Defective & Dangerous Products

• Judges Ruling Causes Marketing Problems for Big Tobacco

  Joe Saunders | August 23, 2006 6:35 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  Now that U.S. District Judge Gladys Kessler's ruling makes it more difficult for big tobacco companies to market their deadly products in an overtly deceptive fashion, their marketing gurus will have to come up with new ways to keep smokers hooked to their habits. Unless the new court ruling is overturned on appeal, cigarette manufacturers will have to abandon marketing words such as "light"...

• 100,000 or More Lawsuits to be Filed Against Big Tobacco

  Joe Saunders | August 22, 2006 10:36 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  Victims of big tobacco will finally get their day in court after a US District Judge ruled yesterday that the cigarette manufacturers have conspired to withhold the deadly effects and addictive qualities of tobacco from the public. The ruling found Philip Morris, RJ Reynolds, Brown & Williamson, British American Tobacco, and Lorillard Tobacco guilty of misleading the public about tobacco's...

• Computer Battery Fires and Consumer Safety

  Joe Saunders | August 16, 2006 8:41 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  In the midst of the latest terror threat, a little known safety problem has taken front and center. In a story published in the Wall St. Journal, Dell Inc. has recalled 4 million of its computers due to safety issues with notebook computer batteries that overheat and cause fires. Dell has received six reports from consumers about batteries overheating, resulting in property damage to furniture...

• Taser Gunned Down

  Joe Saunders | August 10, 2006 8:55 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  Stun gun maker Taser International Inc. has agreed to pay $20 million dollars to settle lawsuits against its products. After initially stating that it would fight the lawsuits to the bitter end, the company now says it's best to settle the cases and move on. The lawsuits have claimed that the company overstated the safety of the stun gun.

• University of Miami Study Raises More Questions About Fusarium Fungus

  Joe Saunders | June 14, 2006 8:39 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  A report from researchers at the University of Miami raises more questions about the recent problems associated with Bausch & Lomb's ReNu contact lens solution.The University of Miami Miller School of Medicine reports 34 cases of fungal keratitis associated with soft contact lens use between January 2004 and April 2006. Compare that to the previous numbers from the same institution: only three...

• Large Corporations Pressure EPA to Approve Dangerous Pesticides

  Joe Saunders | June 02, 2006 8:27 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  Agricultural and chemical companies are lobbying the EPA to approve license extensions for approximately 20 pesticides that are suspected to retard brain growth in unborn babies and children. The pesticides include Orthene, Trithion, Nemacur and Dursban, are generally sold for use on farms rather than in homes. In spite of its function as a regulatory agency, the EPA has been criticized for...

• Doctor Links Fusarium Keratitis to Bausch & Lomb Solution

  Joe Saunders | May 19, 2006 2:10 PM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  Dr. Deepinder Dhaliwal, Director of Refractive Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, has tested the ReNu with MoistureLoc contact lens solution and found the fusarium keratitis fungus growing within it. The results were turned over to the CDC. This is a significant discovery since, in all likelihood, Bausch & Lomb officials will blame contact lens solution users for the...

• Beijing Bausch & Lomb Stops Selling ReNu Products

  Joe Saunders | May 12, 2006 6:28 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  Bausch & Lomb has decided to withdraw its ReNu contact lens solution from the Chinese markets. ReNu has come under intense scrutiny as well as several lawsuits for its link to a severe fungal infection called fusarium keratitis. Though rare, the fungus can cause blindness if not detected and treated promptly.

• Bausch & Lomb Not Forthcoming on ReNu Products

  Joe Saunders | April 29, 2006 8:20 AM | 0 CommentsSarasota, FL

  Bausch & Lomb, the maker of ReNu contact lens solution, didn't bother to notify the FDA or the American public about infections Hong Kong officials found in the product in November 2005. This is important because the product sold in Hong Kong is manufactured at the same Carolina plant that supplies the contact lens solution to stores in the United States.