The much anticipated Ducati 2011 and 2012 Hypermotard and Monster motorcycles have recently been recalled due to possible cracks in the fuel lines.

The Italian manufacturer says the recall affects 913 motorcycles, which were manufactured from June 25, 2011, through Nov. 30, 2011. The company said some of the bikes have fuel lines with a condition called micro-cracking that resulted from problems with raw materials used in the manufacturing process. The cracking could cause a fuel leak, which increase the risk of injury by fire.

Under the recall Ducati will notify owners, and its dealers will replace the fuel lines free of charge. Owners can contact Ducati at 800-231-6696 or visit its website at www.ducati.com.

If you’ve been seriously affected by this recall, please contact our firm immediately. You can read about our firm’s experience with personal injury claims here.

York International re-announced the recall of certain furnace models recently, citing the product can overheat, causing a fire hazard.

The dangers are extensive. Overheating may cause the heat-exchanger to crack and create openings that allow flames to be exposed. When this occurs, dry wall and other nearby combustibles are exposed to the flames, posing a fire and smoke hazard to consumers.

The firm originally recalled these furnaces in November 2004, after receiving 27 reports of overheating and fire hazards. However, since the recall, 366 additional incidences have been reported, including some involving extreme property damage.

Manufactured in the U.S. between 1995 and 2000, the recalled furnaces includes about 223,600 in the U.S. and 2,400 in Canada, the Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada reported.

The furnaces are silver with white access panels. The brand names are Coleman, Coleman Evcon, or Red T are located on the middle of the front access panel. The model number is written on the face-plate, found by removing both front access panels. The faceplate is mounted on the left inside surface behind the lower panel. Specific model numbers can be found at the Consumer Product Safety Commission website.

If you’ve been seriously affected by this recall, please contact our firm immediately. You can read about our firm’s experience with personal injury claims here.

Pfizer announced yesterday that it is recalling 1 million packages of its Lo/Ovral-28 tablets and generic Norgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol tablets because the pills in the packaging may be out of order. This mix-up could result in unintended pregnancies.

In the birth control packets affected by the recall, there are 21 days worth of white, active pills (which have hormones in them that prevent pregnancy) and seven days of pink, inert pills (which don’t contain any hormones and are just meant as a placeholder). But according to Pfizer, some of the inert pills are appearing at the wrong time of month, when women are fertile.

Dr. Adam Griffin, an assistant professor in the obstetrics and gynecology department at the University of Rochester Medical Center, indicates that generally, in cases where a woman misses just one pill due to her own forgetfulness, it’s not a big concern, and she should just take it as soon as she remembers (even if it means taking two of the pills in one day). But when more than one consecutive pill is missed, “then there’s an increased risk of contraceptive failure,” he said. The highest risk of pregnancy from the recall would be “if the mislabeled pills were in the week right before the seven days of inert pills, or in the week following the seven days of inert pills.”

Typically, when unprotected sex occurs, a woman has the option of taking a morning after pill in the couple of days following the sexual activity to minimize risk of pregnancy, Griffin said. But in this case, a woman may not know when the unprotected sex occurred because she wouldn’t know which pill in the pack was mislabeled.

According to CNN, women who are taking one of the recalled pills – all of which expire between July 31, 2013 and March 31, 2014 – should return them to the pharmacy, consult their health care providers and begin a non-hormonal barrier contraceptive.

Pfizer has issued a complete list of the recalled pill’s lot numbers on their company website.

If you’ve been seriously affected by this recall, please contact our firm immediately. You can read about our firm’s experience with personal injury claims here.

The organic food market has imploded over the past few years, offering natural, conscience friendly and often scrumptious spreads to millions of Americans. But what makes a food organic is not necessarily food safety, its how the food was grown that earns that little yellow “certified organic” sticker we’ve all come to love. 

Specifically, methods that integrate cultural, biological, and mechanical practices that foster cycling of resources, promote ecological balance, and conserve biodiversity yield certified organic food. Whether the food is properly packaged, stored and cleaned is an entirely different subject. The difference between the terms organic and safe have come to light in the recent months when organic food products such as sprouts and olives have been recalled for salmonella and even botulism concerns. And now,  organic spices are at risk?

Over the past few months Safeway and other big retailers have recalled organic celery seed because a batch of the seeds tested positive for Salmonella, which can cause fatal infections. And recently, Jones’ Mock Salt, a product produced by June Jones a hairdresser in Tacoma Washington,  recalled two of its products, Jones’ Mock Salt Original and Jones’ Mock Salt Spicy Southwest Blend, due to a possibility of salmonella contamination. One of the ingredients in Jones’s secret recipe is organic celery seed, the source of all this trouble.

Recalls and outbreaks caused by contaminated herbs and spices are not uncommon. Hundreds of people in 44 states fell ill with salmonella in 2009 and 2010 after eating Italian-style sausage. Red and black pepper used to season the meat was to blame. Because spices can be contaminated with bacteria and insects, big retailers routinely irradiate spices to kill pathogens.

Starwest Botanicals, Jones’ supplier states that its “products get run through a full gamut of testing by [their] quality assurance department.” However upon questioning whether Starwest irradiated its spices, the response was in the negative.  The seeds in question came from Egypt, which also happens to be the source of the tainted fenugreek seeds that were linked to theE. coli outbreak in sprouts in Germany last year.

Buying organic and local is a noble agenda, but knowing the difference between organic and safe is a smart one.

If you’ve been seriously injured by this product, please contact our firm immediately. You can read about our firm’s experience with personal injury claims here.

By Laura Pittner, January 27, 2011.

Is your office thermostat struggling to keep up with the recent plunge in temperatures? If you are like many others, you may have acquired a portable heater to keep you warm during the working hours. However, if you purchased a Honeywell Surround Select Portable Electric Heater within the last 7 months, you’re likely in possession of a recalled product.

Kaz USA Inc. is recalling about 19,000 Honeywell Surround Select Portable Electric Heaters because the internal housing can detach, posing a burn hazard

The recall includes Honeywell Surround Select Series portable electric heaters with model numbers HZ-420, HZ-430, and HZ-440 and five-digit date codes that have 11 as the last two digits.

They were sold from July 2011 through December 2011 for between $50 and $70. Consumers should contact Kaz for a refund at (800) 370-8137 from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, or www.kaz.com/recall.

If you’ve been seriously injured by this product, please contact our firm immediately. You can read about our firm’s experience with personal injury claims here.

By Laura Pittner, January 19, 2011.

According to the CPSC, yesterday, Big Lots recalled over 43,000 floor lamps due to a potential for exposed sockets and excessive heat generation from the standard 40-watt light bulb recommendation.  Specifically, the wiring for the lamp’s light sockets can become exposed, posing a risk of electric shock to consumers. In addition, use of the recommended standard 40 watt light bulbs can generate excessive heat, which can melt the double plastic shades over the bulbs.  The firm has received four reports of melting lamp shades. No injuries have been reported.

The Classic Quarters five light floor lamps were imported by Big Lots of Columbus, Ohio and sold exclusively at Big Lots stores nationwide from April 2010 through November 2011. The lamps stand about five feet tall and have a gunmetal- or chrome-colored metal pole and five adjustable lights mounted on flexible metal tubes at the top. Dark plastic or multi-colored double plastic shades cover each of the five lights. The lamps were manufactured in China.

Consumers should immediately stop using the lamps and return them to a Big Lots store for a full refund. For additional information, contact Big Lots toll-free at (866) 244-5687 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s website at www.biglots.com.

If you’ve been seriously injured by this product, please contact our firm immediately. You can read about our firm’s experience with personal injury claims here.

By Laura Pittner, January 13, 2011.

Parents have been long unnerved by noisy toys, but this year a consumer advocacy group is highlighting the threat these toys pose to children’s health.

The Illinois Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) released its annual “Trouble in Toyland” report and list of possibly hazardous toys.

The list includes toys the group says contain high levels of lead or phthalates and those that pose choking hazards, including marbles and balls sold without warning labels. New this year to the list are toys found to exceed noise limits that are set to protect against hearing loss, including Elmo’s World Talking Cell Phone and Hot Wheels’ Super Stunt Rat Bomb.

According to PIRG, research has shown a third of Americans with hearing loss can attribute it in part to noise. The third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey showed one in five U.S. children will have some degree of hearing loss by the time they reach age 12; this may be in part due to many children using toys and other children’s products that emit loud sounds such as music players. The National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders advises that prolonged exposure to noise above 85 decibels will cause gradual hearing loss in any age range. PIRG found 1 toy on store shelves that exceeded the recommended continuous exposure to 85-decibel limit and 2 close-to-the-ear toys that exceeded the 65 decibel limit when measured with a digital sound level meter.

Each year PIRG chapters shop for potentially hazardous toys in September and October, then collaborate on testing to produce a list of items that violate or just barely meet safety recommendations from the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the American Academy of Pediatrics, among others.

The group also launched a new interactive and mobile website (toysafety.mobi) aimed at helping shoppers evaluate toy safety while shopping.

For more information on this issue, please click here to read the full article.

You can read about our firm’s experience with personal injury claims here.

By Laura Pittner, January 6, 2011.

On Thursday, December 15, the Food and Drug Administration recalled St. Jude Medical’s Riata defibrillator leads because of their potential to injure or kill patients. (Due to the device’s potential to cause injury, the company stopped selling them over a year ago.) The device remains implanted in some 79,000 patients. The company sent a letter to doctors in late November, informing them that the wires, which are used to connect the devices to the heart, had a higher failure rate than was previously known.

In the letter, the company said the number of leads affected by this problem had gone up by about a third, but remained under 1%. The F.D.A. deemed the letter a Class 1 recall, its most serious designation, because of its potential risks. The wires inside some leads can penetrate the insulation, compromising the device’s integrity. The devices may inappropriately shock some patients and fail to deliver necessary therapy to others, the company said.

For more information on this issue, please click here to read the full article.

If you or a loved one has been harmed by a Riata defibrillator lead, please contact us.  You can read about our firm’s experience with medical device injuries here.

By Laura Pittner, December 16, 2011.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) recently ordered the recall of several do-it-yourself teeth-whitening products because of health concerns.   Nine products sold under the brands White My Bite, White Smile and DaVinci Elite have been taken off the market and the ACCC expects more will follow.

ACCC Commissioner indicates the recall was prompted by reports of tooth injuries from whiteners, including, chemical burns to gums and the mouth,  blistering or ulceration of the mouth and throat, tooth sensitivity, marbled or unnaturally coloured teeth, tissue tingling and headaches. 

The ACCC considers any products containing concentrations of more than 6 per cent hydrogen peroxide or more than 18 per cent carbamide peroxide to be unsafe.

The United States has not instituted similar recalls. A brief scan of do-it-yourself teeth whitening products in the U.S. reveals that while most manufacturers indicate when a peroxide is an ingrediant in their product, the packaging does not specify the percentage content of that ingrediant.

According to the American Dental Association,  at concentrations of 10% hydrogen peroxide or higher, the chemical is potentially corrosive to mucous membranes or skin, and can cause a burning sensation and tissue damage.  Carbamide peroxide always contains hydrogen peroxide (for example 10% carbamide peroxide  contains 3.5% hydrogen peroxide).

The ADA reports the hydrogen peroxide content in at-home bleaching products usually ranges from 3 per cent to 10 per cent; however, there have been home-use products containing up to 15 percent hydrogen peroxide.  In fact, the ADA does not recommend unsupervised us of peroxide-based bleaching materials citing specifically that more studies concentrated on at home bleaching materials are needed.

For more information on this issue, please click here to read the full article.

You can read about our firm’s experience with personal injury claims here.

By Laura Pittner, December 9, 2011.

General Motors rarely offers to buy back its products. But, on Thursday, in an interview with The Associated Press, G.M.’s chief executive, Daniel F. Akerson, defended the safety of the plug-in hybrid vehicle but said the automakers would purchase Volts from unsatisfied customers.

Such a buyback is unusual for car companies, which typically institute recalls when regulators or customers report problems with cars or parts.

The Volt has come under scrutiny after the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration said on Nov. 25 that it had opened a defect investigation into the car’s 400-pound battery pack.

Two Volt batteries caught on fire after crash simulations, the agency said. One fire occurred three weeks after the battery was damaged, and a more recent test resulted in a fire one week later. Another pack emitted smoke and a spark in the aftermath of a crash test.

In a separate interview with Reuters, Mr. Akerson said that G.M. would make changes to the Volt’s battery pack if they were recommended by federal officials.

The latest developments came the same day that G.M. reported that November was the best month for Volt sales since the car was introduced late last year.

G.M. executives have repeatedly defended the safety of the Volt since the federal inquiry opened, noting that there have been no reports of fires in real-world crashes.

The company has asserted that the bigger issue is how the lithium-ion battery is handled by emergency personnel and maintenance technicians after an accident.