Sarasota Personal Injury Lawyer

Cancer Spike Leads to Radon Testing in Palm Beach County

Joe Saunders — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 10:55:24 GMT

Residents of The Acreage, a semi-rural community in Palm Beach County have experienced an unusual and alarming spike in the diagnoses of cancer, especially in children. The spike has led Palm Beach County Health Department officials to seek radon tests in the area. The radon screening will take place in a dozen Acreage homes where children have been diagnosed with brain cancer.

In a community of approximately 50,000 residents, there are 14 children reportedly diagnosed with brain cancer. Radon is the suspected culprit since well water tests taken last year showed signs of elevated levels of radium and other radioactive materials. According to an investigative report written by Jane Akre, an IB blogger, the radioactive materials may be coming from the Pratt & Whitney site which is now cleaning up from a toxic spill on its site.

Akre wrote in an Injury Board post published January 8, 2010, "In the 1980s the company has its own on-site cancer scare and is cleaning up petroleum in the groundwater as well as various metals and volatile organic compounds, inclulding a chemical solvent the company used, which is a likely human carcinogen, called 1,4-dioxane, jet fuel, and PCBs."

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Joe Saunders

Sarasota Hospital CEO Receives $91,000 Raise

Joe Saunders — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 09:11:24 GMT

Sarasota Memorial Hospital CEO Gwen MacKenzie received an early Christmas present. The hospital CEO got a $91,000 pay increase. Only one board member responsible for giving the pay increase objected to it.

According to the Sarasota Herald Tribune, "Dr. Thomas Kelly, a cardiovascular surgeon who has been on staff at the hospital for more than 25 years and who is also an elected board member, called the 15 percent increase excessive.

"It's just excessive in this economy, in this state of national CEO pay questioning," Kelly said in an interview after the meeting.

In the wake of the national healthcare reform debate, the raise seems to be an odd response to providing more affordable care to more people.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Joe Saunders

Time Running Out on Chinese Drywall Class Action Lawsuit

Joe Saunders — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:03:43 GMT

The deadline for inclusion in the Chinese drywall class lawsuit against defendant Knauf is only a few weeks away. If your home has been affected by Chinese drywall and you'd like to participate in the class action lawsuit, now is the time to contact a lawyer so that a home inspection can be scheduled to determine if the Chinese drywall in your home was manufactured by Knauf. Once this deadline passes, you may miss the opportunity to recover damages against the company for the damage to your home. Names of those affected by the Knauf Chinese drywall must be submitted no later than December 2, 2009.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Joe Saunders

Chinese Drywall Class Action Lawsuit Deadline Looming Against Defendant Knauf

Joe Saunders — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:47:05 GMT

The class action lawsuit against one of the largest Chinese drywall defendants, Knauf Tianjin, has a very tight deadline for those to join the omnibus class action lawsuit, December 2, 2009. Knauf, one of the main importers of the Chinese drywall into the US, agreed to accept service in the United States. However, the December 2nd deadline will not allow any exceptions.

If you suspect you have a Chinese drywall problem in your home and you want to participate in the Chinese drywall class action lawsuit, you must call an attorney immediately. Failure to act promptly may result in the forfeiture of your legal rights concerning Chinese drywall problems.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Joe Saunders

Chinese Drywall Contamination Prompts Meeting Between US and China

Joe Saunders — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:50:17 GMT

Officials from the Consumer Products Safety Commission plan to meet with their Chinese counterparts and seek their assistance and cooperation in dealing with the Chinese drywall contamination problem that has plagued US homeowners. According to CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum, Chinese officials have a duty to engage in finding solutions to the problem.

“All we’re asking is for them to realize that in the global economy everyone has to be responsible to the end user, the consumer. We’re asking them to participate in this in ways that are just and fair.”

Tons of contaminated Chinese drywall, also known as gypsum or wallboard have been imported into the US in order for contractors to keep up with the housing boom that took place earlier this decade. The contaminated drywall has cost significant damage to homes, particularly in the southern United States where the drywall has corroded electrical wiring and outlets.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Joe Saunders

Chinese Drywall Homeowners Receive Property Value Reduction in Lee County

Joe Saunders — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 09:14:39 GMT

Homes that have been affected by the Chinese Drywall debacle in Lee County will receive a 50% reduction in their market value according to Ken Wilkinson, Lee County property appraiser. According to a story in the News-Press, 1,086 homeowners in Lee County were sent letters informing them of the reduction in market value due to the Chinese Drywall problem.

The residents that receive the market value reduction have had to meet the criteria established by Florida's Department of Health.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Joe Saunders

Chinese Drywall Townhall Held in Lee County

Joe Saunders — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:57:18 GMT

Chinese drywall concerns led many Lee County residents to attend a town hall style forum to hear experts discuss the problem in Cape Coral yesterday. The attendees heard presentations from Jason Robertson of Urban Habitats, U.S. Building Consultants Inc., Forensic Investigator and Consultant Spiderman Mulholland. The growing Chinese drywall contamination problem began in Florida a few years ago and has affected thousands of Florida residents and many others across the country.

The contaminated Chinese drywall had been imported during the construction boom and has led to a federal investigation of the issue. It's estimated that approximately 36,000 Florida homes are contaminated with the tainted drywall. According to Spiderman Mulholland, who called the problem the biggest environmental disaster in US history,

"I believe we won't fully know what we're dealing with for at least another year or two," he said, adding that medical experts predict it will take about 3 and a half years before the adverse health effects caused by hydrogen sulfide and other chemicals in the drywall will be thoroughly understood.

Physical evidence suggests Chinese drywall causes health problems and could even threaten lives, and chemical treatments are ineffective, Mulholland said.

"If you have Chinese drywall in your home, you need to get it out," he said. "It would be nice to leave the drywall in and just fix the problem, but that's not going to happen, not if you want to get back the value of your home."

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Joe Saunders

Alli and Xenical Receive FDA Review After Reports of Liver Injury

Joe Saunders — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 08:49:15 GMT

The FDA is reviewing diet drugs Alli and Xenical after 32 adverse event reports associated the drugs with liver injury. Alli is manufactured and marketed by GlaxoSmithKline and is available as an over-the-counter weight loss supplement. Xenical, which contains twice the dose of orlistat, is a prescription drug that's manufactured by Roche and marketed by GlaxoSmithKline.

All of the reported liver injuries occured outside of the United States and 27 of the patients were hospitalized with six reports of liver failure. All but two of the adverse event reports concerned the stronger prescription drug Xenical.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Joe Saunders

Electronic Cigarettes Receive FDA Warning

Joe Saunders — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 11:28:50 GMT

The FDA has issued a public health warning about the e-cigarettes being aggressively marketed to younger smokers. The electronic cigarettes contain a chemical found in anti-freeze, diethylene glycol as well as known carcinogens. These cigarettes are filled with highly-addictive nicotine and flavors that are converted into vapor inhaled by the smoker.

These cigarettes have not been submitted to the FDA for evaluation so there's no telling what other types of toxic chemicals are contained in the e-cigarettes. According to the FDA advisory, "The FDA’s Division of Pharmaceutical Analysis analyzed the ingredients in a small sample of cartridges from two leading brands of electronic cigarettes. In one sample, the FDA’s analyses detected diethylene glycol, a chemical used in antifreeze that is toxic to humans, and in several other samples, the FDA analyses detected carcinogens, including nitrosamines. These tests indicate that these products contained detectable levels of known carcinogens and toxic chemicals to which users could potentially be exposed.

The FDA has been examining and detaining shipments of e-cigarettes at the border and the products it has examined thus far meet the definition of a combination drug-device product under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The FDA has been challenged regarding its jurisdiction over certain e-cigarettes in a case currently pending in federal district court. The agency is also planning additional activities to address its concerns about these products."

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Joe Saunders

Acetaminophen Safety and the FDA

Joe Saunders — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:39:50 GMT

Last week's FDA panel decision to ban painkillers Vicodin and Percocet as well as limit acetaminophen has a long and complicated backstory. The call for banning Vicodin and Percocet was in part a reaction to the chemical composition of the two painkillers which combine a narcotic with the ubiquitous acetaminophen.

Yet, acetaminophen's detractors have been around for years in spite of a successful pharmaceutical marketing program that's convinced the general public that the drug is completely safe. The acetaminophen marketing campaign may be best illustrated in the brand Tylenol. The makers of Tylenol launched an aggressive campaign in the 1980's after it was discovered that the over the counter drug had been tainted. This campaign, which led to new and effective safety measures also carried with it a side effect. Consumers became convinced that there was nothing wrong with popping a few Tylenol for every ache and pain without regard for the amount of acetaminophen ingested. In some cases, this has led to liver failure.

Finally, last week, the FDA decided it was time to issue a statement about proper dosage and use of acetaminophen. At this point, it's too early to tell what if anything the FDA plans to do with the popular acetaminophen but the statement should serve as a reminder to all consumers that overuse can have potentially lethal consequences.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Joe Saunders