Now that summer is just about here, we’re starting to see many reports on how to protect yourself from the danger of skin cancer.
Today, the Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, the National Park Service, and the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention have joined forces to provide tips on how consumers can ward off the types of threats that could cause skin cancer, the most common cancer in the entire country. To that end, the latter organization is calling the Friday before Memorial Day as “Don’t Fry Day.”
The FDA recommends using sunscreens with an SPF higher than 15 which offer broad spectrum protection, which means protection from both UVA and UVB rays. The National Parks Service, for their part, says that everyone should not only apply sunscreen, but also put on a hat and drink water should they head out to one of the picturesque parks around the country.
The EPA, through their SunWise program, suggests that consumers download an app which provides information on the day’s ultraviolet index. They also say that every two hours should see the administration of a palmful of sunscreen. They also suggest staying in the shade from 10 in the morning to 4 in the afternoon, as damage from solar rays tends to be greater during this time.
A product that’s vital to preserving safety during climbing has been recalled due to an inherent failure of the item.
Porter Athletic, which is owned and operated by the Champaign, Illinois-based Litania Sports Group, announced the recall, which concerns their Porter Athletic Climbing Ropes. At issue is the fact that these climbing ropes, which have a clamp near the top that connects the rope to a surface, pose a fall hazard. The rope can itself fall through the aforementioned clamp, leaving a climber without any kind of anchor to the wall or other surface.
Only 44 units are said to be affected by the recall. However, there have already been three instances reported to the firm in which the item broke. In one of those cases, a climber sustained injuries to their wrist and back.
There are two models of ropes affected by the recall: 00118 and 00119. These white dacron ropes come in 12, 16, 20, and 24 foot lengths. They were available through the Porter Athletic website as well as via telephone and authorized distributors. The ropes sold from $387 to $877 across the country between September 2009 and September of last year.
All persons with the rope in their possession are being advised to cease use. They can expected to be contacted by Porter directly. Once this happens, the company has said they will repair the ropes for free.
Working in conjunction with the United States Customs and Border Protection, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has stopped almost 650,000 dangerous products from entering the country to be sold to consumers. This was in the first quarter of the fiscal year of 2012 alone. The first quarter goes from October 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011.
Many of the products they prevented from entering the country were children’s toys found to contain lead that exceeded the federal limits for safety. In fact, there were more children’s products barred from entering the country than any other type of product. In addition to the threat of lead poisoning, banned phthalates prompted the removal of many items, as did the presence of small parts that children can ingest and choke on.
Typically, tests on a shipment’s product quality involved the usage of an x-ray fluorescence analyzer, or else what’s known as use and abuse testing. A total of 2,900 shipments were screened by the CPSC and CBP, and some other items that were denied entry include holiday lights, dangerous lamps, and faulty hair dryers. Throughout 2011, the numbers were even more impressive, with 4.5 million units prevented from going onto store shelves.
As a personal injury lawyer in Fresno, I applaud any organizations’ efforts to make store shelves safer for consumers across the country. Although I know that it might be impossible to fully eradicate the threat of a defect from every single product there is, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. Eventually, it’s my hope as a Los Angeles personal injury attorney that products are so safe that they don’t need oversight.
A settlement being sought by consumers of an Apple Macbook product is awaiting approval by the courts.
Plaintiffs have alleged that the MagSafe adapter, which is used in Apple MacBooks and MacBook pros, is defective. They claim that the item is at risk of sparking, melting, overheating, fraying, or otherwise failing completely. The adapter in question has since been discontinued by Apple.
The settlement, if approved, will allow consumers to seek $35 to $79 for damages incurred as a result of having to buy a new adapter to replace the old, defective one. If users of the item have not yet had to replace the item, but it does begin to show signs of wear and tear like what’s described above, then they can receive a replacement from Apple free of cost.
March 21, 2012, is the deadline for becoming a plaintiff in this class-action lawsuit, so that gives purchasers two weeks to figure out if they are eligible.
Being a Riverside personal injury lawyer, I’m sorry to see any products pose a safety hazard to consumers. It just goes to show that there’s a multitude of items we use on a daily basis that could have hazards we would never even think about. As a personal injury lawyer in Ventura, I hope that everyone out there pays close attention to all safety issues that might pop up in the news.
Aveda has become the latest company to voluntarily recall one of its products.
This particular recall concerns their Lash Abundance Boosting Serum. The item was sold beginning February 12, 2012 in America, Canada, and Australia, and March 1 in Europe. However, it should be noted that samples were available for some time prior to that.
The issue has to do with the formula’s preservative system’s inability to ward off infectious microorganisms. People with weakened immune systems, preexisting conditions with their corneas, or who wear contact lenses for an extended period of time are at risk of infection. The threat to otherwise healthy individuals is small.
Consumers are advised to discontinue usage of the product at once. It can be returned for a full refund at the place where it was purchased. The Lash Abundance Boosting Serum was available for purchase online and in various salons and retail stores across the country.
As a personal injury lawyer in San Diego, I’m glad to see a company err on the side of caution when instituting a recall. If there is any chance that an item could be dangerous to the consumer, then it should be taken off the market at once. This is the best way to prevent disaster, and it’s my hope as a Riverside personal injury lawyer that all users of this product follow the directions stated above.
According to news sources, recent efforts by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to clamp down on unsafe products entering through the nations ports have begun to bear results, with hundreds of millions of dangerous products reportedly stopped at U.S. ports to date.
The CPSC is collaborating with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to prevent violative or dangerous products from entering into the country, with both agencies reportedly stopping 6.5 million defective products in 2010 and 2011 alone. Of these, about 1,700 involved children’s products that failed to meet existing federal safety standards.
The CPSC has grown its import surveillance and inspection operations beginning in 2008, expanding staff and increasing training between the agencies as well as increasing the use of equipment used to identify non-complying products.
The millions of defective products stopped from entering the country will contribute to increased consumer safety.
As a product liability attorney Los Angeles, I deeply appreciate the ongoing efforts being made to ensure the safety and well being of consumers nationwide. I understand the constant risks posed by defective products and encourage consumers to learn more about recalled products and how to avoid them. If you or a loved one have been injured by a defective product, I urge you to contact a Los Angeles personal injury lawyer to learn about your legal options.
The United State Consumer Product Safety Commission is holding the First North America Consumer Product Safety Summit today and tomorrow, according to news sources.
The summit is taking place in Bethesda, Maryland, at Consumer Product Safety Commission Headquarters.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission hopes this will provide a chance for leaders of safety in the United States, Mexico, and Canada to get together and share their visions for increased consumer safety for the year, as well as in cooperation with one another. They also hope to create a plan for future communication regarding the safety priorities of the three countries.
The summit will be public and include question and answer sessions. The CPSC has listed topics to be covered as:
- Managing Global Supply and Distribution Chains to Protect Consumers
- Emerging Product Safety Issues and the Importance of International Coordination
- Importance of Regulatory Coordination for Safety, Prosperity and Competitiveness in North America
- Managing Consumer Product Safety Requirements in Multiple Jurisdictions
- Private Sector Efforts on Standards Alignment
Panelists will be answering audience questions, as well as questions sent via email.
As a product defect lawyer in Los Angeles, I am very happy to see our country working together with those in close proximity in order to promote safety for all consumers. Being so close, our products and concerns often overlap, so it’s important that we work together. As a Los Angeles personal injury attorney, I hope that this meeting result in safer products for consumers.
