Teen Tide pod challenge: Latest web fad carries big danger to health
January 19, 2018, UPI
Prompted by internet dares, dozens of U.S. teenagers in recent weeks have popped liquid laundry detergent packets from a variety of manufacturers into their mouths just to see what happens. According to the American Association of Poison Control Centers, or AAPCC, there have been 39 reported cases of teens intentionally ingesting laundry pods during the first 15 days of 2018. That’s exactly as many cases reported for the entire year of 2016.
5 Ways the government shutdown could be bad for your health
January 20, 2018, CNN
If the shutdown happens, workers considered “nonessential” stop working until Congress can agree on a federal budget bill. At its peak of the 2013 government shutdown, about 850,000 employees were furloughed per day. The Consumer Product Safety Commission, which recalls products that are unsafe, is allowed to finish its work only on products that are considered an imminent threat. That means the routine screening of products like children’s toys could stop.
Report: EPA streamlines safety review process for new chemicals
January 20, 2018, Newsmax
The Environmental Protection Agency is streamlining a safety review process for new chemicals. While industry officials have said the process is slow and cumbersome, former EPA officials and some advocates say the change will skip steps that are necessary to protect the public, NBC News reported.
Packaging’s role in protecting children from choking hazards
January 18, 2018, Packaging World
Choking hazards are not child’s play, but can result from a child’s play and other activities, as well. The Consumer Product Safety Act, along with the Federal Hazardous Substances Act, include labeling regulations for toys and games, meant to protect children from choking on small parts. The regulations apply to products intended for use by children who are 12 years old or younger.
Secret settlements are endangering the public. This California bill will fix that
January 16, 2018, Sacramento Bee
A bill introduced by State Assemblyman Mark Stone would prevent lawsuits from being settled on the condition that information be kept confidential when it is about a defective product or an environmental condition that poses a danger to public health and safety. Such secrecy leads to deaths and serious injuries as the public and regulators are kept in the dark about unsafe products and toxic conditions.
Baby powder battles: Johnson & Johnson documents reflect internal asbestos concerns
January 16, 2018, Ledger Enquirer
In the early 1970s, a Johnson & Johnson official posed a question that haunts the company today. If Johnson’s Baby Powder contained asbestos at a level of, say, 1 percent, how much of the cancer-causing substance would a baby inhale when dusted with the powder? A memo and other internal company records cast doubt on J&J’s assertions that its powders have always been asbestos-free.
Toying with children’s data lessons from the FTC’s first connected toys settlement
January 17, 2018, Data Privacy Monitor
On Jan. 8, 2018, the FTC – in cooperation with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC), which issued its own report finding violations of Canadian law – settled its first-ever connected toy privacy case with Hong Kong-based VTech Electronics, Ltd., (VTech), resulting in a $650,000 penalty
Brexit deconstructed: A Dummies guide to trade
January 29, 2018, The New European
Soon the UK and the EU will begin negotiating their future trading relationship, and the excitement seems to be initiating a whole new wave of Brexit falsehoods. The Sunday Express recently ran a headline claiming a ‘no deal’ Brexit would cost the EU to the sum of £500 billion while providing an even larger boost to the UK economy. And in a recent political interview, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said that leaving the EU would necessarily mean leaving the single market. Both comments are just two isolated examples in a sea of misunderstandings and falsehoods.
Consumer group Choice calling for mandatory safety standards for trampolines
January 19, 2018, The Sydney Morning Herald
Now consumer group Choice is calling for the Australian safety standard for trampolines to be mandatory, after seven out of eight popular models failed to meet their safety checks, which identify entrapment risks, and use weight and force to test the structure and padding.
Possibilities of 3D printing for toys customization
January 12, 2018, TCT Magazine
By allowing the customer to participate actively in the design process, 3D technologies are able to gather data and provide a personal experience, which gives customers a unique product that meets their expectations. That is what the H2020 iBUS project is developing, an internet-based platform for the customer-driven design of safe personalised toys and games.
