Despite the efforts of Customs and Border Protection agents, counterfeiters are passing off ineffective refrigerator water filters to many thousands of consumers, who think they are buying the real thing. The fakes may not only be useless, but unsafe. Along with failing to do what they claim, counterfeits can introduce chemicals such as arsenic and octane, a petroleum-derived solvent, into users’ drinking water.
In an age of distortion, propaganda and fake news, medical literature might seem to be a safe space for honest scientific inquiry, with no room for bias or spin. It isn’t so. Court proceedings, investigations and whistleblower accounts have revealed a long history of drug companies manipulating the literature to promote their drugs or disparage rival products–with the aim of getting doctors to prescribe more of their meds
Without admitting liability, Toyota since 2014 has quietly settled 537 lawsuits blaming sudden unintended acceleration for crashes that caused deaths or serious injuries. Automotive safety advocates see the complaints as a sign that Toyota and federal regulators failed to properly address the root of the problem when they had the opportunity years earlier.
President Trump is revoking California’s authority to set its own vehicle emissions standards, setting the stage for a Supreme Court battle.
A new report finds some companies hide or ignore recall notices about their products on their websites and in online posts.
The shooting massacre in Odessa, Texas, highlighted gaps in the system of background checks. The shooter’s effort to buy a gun from a licensed dealer was rejected, so he turned to private market instead.
Grade inflation in school makes it difficult to distinguish who is actually achieving in the classroom. The federal government’s vehicle safety rating system suffers the same problem. Today, 98 percent of all vehicles tested receive four or five stars for crashworthiness. Consumer advocates and safety experts say it’s time to raise the bar for the New Car Assessment Program, which hasn’t been updated in nearly 10 years.
Fresh off a spat with car makers, the Trump administration seems to be walking into another fight with a big industry over whether deregulation is going too far. The EPA has laid out a plan to roll back regulation of methane gas, saying it will save the oil and gas industry money.
Convenience, selection and quick delivery have made Amazon a trusted brand. But a team of Wall Street Journal reporters found thousands of products for sale on Amazon that wouldn’t be permitted on the shelves of big box stores because they had been deemed unsafe or were outright banned by federal regulators.
Food and Drug Administration for the second time proposes a series of graphic warning labels for cigarette packs and advertising, but could face another legal challenge from the tobacco industry
Environment 
Public Health 
Consumer Protection Editor's note: See update at end of story.
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