Authorities launch crackdown on companies marketing unapproved painkillers. The Food and Drug Administration is taking aim at companies that sell versions of the powerful painkiller oxycodone that have not undergone federal review. The drug is marketed legally by companies like Purdue Pharma, which sells the time-release pill OxyContin. However, other companies have marketed similar pills for years without FDA scrutiny to determine if they are safe and effective. Oxycodone and other opioid painkillers are among the nation’s most widely abused drugs. The Associated Press
Deaths at early ages in Nigeria blamed on pollution and poverty. At 47 years, the country’s life expectancy is among the lowest in West Africa, a report from Nigeria’s Center for Disease Control says. Some doctors blame pollution. Lead poisoning has killed more than 400 kids under age five in one state since 2010, and Niger Delta families say drinking water contaminated by oil drilling weakens children’s immune systems. Others blame poverty. Nigeria’s health minister disputed the report, saying state efforts to fight malaria and polio have improved lifespans, though maternal and child death rates remain high. Voice of America, The Nation (Lagos)
Safety experts say yacht that capsized, killing three children, was severely overcrowded. The 34-foot yacht was carrying 27 people watching Fourth of July fireworks when it tipped over off the north shore of Long Island, N.Y. The three victims were trapped in the cabin. The 24 other passengers, adults and children, were rescued from the waters. One safety instructor said he would limit a vessel of that size to six adults. “Twenty-seven is just crazy,” he said. Nassau County Detective Lt. John Azzata was more circumspect, saying the cause is under investigation and that it could have been overcrowding, weather, the wake from another vessel or a combination of factors. The Associated Press, The Wall Street Journal
Shell Oil eager to start Arctic drilling, but its spill cleanup barge still lacks approval. The Arctic Challenger, a 37-year-old barge undergoing a multimillion-dollar retrofit, has failed to meet U.S. Coast Guard standards requiring it to be able to withstand the force of a 100-year storm. Shell argues the ship should need to meet only a 10-year storm standard. U.S. inspectors also are insisting on electrical, piping and fire protection improvements. Shell can’t get final drilling permits until the ship obtains Coast Guard certification. The delays narrow Shell’s window to begin drilling in the Arctic , a new frontier in U.S. oil exploration. Drilling operations will need to halt in the fall before winter’s sea ice advances. Los Angeles Times
Metal fabricator faces up to $138,765 in new fines for failing to correct hazards. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration last year accused Simtek Inc. of Amityville, N.Y., of 20 violations and proposed $60,600 in penalties. The charges followed a June, 2011 accident in which an employee lost five fingers after his hand was caught in a roller machine. In a follow-up visit, OSHA found that Simtek failed to correct, or repeated, more than half of the initial violations. OSHA said its proposed new fines reflect “the severity of these hazards – which expose workers to potential amputation and crushing injuries, and electrocution – as well as this employer’s unacceptable failure to effectively correct them.” OSHA, Long Island Business News, Newsday
Safety officials cite employers in New Jersey and Florida. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration accused Earth Friendly Products of 23 violations at its Norwood, N.J., plant and proposed fines of $124,000. OSHA said workers were exposed to machines lacking safety guards, along with confined space and flammable liquid storage problems and other hazards. Separately, OSHA proposed $124,600 in fines overall against two Florida companies, Major Plumbing and MAPP Construction, for trench hazards. OSHA investigated after a worker suffered a broken hip and required hospitalization after being buried in a January trench collapse. The construction was for a new Wal-Mart in Bradenton, Fla. OSHA, The Record (N.J.), Bradenton Herald (Fla.)
Recalls: Twist’n Sparkle Beverage Carbonation System
Compiled by Stuart Silverstein and Bridget Huber
