Ethylene Oxide/Sterigenics Updates

Articles Posted in Consumer Product safety

Hair-relaxer-Photo-244x300Hair relaxers are the latest beauty products to come under fire because of their link to potentially dangerous health effects. New scientific evidence has emerged that suggests that the long-term use of hair relaxers is linked to increased rates of uterine cancer. More specifically, a groundbreaking new study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has shown that women who use chemical hair straightening or relaxing products regularly are at a higher risk for developing uterine cancer than those who do not use these products. This study along with an earlier NIH study linking hair relaxer use to ovarian cancer are the reason women are filing hair relaxer lawsuits.

NIH Study Links Hair Relaxers to Uterine Cancer

 Uterine cancer is the 4th most common type of cancer in women, and Black women are twice as likely as white women to develop uterine cancer during their lifetime. The new study from the NIH may partly explain why. The study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in October of 2022, found that women who used hair straightening products in the previous 12 months were more likely to be diagnosed with uterine cancer than women who had never used hair relaxers. And the risk increased with more frequent use. Women who used hair relaxers 4 times in the previous 12 months were more than twice as likely to develop uterine cancer.

pexels-gustavo-fring-3985170-1-300x200Gardasil, the leading vaccine against human papillomavirus (HPV) first introduced by Merck & Co. in 2006, has recently come under fire as a growing number of lawsuits are filed against Merck. The lawsuits name numerous medical diagnoses allegedly following vaccination with Gardasil and claim Merck fraudulent concealed the potential health risks linked to the vaccine. Specifically, the Gardasil lawsuits have been filed against Merck for issues such as failure to warn, negligence, and manufacturing defects.

Gardasil was introduced after a six-month fast-track, a process determined by FDA approval for drugs that it determines “fulfill an unmet medical need.” This is not a problem in and of itself, and there are many instances of a fast-tracked release helping many people. The development of a Covid-19 vaccine within a year of the pandemic owes itself to this process.

Gardasil Health Risks

Breast_implants_in_hand_01-300x200The FDA recently issued a safety communication warning about a link between breast implants and certain cancers that can develop in the scar tissue around implants.

This new agency warning does not include Breast Implant-Associated Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma which has previously been linked to certain Allergan textured breast implants. Those textured implants were recalled after being linked to 600 illnesses and 33 deaths.

New Cancer Link to Breast Implants

training-ge36778761_1920-300x199We’re inching closer to that time of year when everyone starts making New Year’s resolutions to hit the gym more. If you’re one of those people, you should make an additional resolution to only buy sports bras and athletic shirts that don’t contain BPA, a dangerous hormone disruptor.

 Recent testing by the Center for Environmental Health (CEH) has discovered that 14 different brand-name companies are selling sports bras and athletic shirts that contain up to 22 times the safe limit of BPA (also known as bisphenol A). The brands affected include:

  • All in Motion (sports bras)

Baby strollers and other children’s products top the list of  items recalled in September.

joggig-stroller-2-300x200Recalled: Cityscape Travel Jogger Strollers 

 Cityscape Travel Jogger strollers (Model TJ75B12A) are being recalled because the parking brake can fail, posing fall and injury hazards to children.

water-bottle-g82d7e38e6_1920-300x241We have all been told about the benefits of drinking water out of a reusable bottle. It’s convenient, better for the environment than single-use bottles, and increases your daily water intake. However, if your reusable water bottle is made out of plastic, it may be more damaging to your health than it is beneficial. In a recent study,  chemists at the University of Copenhagen discovered that tap water that gets stored in reusable plastic bottles contains hundreds and sometimes thousands of chemicals; many that are damaging to human health, and many more that have unknown toxicity.

The chemists tested three different types of popular plastic water bottles, two of which were biodegradable. The researchers stored tap water in both used and new bottles for 24 hours. Some of the bottles had been machine washed, some had not, and some had been rinsed 5 times with tap water. They then tested the water in the bottles for a variety of chemicals.

Shockingly, after just 24 hours, the researchers found hundreds of substances present in the tap water stored in the new bottles—including substances that had never been found in plastic. Worse still, they discovered THOUSANDS of substances in the water stored in bottles that had been through a dishwasher cycle. And even the tap water stored in thoroughly rinsed bottles contained a significant percentage of toxic and unknown substances. More than 400 of the substances were derived from plastic and 3500 from dishwashing soap.

Baby-feeding-bottle-g6789f2148_1920-300x225The product liability attorneys at The Collins Law Firm are investigating claims from the parents of premature infants who were fed Similac or Enfamil baby formula while in the hospital and then developed necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).

What is NEC?

Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) is a serious intestinal illness–typically affecting premature infants—that can cause permanent damage to a baby’s gastrointestinal system. The word “Necrotizing” refers to cell damage and death. “Entero” means the intestine, and “Colitis” means inflammation of the colon. NEC typically happens after the first 2 weeks of life in premature babies who are fed cow’s milk-based formula instead of breast milk. NEC develops when the tissue in the large intestine becomes inflamed due to a bacterial infection. The infection and inflammation cause sections of the intestine to become necrotic and die. When this happens, it can create a perforation (or hole) in the intestine which allows bacteria to escape into the abdomen and pass into the bloodstream. Unfortunately, NEC usually strikes suddenly and can progress rapidly. If not treated immediately, it may put a baby’s life in danger.

Better-Homes-and-gardens-recall-300x201On October 22nd, 2021, Walmart issued a recall of approximately 3,900 bottles of their Better Homes and Gardens-branded Essential Oil Infused Aromatherapy Room Spray with Gemstones due to the presence of a potentially deadly bacteria in the product. The CDC tested the room spray and determined that it contained the extremely rare and dangerous bacteria Burkholderia pseudomallei which causes melioidosis, a condition that is difficult to diagnose and can be fatal. So far, there have been four confirmed cases of melioidosis and two deaths, including that of a child. The cases have been reported in Georgia, Kansas, Minnesota, and Texas. The recall includes 6 different scents:

  • 84140411420 Better Homes and Gardens (BHG) Gem Room Spray Lavender & Chamomile
  • 84140411421 Better Homes and Gardens (BHG) Gem Room Spray Lemon and Mandarin

Pregnant-woman-300x200**The Collins Law Firm is not accepting clients for this case at this time. This blog is intended to inform women of a new study highlighting the potential risk of taking Tylenol during pregnancy.**

Is acetaminophen use during pregnancy potentially risky for the fetus? That appears to be the consensus of a group of 13 international scientists.

The group has issued a statement warning against using acetaminophen (sold as Tylenol) during pregnancy until the painkiller can be investigated for its potentially negative impact on fetal development.

Instagram-300x246In explosive and damaging testimony, whistleblower Frances Haugen told Congress that internal research proves that Facebook and Instagram knowingly showed teens and young women content that caused them to develop eating disorders, depression, and suicidal thoughts.

Sit down and let that sink in.

Facebook and Instagram (which is owned by Facebook) allegedly knew from their own research that their content was potentially causing irreparable damage to young women and teen girls but continued to push that content for profit. “Facebook knows that they are leading young users to anorexia content,” said Ms. Haugen, adding that, “I am here today because I believe Facebook’s products harm children.”

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