By Paul Feldman on November 29, 2017
Anti-smoking groups, frustrated by federal inaction on restricting menthol cigarettes, are taking matters into their own hands. In recent months, cities ranging from Oakland and Los Gatos, Calif., to Minneapolis and St. Paul have passed laws limiting the availability of menthol cigarettes, which health advocates say have a particular appeal to beginning smokers. St. Paul…
Posted in FairWarning Reports | Tagged Consumer Protection, Smoking and Tobacco Industry |
By Paul Feldman on October 26, 2017
Amid complaints by consumers about fumes and carbon monoxide seeping into the cabins of Ford Explorers, the nation’s No. 2 automaker next week will launch a free servicing program. Ford continues to insist that the vehicles are safe, despite complaints from more than 2,000 motorists who say they have been inhaling exhaust in their Explorers….
Posted in FairWarning Reports | Tagged Air Pollution/Toxic Exposure, Auto and Highway Safety, Consumer Protection |
By Paul Feldman on October 16, 2017
Scientists have known for decades that drinking water contaminated by fertilizer nitrates can pose a threat to infants by undermining the ability of their blood to carry oxygen. The condition, known as ‘blue baby syndrome,” led federal regulators to impose an environmental standard of no more than 10 parts per million, or ppm, for nitrates in…
Posted in FairWarning Reports | Tagged Consumer Protection, Drinking Water |
By Paul Feldman on September 28, 2017
More than one in every four vehicles being sold by used car giant CarMax are under recall for safety flaws, including some with potentially deadly defects, according to a survey by auto safety groups. The safety groups, which are waging a court battle to revamp used car sales practices, say the survey underscores the need…
Posted in FairWarning Reports | Tagged Auto and Highway Safety, Consumer Protection, Product Hazards and Recalls |
By Paul Feldman on September 14, 2017
As tech companies and automakers, cheered on by the federal government, race to test and promote autonomous vehicles, several surveys show that most motorists don’t want to drive, ride in or be on the road anywhere near them. What’s more, as development efforts pick up steam, the level of public skepticism seems to be mounting….
Posted in FairWarning Reports | Tagged Auto and Highway Safety, Cell Phones, Consumer Protection, Gadgets and Distracted Driving |
By Paul Feldman on August 1, 2017
More than 14,000 people, including roughly 3,200 children age 15 or younger, have been killed in crashes of all-terrain vehicles since federal safety officials began keeping track in the early 1980s. Studies have shown (here and here) that over half of the deaths occur on public or private roads — even though ATVs are required…
Posted in FairWarning Reports | Tagged Auto and Highway Safety, Consumer Protection, Off-Road Vehicles |
By Paul Feldman on July 13, 2017
Graham Brown was headed to his job as a computer technician when a drowsy big-rig driver swerved into his path and struck his car, sending it flying off a rural Illinois road and into a field. Brown was airlifted to a hospital for a six-hour surgery that saved his life. He suffered collapsed lungs, broken…
Posted in FairWarning Reports | Tagged Auto and Highway Safety, Consumer Protection |
By Paul Feldman on June 20, 2017
More than 200 scientists and public health advocates are urging regulators to take a closer look at the potential dangers of antimicrobial chemicals including triclosan, an additive that has been banned from hand soaps but remains an active ingredient in products ranging from building materials to Colgate’s Total toothpaste. The call for better labeling and…
Posted in FairWarning Reports | Tagged Air Pollution/Toxic Exposure, Consumer Protection, Pharmaceutical Industry and Drugs, Product Hazards and Recalls |
By Paul Feldman on June 7, 2017
Editor’s note: See update at bottom of story. Each year, roughly three dozen children die of heatstroke in unattended vehicles. Today three congressmen and a coalition of safety groups announced plans to do something about it, through legislation to require alerts in cars as a reminder that there may still be a child in the…
Posted in FairWarning Reports | Tagged Auto and Highway Safety |
By Paul Feldman on May 30, 2017
In the four months since President Trump took office, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued four news releases announcing penalties for job safety violations. By the end of May last year, it had issued 199. The recent reticence has spurred six U.S. senators, all Democrats, to ask what’s up at OSHA. In…
Posted in FairWarning Reports | Tagged Environmental Safety and Health, Workplace, Workplace Safety and Health |
