Category Archives: Consumer Information

Nearly Two Million Baby Monitors Recalled After Infant Deaths

Written On February 15, 2011 By Bob Kraft

Here’s a frightening story — almost 2,000,000 baby monitors produced by Summer Infant have been recalled because two children strangled in their cribs after getting tangled in the devices’ electrical cords. What a terrible thing for a parent to face. This announcement was made by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. One of the deaths was in [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices

Featured Link – Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

Written On February 9, 2011 By Bob Kraft

The new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has launched its Web site, and it looks promising. The CFPB will work to ensure that financial companies make the true price clear to consumers so they can make the decisions that are best for them. Companies shouldn’t compete by figuring out how to fool you best. Transparency means [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Featured Link

Mature Driver Advice Helps Aging Drivers Match Vehicles to Physical Changes

Written On January 20, 2011 By Bob Kraft

AAA Texas has a good article on their site about choosing a vehicle for an elderly person to drive. The research for the article was done by AAA in conjunction with the University of Florida’s National Older Driver Research and Training Center (NODRTC).
This is assuming of course that the person is capable of driving safely. [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Vehicle Law or News

Study Says Splitting Pills Can Be Dangerous

Written On January 12, 2011 By Bob Kraft

Here’s something I hadn’t thought about before — a new study claims that the popular money-saving method of buying large pills and splitting them into smaller doses can be dangerous. The study was mentioned in the Los Angeles Times, and the bottom line is that splitting pills, even with a device made for the purpose, [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices

Albuterol Used in Nebulizers is Recalled

Written On January 5, 2011 By Bob Kraft

This recall notice is from the site WebMD.com:
The Ritedose Corporation has recalled some single-dose vials of Albuterol Sulfate Inhalation Solution because an incorrect label could lead to a possible overdose.
The recall includes 0.083% Albuterol Sulfate Inhalation Solution, 3 mL (in 25-, 30-, and 60-unit dose vials) because the 2.5 mg/3 mL single-use vials are mislabeled [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices

Featured Link – Safest Vehicles for 2011

Written On December 22, 2010 By Bob Kraft

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has released its annual list of safest vehicles. You can see the entire list on the Top Safety Picks page.

Posted in Consumer Information, Featured Link, Vehicle Law or News

After Dozens of Deaths, Drop-Side Cribs Finally Outlawed

Written On December 22, 2010 By Bob Kraft

I know that you, and your parents, and probably your grandparents, used drop-side cribs as infants, and you all turned out just fine. But these cribs are dangerous, and after a couple of years of writing about their dangers, I am very happy that the government has finally, after dozens of toddler deaths, banned all [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices

Senate Food-Safety Bill Strengthens FDA Authority

Written On December 20, 2010 By Bob Kraft

The Washington Post (12/20, Layton) reports, “A bill that would overhaul the nation’s food-safety laws for the first time since the Great Depression came roaring back to life Sunday as Senate Democrats struck a deal with Republicans that helped overcome a technical mistake made three weeks ago and a filibuster threat that seemed likely to [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Political and/or Judicial

Featured Link – ClickCheckAndProtect.org

Written On December 16, 2010 By Bob Kraft

Click, Check, and Protect is a program by Consumer Reports to help consumers find out if products they are considering obtaining have been recalled for safety reasons. It’s a worthwhile effort, and there’s a lot of good information here.

Posted in Consumer Information, Featured Link, Product Liability or Medical Devices

Hidden Hazard of Crib Bumpers

Written On December 15, 2010 By Bob Kraft

The Chicago Tribune published an important article about the hazards of crib bumpers. I recommend this story for all parents of young kids. The main point is that babies can suffocate if their faces become wedged between the mattress and bumper pad, which wraps around the inside of a crib and ties to crib slats.

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices

Seriously? Wizard of Oz Glasses Are For Adults?

Written On December 13, 2010 By Bob Kraft

This is a decision I would have expected from the previous Administration, but not from the current one. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has reversed a decision it made last month. The original decision was for a recall of sets of Wizard of Oz drinking glasses because they contained up to 1000 times the federal [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Government, Product Liability or Medical Devices

Victory for Texas Consumers in Health Insurance Rule Change

Written On December 8, 2010 By Bob Kraft

In an important and increasingly rare victory for Texas consumers, the Insurance Commisioner, Mike Geeslin, has declared that insurance companies can no longer use “discretionary clauses” in certain policies. This new rule will apply to life, disability, and health insurance, but not to automobile liability insurance.
A discretionary clause essentially gives an insurance company the right [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Insurance Information, Political and/or Judicial

Dosing Instructions for Children’s Medicines Confusing and Potentially Dangerous

Written On December 2, 2010 By Bob Kraft

The Los Angeles Times (12/1, Roan) reports that, according to a study published online Nov. 30 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, “many over-the-counter, liquid medications meant for children contain dosing instructions and measuring cups or droppers that rarely match each other and could confuse even the most careful parent or caretaker.” As [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices

Texas Legislature Must Cut Homeowners Insurance Costs

Written On November 30, 2010 By Bob Kraft

I’ve written about the ridiculously high cost of homeowners insurance in Texas many times, most recently this November 18. Now the Beaumont Enterprise has published an editorial on this subject, and I completely agree with the newspaper. Here are excerpts:
When the Legislature convenes in January, it has to do more than agree with fed-up consumers [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Government, Insurance Company or Government Misconduct, Insurance Information, Political and/or Judicial

Bassettbaby Recalls Drop-Side Cribs Due to Suffocation Hazards

Written On November 30, 2010 By Bob Kraft

Here’s the latest in what seems to be a never-ending stream of crib recalls. Bassett Furniture Industries has recalled about 90,000 Bassettbaby drop-side cribs. I keep telling parents to just not use any drop-side crib. They all seem to have similar problems, and hundreds of thousands have been recalled, by many different manufacturers. Here are [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices

Your Medical Information Isn’t Very Private

Written On November 26, 2010 By Bob Kraft

The AP reports, “A Vermont law that restricts companies’ use of information about the drugs doctors prescribe is unconstitutional on free speech grounds, a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday.” IMS Health, SDI and Source Healthcare Analytics “had sued over the so-called data mining law.” Vermont pharmacies are required to “collect information including the prescriber’s name [...]

Posted in Consumer Information

CPSC Releases Top Three Tips for a Safer Holiday Toy Shopping and Playing Experience

Written On November 22, 2010 By Bob Kraft

The Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a timely press release about toy safety, just before the Holidays. The report notes the decrease in toy recalls in 2010 compared with 2008, and the decrease in child deaths during the same period. This is great progress, and perhaps a sign of tougher oversight under the new [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices

Texas Reclaims Top Spot in Nation for Highest Homeowners Insurance Rates

Written On November 18, 2010 By Bob Kraft

I knew they couldn’t keep us in second place for long. Now “insurance company friendly” Texas is number one in the nation again for highest homeowners insurance rates. Florida edged ahead of us for a brief time, but the almost total lack of regulation in Texas let us reclaim our rightful spot at the top [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Government, Insurance Information

Senator Urging FDA to Investigate Lead Content in Grocery Bags

Written On November 15, 2010 By Bob Kraft

Good grief, we’re not safe even when we try to be environmentally sensitive and buy reusable grocery bags so we don’t have to choose between paper or plastic. Here is information from the American Association of Justice:

USA Today (11/15, Armour) reports, “Lead found in some reusable grocery bags is raising concerns that the toxin could [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices

23,000 Britax Car Seats Recalled

Written On November 8, 2010 By Bob Kraft

Britax is recalling about 23,000 infant car seats due to faulty harness clips. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says the clip on the chest harness of the Chinese-made car seats can break loose and pose a risk of cuts or a choking hazard.
Britax Child Safety Inc. has received three reports of cuts and scratches and one [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Product Liability or Medical Devices