A recent startribune.com article discusses the death of a West Virginia chemical plant employee. After being exposed on January 23, 2010 to phosgene, a major industrial chemical that is poisonous at room temperature, the worker died the next day. As a result, the chemical plant has shut down while the federal Occupation Health and Safety Administration investigates a series of leaks, three of which were reported over the weekend and one of which went unnoticed for a full week. A plant spokesman said that the plant is reviewing operating procedures and that there is no immediate plan to start-up production.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, phosgene poisoning varies based on the amount of phosgene that a person is exposed to, the route of exposure, and the length of time in which an individual is exposed. Serious damage can be done to the eyes, nose, skin, throat, and lungs from phosgene gas and liquid exposure.

The strollers were recalled after Graco received reports of five children having their fingertips severed, leaving them disfigured, and two children receiving cuts on their fingertips. Apparently the risk of these injuries is presented when a child places their fingers in the stroller’s canopy hinge as the canopy is being opened or closed. The strollers were sold nationwide between October 2004 and December 2009 at multiple stores including Target, Wall-Mart, Babies R Us, Sears, Toys R Us, Burlington Coat Factory, and many others.

According to Pittsburgh’s ABC affiliate, WTAE-TV channel 4, the man was able to bail out of the vehicle prior to the collision, and was found about 40 yards from the scene of the accident. It was determined that the 61-year-old died at the scene from blunt force head trauma. Police are investigating the accident and trying to determine what exactly went wrong with the vehicle. In accidents where vehicle malfunction plays some sort of contributing factor, it is important to attribute any instance of negligent action to the appropriate party so that they can be held liable for their actions. Although the vehicle involved certainly wasn’t brand new, the man involved in the accident had purchased the vehicle the very day that the accident took place. Whether or not the seller of the car knew that there was something wrong with the vehicle is yet to be determined.

While there was no further mention of worker illness, any illnesses that do arise could result in the power plant being held accountable. Employers have an obligation to provide their employees with safe working environments, even in a place such as a nuclear power plant. In the event that an employee falls ill because of hazardous conditions in the workplace, the employee may have the right to seek compensatory damages from their employer. Such compensation can assist with costs associated with an accident or illness, such as medical bills, loss of wages, and physical therapy fees.

Inclement weather conditions are certainly not the fault of motorists, but driving recklessly in such conditions is. Reckless driving practices result in far too many Pennsylvania auto accidents each year. In the event that a motorist chooses to drive in a reckless manner, that motorist can be held liable for injuries and other damages that take place as a result of said reckless driving practice.

Traffic accidents in Pennsylvania always need to be carefully examined to ensure that the negligent party deemed responsible for the accident is held accountable for his or her actions. Furthermore, it needs to be investigated as to whether or not some other entity played a contributing role in the accident as well. That is, if a faulty auto part leads to an accident, then the manufacturer of that part can be declared negligent in their ability to provide the consumer with a supposedly safe product.

Reportedly, the traffic lights outfitted with the energy-efficient light bulbs are not creating enough heat during their usage, which makes traveling in freezing temperatures rather difficult. The reason for this is that frost can now easily build up over the traffic light lens, making it impossible for a motorist to be completely sure as to which traffic law must be obeyed. The issue has already led to dozens of traffic accidents, one of which included a motorist fatality. While governing authorities cite monetary savings as a significant factor in installing the efficient bulbs, opponents of the move can cite several cases where individuals were involved in car accidents as a result of the low heat-producing light bulbs that contributed towards the obstruction of a traffic signal.

Municipalities have a responsibility to provide and maintain safe road conditions for city residents and visitors alike. In the event that a governing body fails to provide such conditions, then that government entity may be held liable for damages resulting from said instance of improperly maintained conditions. Ultimately, if a city fails to provide safe conditions and does not address and correct known problems in a timely manner, then the city is exercising negligent behavior that needs to be addressed in a court of law.

Currently, the FDA is responsible for safeguarding nearly 80% of the food supply in the U.S. However, safeguarding against food-borne illness does not always prevent the public from falling ill due to tainted food. Currently, it is estimated that nearly 76 million Americans are affected each year by food-borne pathogens. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 5,000 people die annually due to such illness.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) became aware of the problem and notified Unilever of the possible contamination on December 2, 2009. The FDA is currently investigating the matter, paying particular attention to a production facility in Covington, Tennessee. Customers who have in their possession such canned drinks should immediately discard those drinks and may contact Unilever at 1-800-896-9479 for a full refund.

An ABCNews.com report has revealed that a batch of the H1N1 vaccine has been recalled in Canada. Its maker, U.K.-based GlaxoSmithKline, has recalled the vaccine because it has caused at least six known cases of severe allergic reaction in its users. So far, 170,000 doses of the vaccine have been recalled in Canada. Although reports claim that this side effect is limited to the vaccine distributed in Canada, it has yet to be seen whether or not other users in different locations are also affected by this defect. A total of 7.5 million doses of the vaccine have been distributed in Canada thus far.

MSNBC.com reports a completely different issue, this time one that has affected children. According to the article, over 800,000 doses of the H1N1 vaccine have been recalled by Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccine’s division of France-based pharmaceutical company Sanofi-Aventis Group. It has been determined that these particular doses of the vaccine are ineffective in preventing the onset of swine flu, thus putting children inoculated with the vaccine at risk of contracting the illness. The doses in question have minimal to no potency, and were distributed amongst children.

Although it is encouraging that such action is finally being initiated, a clinical trial tracking of patients who undergo the surgery will not conclude until 2012. To start things off, an online questionnaire will help patients gauge their quality of life after Lasik surgery. The head of the FDA’s medical device division stated, “This study will enhance our understanding of the risks of Lasik and could lead to a reduction in patients who experience adverse effects.”

Considering that approximately 6 million Americans have had Lasik surgery, an extremely sensitive procedure that everlastingly reshapes the cornea (a clear layer covering the eye), it is of the utmost importance that the FDA administers this study. Although 95% of Lasik patients are apparently satisfied with the results of their surgery, last summer the FDA received 140 reports of Lasik-related problems of eye damage between 1998 and 2006.

What is even more shocking is that this serious hospital error went unnoticed for 18 months. The problem was brought to the attention of the hospital in August 2009 when a stroke patient told the hospital that he had begun to lose his hair after a CT stroke scan. A hospital spokesman told reports that the CT machine was used for other kinds of scans, but that the re-set error only affected the potential stroke patients. However, each patient who received the CT brain perfusion scan procedure for stroke diagnosis was exposed to the radiation overdose. The hospital has found and gotten in touch with 206 patients who were subjected to the overdoses at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. After doing so, the hospital discovered that approximately forty-percent of the patients had endured sporadic hair loss and many of the individuals also showed signs of reddening of the skin.

When auto accidents are caused by foreign substances on the road, such as excessive oil, or by poor road conditions, these factors are unfortunately enough to cause vehicles to lose control, taking an automobile in unexpected directions and resulting in a collision with other vehicles. Head-on collisions in Pennsylvania are some of the most serious auto accidents to take place due to the vulnerability of drivers and front-seat passengers, especially for individuals in small passenger cars who are involved in accidents with larger vehicles like delivery trucks and SUVs.

In its efforts to lower the deaths and severe health problems brought about by misuses of medication, the FDA adverse event reporting system and the organization as a whole are trying to determine the most serious threats, dangers, and risks, and find ways to prevent them from happening. The agency is supposed to hold public hearings to gather information pertaining to the following drug concerns:

• Overuse of acetaminophen (a pain reliever that can cause liver damage if too much is taken)


• Information given to patients (i.e. package inserts, labels and instructions that pharmacists distribute when giving prescriptions)


• Ways to lower dosage errors in liquid medications by including a spoon or cup to accurately regulate a dosage