Current Events

JPMorgan Chase disclosed on Wednesday that it faced a criminal and civil investigation into whether it sold shoddy mortgage securities to investors in the run-up to the financial crisis, the latest legal threat to the nation’s biggest bank.

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How safe are the additives that make your food tastier, thicker, more vitamin-filled or less likely to spoil? It depends on how much you trust the companies that make those additives. A study out today Wednesday finds that the scientists who judge the safety work for the additive manufacturers or for consultants they've hired.

To understand the scope of the issue, it helps to know that 43% of the 10,000-plus food additives in use are considered so safe they're exempt from Food and Drug Administration supervision. They are called Generally Recognized as Safe. The GRAS list includes things like carnauba wax, modified food starch, caffeine, monosodium glutamate, gum arabic, mineral oil and rosemary.

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Toyota announced Wednesday that it is voluntarily recalling approximately 342,000 of its midsize Tacoma pickup trucks to fix an issue with the seat belts.

The recall affects Tacoma Access Cab trucks from the 2004 through 2011 model years.

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The FDA has linked the outbreak in Iowa and Nebraska to prepackaged salads sold to Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants, but no common source of food causing the gastrointestinal infection in Texas has been pinpointed.

Texas is now reporting 171 cases of cyclosporiasis as local, state and federal officials continue investigating the source of the stomach bug that has infected more than 425 people in 17 states.

The federal Food and Drug Administration has linked the outbreak in Iowa and Nebraska to prepackaged salads produced by a Mexican farm. And the salads were sold to Olive Garden and Red Lobster restaurants in those states.

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AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Fonterra, a large New Zealand dairy producer, apologized on Monday for the contamination of an infant milk formula ingredient with a potentially toxic strain of bacteria.

The contamination could hurt sales of dairy products, the leading export of New Zealand, to its most crucial market, China.

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August 1st, 2013 - Nexus Pharmaceuticals Inc. is voluntarily recalling two lots of Benztropine Mesylate Injection, USP, 2 mg/2mL (1mg/mL) in 2 mL single dose vials due to the potential presence of visible particulate matter in the vials. This recall is being conducted at the user level.

The product is manufactured by Allergy Laboratories, Inc. and was distributed by Nexus Pharmaceuticals Inc. The recalled lots are:

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To the Editor:

Re “Lawyers’ Business Model,” by Joe Nocera (column, July 30):

When corporations act irresponsibly by producing unsafe products, polluting our environment or swindling their employees and shareholders, often the only place for Americans to hold them accountable is in our courts. The civil justice system provides a key incentive for corporations to prioritize safety from the start.

In yet another column attacking trial lawyers in order to defend BP, Joe Nocera disregards the important role that the civil justice system plays in our society.

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Nearly 1,400 physicians who were sued for medical malpractice share their experience in Medscape’s recent Malpractice Report.

According to the report, the top 10 medical specialties experiencing the most lawsuits were:

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Health care workers suffer more injuries and illnesses on the job than those in any other industry, thanks in large part to limited federal safety standards and inspections of health care facilities, says a new report by a national advocacy non-profit.

The report by Public Citizen shows health care workers had about 654,000 workplace injuries and illnesses in 2010, about 152,000 more than the next most afflicted industry sector, manufacturing. Even though health care workers outnumber construction workers 2-1, the agency responsible for worker safety — the Occupational Safety and Health Administration — conducts nearly 20 times more inspections of construction sites than health care sites, according to the Public Citizen report.

"The record is clear that the government has broken its promise to health care workers," said Keith Wrightson, worker safety and health advocate for Public Citizen and co-author of the report. Health care workers face a wide range of hazards on the job, including needle sticks, back injuries from lifting patients and moving equipment, latex allergies and violence, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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HONG KONG — One of the world’s leading suppliers of dairy products said Saturday that a type of bacteria that could cause botulism had been found in tests of ingredients the company sells for use in infant formula and sports drinks, leading New Zealand officials to urge a recall.

The company, Fonterra, is based in New Zealand and is the world’s fourth-largest dairy company. It sells its milk products to other companies that make infant formula and said those companies would be responsible for any recalls. The New Zealand Ministry of Primary Industries said that in addition to New Zealand, six countries were affected: Australia, China, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and Vietnam.

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Painkillers with the active ingredient acetaminophen such as Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)’s Tylenol have been linked to serious skin reactions including rash and blisters, U.S. regulators said.

Reports to the Food and Drug Administration’s adverse event database reveal the most serious reactions, while rare, led to hospitalizations and deaths. The majority of cases involved single-ingredient acetaminophen products, the FDA said yesterday in a statement. The agency advised people who develop a skin rash or reaction to stop taking the drug and seek medical attention. 

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