the contaminated items out or return them for a refund.

Recently, competing with Apple isn’t the only thing Samsung is concerned with. The recall of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 happened months ago, but matters have yet to be completely resolved. The phones have been overheating and catching fire, clear reasons for a recall. What is not so clear, however, is the reason behind the fires.

These accidents have not only affected Galaxy Note 7 owners, but have also stalled the release of the Galaxy S8, Samsung’s newest model.  A spokeswoman for the phone company told CNET, “We recognized that we did not correctly identify the issue the first time and remain committed to finding the root cause…Our top priority remains the safety of our customers and retrieving 100 percent of the Galaxy Note 7 devices in the market.”

The recall will cost Samsung not only $3 billion, but also affect their place in the mobile market.

When food product recalls occur, there is always a harmful or potentially harmful reason behind them. Most companies try to be as transparent as they can, but in some cases, that potential danger may be something you are not too familiar with. There are so many things that can affect or jeopardize a product and lead to a recall. Here are some of the common perpetrators behind food product recalls and the basics about each.

Listeria

From hot dogs to frozen vegetables, Listeria can send numerous products directly to the garbage or returned to their seller. A bacterium that infects and contaminates food, Listeria has around 15 species and can lead to serious illness or even death. According to the CDC, Listeria mostly affects older adults, pregnant women, newborns and adults with weakened immune systems. Symptoms include headaches, fevers, muscle aches, confusion, a loss of balance and convulsions. For pregnant women, the bacterium can cause premature delivery, stillbirth and miscarriages.

IKEA has issued a recall of nearly 29 million chests and dressers that have already been involved with the deaths of six children, and threatens many more. The recall represents one of the most comprehensive consumer safety recalls in American history.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) released a video (see below) demonstrating the dangers these products have on children. Using a mannequin child, the video depicts that when a child goes to open a drawer, and the dresser or chest is not properly anchored to the wall, the drawer along with the entire piece can fall forward onto the child.

“Safety first” may seem like an old and perhaps cliche phrase, but, this month it means so much more.

According to the National Safety Council, June is annually deemed National Safety Month. This includes safety at home, at work, on the road and in the community. The focus of the month is to prevent injuries and deaths in each of these environments.

Each week in June, the NSC will be providing online materials for anyone to download and utilize during the month. Every week corresponds with a new safety topic:

When it comes to our children, there is no such thing as being “too safe.”

Earlier this month, a popular children’s applesauce pouch brand voluntarily recalled pouches dated between December of last year through March 2017. The reason for the recall comes from health inspection findings by the Michigan State Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD), where food product residue was discovered in the factory pumps. Thankfully, no illnesses of any kind have been reported in connection with the pouches.

The company, GoGo squeeZ, released a statement saying that no evidence of residue has been found in the applesauce, and that they ensure nothing short of extensive product testing.

A popular children’s car seat manufacturer has decided to recall thousands of car seats due to easily loosened internal harnesses.

The company, EvenFlo, will recall 56,000 harnesses that possess a front button on the harness that can be adjusted by the child wearing it if it is in reach.

Tampering with such a harness can lead to increased chance or more severe injury should the car get into an accident.

After facing major consequences for faulty emissions tests, Volkswagen faced yet another vehicle recall for potentially fatal airbags.

The car manufacturer initially refused a government mandated recall to fix the defective airbags, claiming that recalling the vehicles was unnecessary. Eventually, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website, Volkswagen cooperated and went through with the recall.

The recalled vehicles include U.S. Audi and VW vehicles between the years 2006 to 2014. There are roughly 850,000 vehicles involved in the recall. In a letter to the safety agency, Volkswagen argued against the recall by stating that many of the vehicles had perfectly functioning airbags made at the Takata factory in Germany.

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