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Consumer Protection

Some Coronavirus Stimulus Funds Appear to be Junk Mail, and Are Getting Tossed

By Amy Martyn on June 9, 2020

Orvie Nix, a retiree in Amarillo, Texas, had expected his family would get its stimulus funds with a letter signed by President Trump, or by direct deposit in his bank account. Instead, Nix got an envelope in the mail from “Money Network Cardholder Services”, containing a prepaid debit card. The plain envelope seemed typical of the unwanted financial offers that flood the mail. Like an unknown number of others, Nix assumed his payment was junk mail, and put it in the shredder.

Categories: Consumer Protection, Recent Stories | 9 Comments
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Consumer Protection

Courtroom Battle Could Lead to Limits on Fluoridation of Drinking Water

By Dan Ross on June 8, 2020

A federal court trial underway in San Francisco could spell the beginning of the end of water fluoridation in America, potentially affecting drinking water supplies for hundreds of millions of people across the U.S.

Categories: Consumer Protection, Public Health | 17 Comments
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Consumer Protection

Advocates Slam Federal Highway Safety Officials, Automakers Over Delays in Airbag Recalls

By Eli Wolfe on June 4, 2020

General Motors has fought orders to replace allegedly defective Takata airbags in over six million of its pickup trucks and SUVs, arguing in a series of petitions that the recall is unnecessary because the airbags are safe. Four years after receiving the first of the petitions, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has yet to rule on them, leaving vehicle owners in limbo.

Categories: Consumer Protection, Transportation Safety  Tags: Auto and Highway Safety, Government accountability | 0 Comments
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Consumer Protection

Engulfed in Lawsuits, Johnson & Johnson to Halt North American Sales of Talc-Based Johnson’s Baby Powder

By Myron Levin on May 20, 2020

Johnson & Johnson announced that it will halt North American sales of its talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder, a product that for decades evoked images of cherubic infants and adoring moms, but in recent years has dragged the company into a quagmire of expensive litigation.

Categories: Consumer Protection, Public Health | 1 Comments
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Consumer Protection

Precious Keepsake or Needless Risk? Ultrasound Businesses Peddle Fetal Photos to Anxious Parents

By Amy Martyn on May 14, 2020

The FDA has repeatedly urged expectant mothers to avoid medically unnecessary ultrasounds, like those performed for entertainment's sake at keepsake ultrasound clinics. The situation reflects a misconception, even among some medical professionals, that repeated, long-term exposure is proven to be harmless to the developing fetus.

Categories: Consumer Protection, Oldies but Goodies, Public Health  Tags: FDA | 1 Comments
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Consumer Protection

A Moving Story

By Brian Joseph on December 6, 2016

About 35 million Americans will make local or long-distance moves over the next year, and many are at risk of coming into contact with a scammer. The problem, however, is particularly acute for moves made across state lines. States regulate local moves within their borders, but the federal government oversees interstate moves – and it devotes few resources to regulation and enforcement.

Categories: Consumer Protection, Labor  Tags: Consumer Protection | 5 Comments
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