Two sisters who claim to have been sickened by  toxic airplane air have filed a lawsuit against Southwest Airlines.

Valerie and Victoria Vaughns’  lawsuit claims that  that one hour into their flight from Los Angeles, passengers began having trouble breathing.  The pilot announced had been a malfunction, and as he engaged the engines for a steep ascent, “super-heated air” blew out of the ventilation system and a “mist” appeared to hang in the cabin. The plane made an emergency landing in Albuquerque, and a fire marshal escorted passengers off the plane, the complaint says. (more…)

A wrongful death lawsuit has been filed  over the the flammable  chenille bathrobes recently recalled by Blair LLC.

In April 2009, Blair recalled 162,000 Chenille Robes manufactured by A-One Textile & Towel, of Karachi, Pakistan, after it learned of three robes catching on fire, including one report of second degree burns. Blair then received several reports of deaths allegedly due to robes catching fire. This prompted a second news release in June 2009 to again alert consumers to the burn hazard for the chenille robes. (more…)

At least one U.S. Senator is less than happy with the pace of the Consumer Products Safety Commission’s (CPSC) Chinese drywall investigation.  According to The Miami Herald, Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Florida,  was also angered by the lack of  answers that the probe has yielded thus far.

At a briefing for members of Congress yesterday, CPSC staffers said that the agency’s Chinese drywall probe is the largest in its history, and has so far cost $3.5 million.  The CPSC investigation is being aided by other federal agencies, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Florida Department of Health. (more…)

Target is recalling 610,000  Halloween-themed  flashlights that pose a burn hazard. There have been eight reports of these flashlights overheating and melting, including one report of burns to the hand.

This recall involves two types of Halloween-themed flashlights:

• Mini Flashlights – The mini flashlights have a key ring extending from the bottom and were sold in a pack of three colors: orange, green and black. The orange and purple packaging has “Mini Flashlights (3 Pack)” printed on the front and “DGI”, “Made in China” and “DPCI# 234-02-1813” printed on the back. (more…)

Preliminary results from tests conducted by the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) on Chinese drywall were released today.  While the tests found that Chinese drywall contained higher levels of sulfur and strontium, and emitted higher levels of sulfur than American-made wallboard,  there are still many questions left to be answered.

According to a press statement released by the CPSC, initial results of three studies that compared Chinese and domestic wallboard are as follows: (more…)

Dr. Diane Harper, a medical researcher who played a major role in the development of the  two HPV vaccines, Gardasil and Cervarix,  recently questioned the safety and effectiveness of both.

According to a report on chattahbox.com, Dr. Harper, director of the Gynecologic Cancer Prevention Research Group at the University of Missouri, raised questioned about Gadasil and Cervarix at the  4th International Public Conference on Vaccination which took place in Reston, Virginia on Oct. 2-4.  She was there, supposedly, to promote the vaccines. (more…)

At least 68,700  SurgeMaster Surge Protectors are being recalled by Belkin International because of a shock hazard.

According to the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), the molding of the plastic 360 degree rotating plug on the surge protectors, which allows for easy cord movement, can crack or detach from the plug assembly, posing a shock hazard to consumers.  Belkin has received seven consumer complaints about cracking of the plug molding. No injuries were reported. (more…)

All Accusure® Insulin Syringes manufactured by Qualitest Pharmaceuticals of Huntsville, Alabama have been recalled because they may have needles which detach from the syringe.

All Accusure® Insulin Syringes regardless of lot number are subject to this recall. These syringes were distributed between January 2002 and October 2009 to wholesale and retail pharmacies nationwide (including Puerto Rico). (more…)

A new study has found that the antipsychotic medications Zyprexa, Seroquel, Risperdal and Abilify cause significant and alarming weight gain in children.  According to an article on Forbes.com, children taking these medications also experienced elevated metabolic parameters, including cholesterol and triglyceries. While weight gain is a known side effect of these drugs, Forbes said the  new study points to even deeper increase.

The research was conducted at the Zucker Hillside Hospital in Queens, New York and the findings are being published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. (more…)

A Rhode Island  E. coli outbreak has prompted South Shore Meats, Inc. of  Brockton, Mass. to recall frozen ground beef patties.

At least  20 schoolchildren and adults from Rhode Island became  ill after visiting Camp Bournedale in Plymouth, Mass. earlier this month. According to a report on Boston.com, there is evidence that the ground beef collected at Camp Bournedale was tainted with the same strain of  E. coli confirmed in two children who attended the camp. Those two children, among the Rhode Island students who experienced gastrointestinal illness after  attending a field trip at the camp, were hospitalized for several days.  (more…)