- Staff Writer | April 27, 2006 2:40 PM |
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MiscellaneousEven after more than $100 Million in damages awarded to popcorn factory workers, the industry continues to ignore the health risks to its workers. The popcorn flavoring contains a chemical called Diacetyl which causes a potentially fatal lung disease requiring lung transplants. Epidemiologists have called OSHA's nonchalance to the problem "criminal". Over 150 workers have filed suits, 30 of...
- Staff Writer | April 25, 2006 2:28 PM |
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Medical MalpracticeAfter telling us to be very worried about global warming, this week's Time Magazine scares the bejeebers out of us concerning our modern health care system. With insider information from physicians, the cover story provides several practical pointers how to avoid catastrophy - like avoiding new interns and residents who begin each training term on July 1. Another big decision for a patient is...
- Staff Writer | April 24, 2006 11:27 AM |
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MiscellaneousA lawsuit was just filed on Friday, April 21st, on behalf of residents of an unicorporated suburb in Du Page County, Illinois, alleging that vinyl chloride had seeped into ground water. The suit, against the Forest Preserve and BFI Waste Management Systems of North America, Inc., seeks Class Action status on behalf of 80 residents and 150 households threatened by the 543 acres of landfill...
- Staff Writer | April 21, 2006 11:35 AM |
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Automobile AccidentsEating, talking on cell phones, dabbing on makeup and other examples of inattentive driving cause 80% of crashes and 65% of near crashes, according to the findings of two traffic research groups. Big surprise. Both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute report that multi-tasking while driving is a dangerous but common event these days....
- Staff Writer | April 20, 2006 1:28 PM |
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Medical MalpracticeHard as it is to believe, surgeons are reportedly removing more wrong limbs or organs; slicing into the wrong sides of bodies; and perfoming surgeries on more wrong patients than ever before. So says the Joint Commission on Accreditation of health care organizations which sets patient safety requirements and guidelines. "It's getting worse", says Director Dennis O'Leary; "I can assure you...
- Staff Writer | April 19, 2006 11:41 AM |
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Medical MalpracticeAccording to amednews.com (The Newspaper For America's Physicians), liability issues are becoming a lesser factor in specialty choices by medical student's. The 2006 National Resident Matching Program held March 16 provided proof that medical students are more concerned with lifestyle concerns. The results established matches for 85.1% in Family Medicine; 97.9% in Internal Medicine; 97.9% in...
- Staff Writer | April 18, 2006 11:03 AM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsAs if Vioxx wasn't problematic enough for drug manufacturer Merck, now another health risk has surfaced, directly linked to its Fosamax drug. As the LA Times has reported, since 2001, more than 2,400 patients taking Fosamax and other bone-building medications have reported bone death in their jaws. Yet, 90% of the drug side effects aren't reported to the FDA. Biophosphonate drugs have been...
- Staff Writer | April 14, 2006 10:41 AM |
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Medical MalpracticeA new study of healthcare ratings increases the number of medical errors leading to "patient safety incidents" from 1.14 million to 1.24 million over successive three year periods. The financial effect of these errors was calculated as $9.3 billion in excess costs. This HealthGrades Patient Safety in American Hospitals study also found that 250,246 (of the 304,702 deaths following at least one...
- Staff Writer | April 13, 2006 3:51 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsA New Jersey state jury first awarded $4.5M ($3 million to a man suffering a heart attack, and $1.5 million for his wife); and then added $9 Million in Punitive Damages. The jury found that Merck had knowingly witheld information about the risks of the drug, including heart attacks and strokes. In another significant legal setback against Merck, a New Jersey Appeals Court ruled that a...
- Staff Writer | April 11, 2006 3:41 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsThis morning, Bausch & Lomb stopped shipments of its soft contact lens solution ReNu with MoisterLOC, after findings revealed over 100 rare fungal infections worldwide. Earlier this year, the manufacturer stopped shipments to Hong Kong and Singapore after infections surfaced there. The fungal conditions called Keratitis could lead to blindness or the need for corneal transplants. Symptoms...
- Staff Writer | April 04, 2006 2:18 PM |
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MiscellaneousWorkers employed by The Office Of The Architect of The Capital have written to legislators warning of extreme levels of asbestos in the tunnels below the Capital , so thick it can be physically picked up. According to a recently published report in The Hill, a newsletter on issues concerning Congress, the tunnel area, which links the Capital to the power plant, is so dangerous that the Capital...