Alabama Product Injury Lawyer Blog

Some new and interesting recalls this week. Everything from snowmobiles, to children's clothing to some "oversized" pills. Here's the latest and greatest:

1. Ski-Doo Snowmobiles: Over 400 of these snowmobiles imported to the U.S. by BRP U.S. Inc. have been recalled due to friction between the fuel hose and cylinder head cover which can cause the hose to pierce. As a result, fuel can leak out and cause a fire. The recall includes 2007 and 2008 Expedition TUV V800 in Deep Red/Black and the 2007 and 2008 Skandic SWT V-800 in Yellow/Black. If you have one of these snowmobiles, you should stop using it immediately and contact a Ski-Doo dealer to get a free repair. For more information, go here. Considering global warming and how hot it is already, guess now is a good time to get that snowmobile fixed up anyway.

2. Playsafe Spinning Quad Merry-Go-Rounds: Last week, I reported on a swing set that was being recalled and this week its a Merry-Go-Round. Of all things, products made for children's use must be manufactured with all do care. However, often it seems its all about the money. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, about 15,000 of these Merry-Go-Rounds were sold at Toys R Us between January and March 2008. A bearing on the merry-go-round can fail, causing the seat assembly to break off and fall to the ground. Clear hazard to those children riding the merry-go-round. Consumers are instructed to immediately take the merry-go-round away from children (that will be fun) and return to Toys R Us for a full refund. Go here for more information.

3. Children's Overalls by Sara Lynn Togs: This is one hitting close to home. All you Auburn and Alabama fans play close attention. If you purchased for your child or your friend's child some overalls with the Auburn or Alabama emblem on them and they were made by Sara Lynn Togs, you need to get those overalls back to the store for a refund. The buttons on the shoulder straps can detach and children can then choke on them. Go here, to see what the overalls looked like. The specific overalls/shortalls are in gingham or flannel. Sizes included in the recall are 6/9 months, 12 month, 18 month, 2T, 3T and 4T. These overalls were sold at college bookstores, fan stores, children's boutiques and gift shops from March 2007 through February 2008. You need to return them to Sara Lynn Togs for a full refund. Roll Tide/War Eagle!

4. Sauna by Airwall: Ever lay there in a nice hot sauna and think to yourself...."what would I do if I got locked in here and the heat never went off"...at the least claustrophobia hits in. Well, Sauna by Airwall, Inc. distributes the Infra-Red Sauna Rooms which were sold by Sauna By Airwall dealers nationwide between November 2006 and April 2008 which can have a failure of the heating unit and fuse, leading to overheating of the saunas. These saunas are made of wood and include model numbers IC I, IC II, IC III, IC IV and IC V. If you have one of the saunas, you should immediately stop using it and disconnect it from the power source and call collect to 562-630-2283 to get a full refund. Go here for more information and to see photos of the saunas in question.

5. Morphine Sulfate Extended Release Tablets: This is an expanded recall of this drug. More lots of 30 mg and 60mg morphine sulfate extended release tablets are being recalled due to the possibility of the tablets being oversized and therefore giving the patient more of the drug then was intended. The oversized tablets could contain as much as twice the labeled amount. The lots in question were distributed by ETHEX Corporation between June 2006 and May 2008. Go the the FDA website regarding the recall for the specific lot numbers involved. The risks involved in taking these potentially double dose tablets include difficulty or lack of breathing, low blood pressure and apnea. The 60mg tablet is white, oval, with "60" on one side and "E" on the reverse side. The 30mg tablet is pink, oval and "30" on one side and "E" on the reverse side. You can contact ETHEX at 1-800-321-1705.

Busy week in recalls. Remember, be careful out there. Until next time....

Posted by Craig P. Niedenthal | Permalink | Email This Post | Comments (0)

Posted In: FDA Recalls , Recalls , Recalls of the Week

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Yesterday was my birthday and spent most of the afternoon at the office writing this post. Such is life. Just another day in the life. My philosophy on aging is age is just a number. Your "real" age is your state of mind....and body. I stopped counting at about 39 and just concern myself with keeping mentally and physically in shape. Enough of my theories on aging up there; on with the Recalls of the Week.

1. Shindaiwa Corp. Backpack Blowers: About 23,000 of these blowers have been sold between September 2005 and January 2007. The reported problem leading to the recall is that the blower's fan can separate from its base and then break apart, causing some plastic pieces to blow out of the machine. These pieces can cut and do worse if they hit someone as they come flying out. Apparently these same blowers have been previously recalled due to a fire hazard. It involves Models EB8510 and EB8510RT. There have been 13 incidents reported. The manufacturer, Shindaiwa asks that you immediately stop using the blower and contact Shindaiwa at 800-521-7333. For more information, see here.

2. FireX Branded 10000 Series Carbon Monoxide Alarms and 12000 Series CO/Smoke Combo Alarms: The FireX Carbon Monoxide and CO/Smoke Combo Alarms are being recalled because the alarms can sound a "double chirp"/fault alarm in the presence of CO, before going into full alarm mode. The Owner's Manual advises that if you hear this double chirp, you should take the alarm out of service. Problem is, if you follow that instruction, you may never hear the alarm go off telling you there is CO present in house. CO (carbon monoxide) is the odorless deadly killer. You may never know there is a CO leak without the alarm going off. But if you hear this double chirp and follow the instructions, you will never hear the alarm tell you there is a deadly amount of CO in the air. These alarms are made by a company called Maple Chase Company. There are about 280,000 out there, many of which are installed by contractors in new homes. For more information, see the CPSC's site here. They do instruct you not to stop using your old alarms until you call the company and receive a replacement. If you have moved into a home built in the last year or two, you may want to check out your CO or CO/fire alarms installed in your home and see if it is a FireX Brand.

3. Tumble Tower Infant Rattles: A baby's rattle made by the Manhattan Group is being recalled because the ends can break off and the baby can choke on the parts of the rattle. There have been about 7,000 of these rattles sold through gift and specialty stores around the country, as well as on the internet from September 2007 through April 2008. If you have one of these rattles, you should take it away from the baby and return it to the store where you purchased it or contact Manhattan Group at 800-541-1345. To see a picture of the rattle and for more information, go here.

4. Solodyn Tablets: Just this past Friday, the FDA issued a press release indicating that certain lot numbers of the antibiotic Solodyn, 90 mg tablets, are being recalled because one of the bottles in the lot was found with a completely different medication, Azasan, which is an immuno-suppressive agent used in transplant cases to prevent kidney rejection and for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. If you take Azasan and not Solodyn, it can decrease your number or red and white cells, cause infection, bleeding, chills, nausea and vomiting. The two lots at issue were manufactured in February 2008 and are lot numbers B080037 and B080038. Call 888-656-6381 with any questions or see the FDA's website for more particulars.

That's all for this weeks concerns. As always, be careful out there. If you have any questions regarding any of the above, do not hesitate to contact me and I will try and assist you in any way I can.

Posted by Craig P. Niedenthal | Permalink | Email This Post | Comments (0)

Posted In: FDA Recalls , Recalls , Recalls of the Week

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On April 28th I reported in my first installment of "Recalls of the Week" of a FDA reported recall on a drug called Digitek, a generic of the drug digoxin. The drug is used to regulate the heart beat and for heart failure patients. It was recalled because tablets of the drug were found to have double the dose they were suppose to have. This could lead to significant heart problems, especially to those taking the drug who are in kidney failure. Mysteriously, since the time the recall was announced, nothing else has been said by the manufacturer, Actavis. No comments have been provided by the manufacturer regarding how significant a recall this is, and what further information it has learned regarding why its tablets were made double their reported strength. The Wall Street Journal's Health Blog tried to contact the manufacturer the other day, but still no comment. What the heck is going on with this drug?

Posted by Craig P. Niedenthal | Permalink | Email This Post | Comments (0)

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Today is officially my one month "blogging" anniversary. What, no candles??? I have decided in honor of this significant event that I am going to begin a new weekly feature. You guessed it.....RECALLS OF THE WEEK. My plan is to provide short blurbs about various recalls that have occurred in the past week in the world of drugs, medical devices and general consumer products, providing a link to where you can obtain more information regarding these recalls. It will not be all inclusive, but I will do what I can to provide you some information on recalls which may impact your daily life. So, without further adieu (or something like that), here is the first installment of RECALLS OF THE WEEK:

1. LAWNBOTT LAWN MOWERS: The Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) and the manufacturer, Kyodo America are recalling these lawn mowers because the blades continue to rotate when the mower is lifted from the ground and there is enough space on the side of the mower that your foot could get caught and struck by the blades....ouch. These mowers were sold between Jan. 2006 and Dec. 2007. Here is the link to the CPSC's page regarding this recall and Kyodo America's web page.

2. ELECTRIC SIMMER POTS: CPSC and Waxcessories, Inc recall electric simmer pots which are used to melt scented wax in a ceramic cup. The pots have wire connections that can become loose, potentially causing shock or a fire. These were sold at gift and novelty shops between 2002 and April 2008. Yup, made in China. This is the CPSC link to this recall and here is Waxcessories link.

3. BECO BUTTERFLY INFANT CARRIERS: CPSC and Beco Baby Carrier, Inc. issued a recall of the Baby Butterfly Carriers. They are infant carriers used to hold a baby like a back pack, but the baby is on the front of your body. The buckles on the shoulder straps can lose tension, potentially allowing the baby to hit the ground. These were sold between January 2008 and February 2008. The CPSC link to this recall is here and the Beco Baby Carrier's website is here.

4. 2006-2008 HYUNDAI SONATA: Hyundai is recalling these vehicles because of a significant problems with its advanced air bag system. In the right front seat, the vehicle features what is known as an Occupant Classification System (OCS) which is suppose to determine when there is a small child sitting in the front seat and if so detected, automatically disable the right front airbag. This is because an airbag can do more harm than good to a small child or infant in a car seat. Apparently, the system is misclassifying a small adult as a small child and disabling the front air bag. This is not good. The recall is to begin in about a month. You can contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. The information provided does not indicate what you should do in the meantime i.e. until you have the recall fix performed. You might want to consider not having small adults sit in the front passenger seat. The link to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administrations' discussion of this recall is here.

5. DIGITEK (DIGOXIN TABLETS): A recall has been announced of the generic drug Digitek, all strengths, which is the drug known as Digoxin. This is a drug used to treat heart failure and abnormal heart rhythms. It is reported that double the appropriate thickness of the pill has been released which means the patient will essentially get twice the dose they should be getting. This poses a risk for patients taking this drug who are in kidney failure. It can cause nausea, vomiting, dizziness, low blood pressure and cardiac instability. Death can also occur from taking too much of this drug. The information regarding this recall from the FDA can be found here, and the manufacturer's information regarding this recall can be found here.

That's the most significant recalls I could find for the past week. If you have been effected by any of these recalls and need legal advice, I am available for a free consultation. Be careful out there.

Posted by Craig P. Niedenthal | Permalink | Email This Post | Comments (0)

Posted In: FDA Recalls , Recalls , Recalls of the Week

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