Blog

Auto Accidents and Gun Violence Lead to U.S. Life Expectancy Gap

Mar 7, 2016

The average life expectancy for a person living in the United States is shorter than the life expectancy for a person living in other developed nations, according to a recent study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CDC researchers found that rises in gun violence, illegal drug use and The CDC study, which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), examined data and found that the...

Federal Government Enforcing Safety Standards, Bans Hoverboards

Feb 24, 2016

After months of strong criticism of the arguably lax safety standards imposed by makers of hoverboards, the federal government has finally issued a ban on versions of the popular devices that place consumers at risk of serious injury. Hoverboards were incredibly popular during the holidays, with many people receiving the self-balancing scooters as gifts in December. In the last few months, however, there have been numerous media reports about people being injured while using their...

Federal Government Funds Study to Determine Whether Crumb Rubber Turf Causes Cancer

Feb 19, 2016

The federal government is launching a major study into crumb rubber turf and the possibility that it may cause cancer. Although government health officials and researchers are just now getting involved in research related to crumb rubber turf and cancer, evidence suggesting a link between the artificial turf and higher incidences of cancer has existed for a while. In 2014, several parents of young athletes became concerned about their children playing on fields with potentially...

California Company Recalls Cough Syrup Containing Morphine That’s Sold in NJ Stores

Feb 12, 2016

A California company recently issued a recall of a cough syrup that reportedly contains potentially dangerous amounts of morphine. Master Herbs, Inc., a business that distributes Chinese herbs, issued the nationwide recall after realizing that the inclusion of morphine in the cough syrup was not acknowledged on product labels, meaning that consumers didn’t necessarily know they were ingesting morphine. The recall affects stores in six states where the cough syrup is sold: New Jersey, Ohio,...

When Uber or Lyft Drivers Crash, Who Pays Your Medical Bills?

Feb 2, 2016

Who could have predicted that there would be a time when you could be thinking about needing a ride one minute and sitting in the backseat of a car the next? Thank you Uber, Lyft and other ride-sharing companies who make it easier than ever before to get from here to there. However, these services are not problem-proof. After all, the drivers are still people who can get into accidents on the road like anyone...

Fiat Chrysler Fined Millions for Safety Failures

Jan 26, 2016

The federal government recently hit Fiat Chrysler, one of the world’s biggest auto manufacturers, with a $70 million fine for failing to report important safety information about The major issue this time was that Fiat Chrysler did not provide federal regulators with “early warning data” on potential vehicle safety problems. Early warning data includes auto accident reports, warranty claims and personal injury lawsuits. Under federal law, automakers must hand over this data, in a...

Not So Clean, After All: New Law Bans Soaps and Other Products Containing Microbeads

Jan 21, 2016

President Obama recently signed into law a bill that will bar certain products from being sold in U.S. stores due to the presence of an ingredient that is potentially harmful to the environment. The White House announced that Obama affixed his signature to a law that bans a number of soaps, toothpastes, body washes and other cleansing products containing microbeads. Until recently, U.S. health officials did not believe that microbeads, miniscule plastic particles, posed a...

FDA Takes Action to Enhance Safety of Pelvic Mesh Devices

Jan 12, 2016

After several years of complaints and lawsuits filed by tens of thousands of women claiming they sustained serious injuries as a result of having pelvic mesh devices implanted, the federal government is taking new aim at establishing and enforcing guidelines for medical device companies. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is recategorizing vaginal mesh products as “high-risk” medical devices. Prior to the FDA’s recent announcement about new regulations, the implants were labeled as “moderate...

NJ Colleges Looking to Ban Popular Hoverboards on Campuses

Jan 8, 2016

Hoverboards were an incredibly popular gift this holiday season, which makes the safety risks posed by the devices an even bigger concern now that the holidays are over. Several U.S. colleges have recently instituted policies, including outright bans, which seek to protect students against hoverboard-related injuries. More than 20 colleges have instituted outright bans, or otherwise significant restrictions, on hoverboards by classifying the motorized scooters as contraband. The bans come on the heels of multiple...

Avoiding Catastrophic Drug Errors at the Pharmacy

Dec 29, 2015

It’s an errand you’ve probably done countless times before. You get a prescription from the doctor and drive up or walk into a pharmacy to get it filled. In some cases, prescriptions are called directly into the pharmacy by the doctor’s staff; this puts patients one step closer to getting the treatment prescribed to make them feel better. However, regardless of how the order gets to the pharmacy, the process of actually filling the prescription...