marvinlundy March 26th, 2010
You may have seen this article in the March 25 Inquirer. It’s very sad…a warning to parents.
Since Feb. 20, 2009, Anthoinette Medley has been living a parent’s worst nightmare.
That was the day Medley tucked her 7-week-old twins into matching SlingRider baby carriers, one on each shoulder, for a trip into Center City. When she ran into a friend at the Gallery, she wanted to show off her baby boys, Nelsir and Timir Scott. But when she opened Nelsir’s sling, he didn’t seem to be breathing.
Today, 13 months after Nelsir’s death, Medley won a small victory: Infantino L.L.C., the San Diego company that makes the SlingRider and the identical Wendy Bellissimo infant sling, said it had agreed to recall about a million of the slings sold in the last seven years at stores such as Wal-Mart, Target, and Babies R Us.
Popularity: 33% [?]
marvinlundy March 26th, 2010
The FDA has agreed on increased restrictions on tanning bed use for people under 18
ABC World News (3/25, story 9, 1:20 Muir) reported, “Tonight, there is late word from federal safety officials who are poised to crack down on indoor tanning beds. Twenty-eight million Americans tan indoors every year, and now a panel of experts is so alarmed by the dangers of skin cancer, it’s making some pretty bold warnings.” ABC senior medical editor Richard Besser, MD, explained that “a panel of experts put together by the Food and Drug Administration…reached broad agreement that there need to be increased restrictions on the use of these tanning beds for everyone under 18.”
The CBS Evening News (3/25, story 7, 0:15, Rodriguez) reported that panel’s proposed new restrictions range “from requiring parental consent forms to banning the machines outright.”
But, because tanning beds themselves are not medical devices, the agency can only put restrictions on the lamps the beds use, the Wall Street Journal (3/26, Dooren) reports. In order to do that, the FDA could reclassify the lamps. That would force tanning bed manufacturers to get agency marketing approval of the beds.
According to theAP (3/26, Perrone), “The FDA has regulated sunlamps for more than 20 years, but a recent report by the World Health Organization tied the devices to skin cancer, prompting a call for tougher rules.” In fact, “the WHO analysis showed that” melanoma, “the deadliest form of skin cancer increases 75 percent in people who use tanning beds in their teens and 20s.”
Popularity: 22% [?]
marvinlundy March 26th, 2010
The AP (3/25) reported, “Evenflo is recalling 150,000 wooden gates that block stairways from young children. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says the slats on Evenflo Top-of-Stair Plus gates can break or detach, allowing children to access the stairs. The company has received 142 reports of broken or detached slats, including three reports of children who breached the gate and gained access to the stairs.”
Popularity: 32% [?]
marvinlundy March 24th, 2010
CNN has posted a very interesting Q&A regarding questions that people are asking about the new Health Care Bill that has been signed into law by the President.
Popularity: 21% [?]
marvinlundy March 24th, 2010
As you know, President Barack Obama has signed into law the most sweeping overhaul of U.S. health care since Medicare. However, the Associated Press reports that the Senate is has one last act in the in the epic struggle is still playing out in the Senate. Senators are debating a package of fixes to the new health law, demanded by House Democrats as their price for passing the mammoth overhaul legislation that will extend coverage to 32 million uninsured Americans over the next decade. Obama signed the bill on Tuesday, declaring “a new season in America” as he sealed a victory denied to a line of presidents stretching back more than half a century.
Popularity: 20% [?]