Labeling mishaps on oral drugs have surfaced much too often lately. In February, two birth control manufacturers announced recalls of their oral contraceptives due to labeling errors on product packaging. The mistake put thousands of women at risk to unintended pregnancy. Now, a Canadian drug manufacturer, Rexall, announced a packaging error on its over-the-counter extra strength sinus relief daytime and nighttime caplets. The daytime and nighttime tablets, together in one “combo pack” are mislabeled. The text printed on the back of the blister foil incorrectly identifies the nighttime caplets as the daytime caplets and the daytime caplets as nighttime caplets.

Compared with the daytime caplets, the nighttime caplets also contain enough diphenhydramine hydrochloride to be used as a sleep aid. Taking a nighttime caplet during the day may result in drowsiness and have safety consequences when engaging in activities requiring alertness, such as driving.

Health Canada is not aware of any reports of injury or adverse reaction due to this labelling error. However, consumers mistaking the nighttime caplets for daytime caplets may be more prone to serious accidents due to the sedation or sleepiness associated with the use of diphenhydramine.

The product was available in retail stores across Canada. The company is advising wholesalers, pharmacies and other retail locations to return unused tablets from the affected lot to their distributor or Vita Health for destruction. While there is no information that indicates these products were sold directly in the United States, Rexal products generally are available in the U.S., although sales are mainly limited to herbal supplements.

For more information concerning the recall consumers should contact Vita Health Products directly at 1-800-665-8820.

Health Canada is monitoring the recall by Vita Health Products and will continue to provide updates to Canadians if new safety information is identified.

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.

We’ve heard that a manufacturer or retailer must recall products when it knows the product may be dangerous to consumers. In fact, the safety obligations placed on manufacturers and retailers in the U.S. market help make consumerism a safer endeavor here than it is in other countries. However, when a recalled product is RE-SOLD by the retailer, the entire purpose of the recall is defeated. Right?

But, that is exactly what occurred recently. According to the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), certain recalled products, originally sold at Meijer, Inc., were resold after the recall date due to an error. These recalled products were improperly disposed of by offering them for sale at discount retailers, dollar stores, liquidation firms, flea markets and thrift stores nationwide at various prices. 

The resale of recalled products is illegal. Its unclear at this point if criminal charges will be assessed upon the resellers. Many law firms argue that more obligations must be placed on the stores acquiring the recalled goods for resale.

A particular issue with the resale of recalled products exists within second hand and discount stores, where store owners purchase somewhat defective goods, in order to obtain a lower price. The majority of consumers to discount stores – people of lower income – are thus in more danger than those individuals of higher income, who are less likely to shop at such stores. The store owners operate with lower priced – higher risk goods, and with a less powerful clientele. For those reasons, discount stores must be required to pay closer attention to the safety of the products on their shelves.

Some attorneys allege that the store owner must be pressured to check the CPSC to ensure its products have not been recalled. As of yet however, other than the general law against the resale of recalled products, there are no regulations in place requiring second hand or discount stores to take extra precautions.

One thing is clear, there is absolutely no justification for the resale of a recalled product. If the law is not adequate to prevent this injustice from occurring, the law must be changed.

The CPSC warns that consumers should stop using these recalled products immediately and contact the recalling firms listed below to participate in their individual recall programs.

Please visit the CPSC website for a complete list of the affected products.

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.

In light of the recent Honda hiccups, for example thousands of recalls due to defective airbag inflators and faulty breaks in 2011 and 2010, one would presume the company previously known for its quality and reliability would make a quick turn around for the new year. However, by the way things have been going, it appears the unreliable side of Honda is rearing its ugly head. 

The automaker on Wednesday recalled 45,800 of its Odyssey minivans because the gas-filled struts that hold up the rear hatch could fail unexpectedly leading to potentially serious injuries. It’s the third safety-related service action since just the beginning of February and the fourth since the beginning of 2012.  This less than two months after the December recall of 273,000 Honda and Acura products due to potentially defective airbag inflators. In 2011, Honda recalled more vehicles than any other manufacturer operating in the U.S. market.

While the automaker is still ranked one of the most high-quality and reliable manufacturers in the industry, that could be changing.  According to George Peterson, chief analyst with AutoPacific, Inc. ,  surveys are already showing a decline in consideration for Honda – a term referring to the number of buyers who put a particular brand on their shopping list.

While the 2012 recalls have been modest compared to previous years, the trend certainly cannot be helpful to the company. Owning any vehicle should not mean constantly worrying whether it contains some dangerous defect, that might materialize at any moment.

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

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.