First, American pet owners discovered suddenly and tragically that pet foods manufactured in China contained melamine particles that sickened and even killed cats and dogs in the U.S. Next, we learned that other suspicious foods and health products were being imported from China – foods and products that endangered human health.

Now, the New York Times reports that China is responsible for 60% of all product recalls in the United States (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/19/business/worldbusiness),/. Last year, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commissioner yanked 467 products made in China – a new record. And the latest is a real shocker: Thomas & Friends train sets coated with lead paint, which can damage children’s brain cells.

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After years of decline, thanks to safety standards and increased law enforcement, accidental deaths in the United States are on a sharp upswing – with apparently no end in sight.

The National Safety Council warns that if the trend continues, accidents will surpass an all-time high set in 1969 (http://www.intelihealth.com/). This epidemic cost us an estimated $625.5 billion in 2005, including projected lost earnings, medical expenses and motor vehicle damages.

One reason for the increase is our aging population. Formerly alert and cautious Baby Boomers are tripping over household hazards; falls are the leading cause of accidental deaths among the elderly. Another biggie in this age group is motorcycle deaths, 35% of which were among bikers over 45 in 2005.

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It has been 20 years since the sunglass-clad California raisins danced their way into our hearts to the tune of “I Heard It Through the Grapevine.” Now, China says better our hearts than our stomachs.

Turning the tables on U.S. complaints about tainted pet food and other products from China, that country’s food safety agency claims that its inspectors have found bacteria and sulfur dioxide in U.S.-exported raisins and health supplements. (Sulfur dioxide is a common preservative used in dried fruit.) A June television news report cites a brief notice on the agency’s web site that the tainted products have been returned or destroyed. There are no details about how the inspections were conducted, or when.

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Wyeth, the manufacturer of women’s hormone replacement drug Prempro, is not protected by a federal law which would have moved any case brought against the manufacturer to federal court. A ruling by a New Jersey judge earlier this week, stated that “federal law does not bar state lawsuits alleging drugmakers did not adequately warn about a product’s risks.”

Wyeth, the manufacturer of women’s hormone replacement drug Prempro, is not protected by a federal law which would have moved any case brought against the manufacturer to federal court. A ruling by a New Jersey judge earlier this week, stated that “federal law does not bar state lawsuits alleging drugmakers did not adequately warn about a product’s risks.”

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Never underestimate Big Tobacco. Stalled by recent court rulings affirming their lethal deception of the American public, cigarette companies decided to make an end run.

In the face of state court verdicts against cigarette manufacturers (such as the Florida Supreme Court’s decision that nicotine is addictive, that cigarettes cause cancer, and that Big Tobacco has known this all along), Philip Morris sought to shift all smokers’ lawsuits to the federal courts instead. Federal courts have generally been more advantageous for corporations.

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The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety issued a list of vehicles qualifying as Top Safety Picks following extensive testing at the Institute testing facility. The Institute rates vehicles based on “performance in high-speed front and side crash tests plus evaluations of seat/head restraints for protection against neck injuries in rear impacts.”

In order to qualify as a Top Safety Pick, each vehicle must earn at least “good” ratings in all three of the above-mentioned tests. In addition, for the first time this year, in order to qualify as a Top Pick, the Institute requires the winning vehicles to have electronic stability control. “This addition is based on Institute research indicating that ESC significantly reduces crash risk, especially the risk of fatal single vehicle crashes, by helping drivers maintain control of their vehicles during emergency maneuvers.”

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The US and Canada have stopped all imports of Chinese made toothpaste, because it contains diethylene glycol (DEG). DEG is a chemical commonly used in antifreeze.

Now, there are reports that counterfeit Colgate toothpaste is being distributed. Although the origins of many containers of this counterfeit toothpaste are unknown, it seems clear the toothpaste contains DEG and harmful bacteria. DEG is a poisonous chemical used in antifreeze and as a solvent that may cause nausea, abdominal pain, dizziness, urinary problems, kidney failure, breathing problems, lethargy, convulsions, coma and even death when ingested.

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The dangers of cigarette smoking have been well documented over the last three decades. However, recent studies on the dangers of exposure to smokers are revealing the startling information about the dangers presented by exposure to second-hand smoke. Remarkably, it has been only in the last few years that reports from the Surgeon General have begun to focus on the risks of second-hand smoke exposure for nonsmokers.

The dangers of cigarette smoking have been well documented over the last three decades. However, recent studies on the dangers of exposure to smokers are revealing the startling information about the dangers presented by exposure to second-hand smoke. Remarkably, only last year, the Surgeon General determined that there is “no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.”

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