Safety Recalls

Thomas Lighting Recalls Ceiling Fixtures

Fire and Shock Hazards
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Frigidaire Gas Range Recalled

Ranges were sold exclusively at Lowe's
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Big Lots Recalls Ceramic Space Heaters

Portable heaters post fire, shock hazards
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Portfolio Outdoor Lanterns Sold at Lowe's Recalled

A short circuit can pose a fire and shock hazard
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Mercedes-Benz Recalls E350 Models 

Problem with rear suspension
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BMW Recalls X5, X6 Models 

Power steering fluid may leak
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EDIC Recalls Aqua Dri Air Movers 

The blowers are used to dry floors in buildings
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Flushmate Recalls Millions of Toilet Flushers 

A weld seam can break, blowing off the tank lid and shattering the tank
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eZip, iZip Adult Tricycles Recalled

The rear axle can break, causing a wheel to detach
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Reports Of Mortgage Modification Rip-Offs Increasing

Washington attorney general sees uptick in complaints

By Mark Huffman, ConsumerAffairs.com

Five years into the foreclosure crisis there is no end in sight. After a pause for a now completed settlement with the mortgage industry, the pace of foreclosures is picking up again.

Many homeowners have attempted to negotiate mortgage modifications with their lenders in an effort to keep their homes, but have become frustrated with the process. That's when many turn to a third-party mortgage modification consultant.

"Because I was behind in my mortgage and facing foreclosure, I contacted Britt Processing," Chris, of Reading, Pa., wrote in a ConsumerAffairs post. "They told they work with Wells Fargo as well with many other banks. They guaranteed me they could get me a modification and save my home for me. They told me not to pay my mortgage for two months, instead send them $ 1000.00 a month to get this done."

Read the entire article here.

Traveling? Don't Bring Measles Home With You

Summer Olympics could be an Olympic event for measles

By James Limbach, ConsumerAffairs.com

With the 2012 Summer Olympics just weeks, people around the world are preparing.

Athletes are putting in their final weeks of training, officials in London are getting the city ready for visitors and spectators are making travel plans. In the U.S., the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working to make sure everyone’s healthy for the big event.

One area of concern is measles -- in particular -- unvaccinated travelers contracting the disease while abroad and bringing it back home. Last year, 222 people in the U.S. were reported to have measles -- due mostly to overseas travel.

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Knik Glacier Wreckage Is From Military Crash That Killed 52

By Chris Klint, Channel 2 News

ANCHORAGE, Alaska— A military plane crash found near Knik Glacier earlier this month has been identified as a Korean War-era Air Force cargo plane that killed all 52 people on board and was buried by heavy snow shortly after it went down, bringing closure to victims’ families after nearly 60 years.

Army Capt. Jamie Dobson with the Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command says the wreckage discovered on Colony Glacier June 10 by a UH-60 Blackhawk crew with the Alaska Army National Guard is that of a Douglas C-124A Globemaster II that crashed in the area on Nov. 22, 1952.

While evidence collected by the eight-man team is en route to JPAC’s Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii for further analysis, Dobson said the plane was identifiable by materials found at the scene.

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Annual List Reveals Dirty Dozen Fruits

"Highly disturbing" level of pesticides found in baby food

By Truman Lewis, ConsumerAffairs.com

You like fruit? See how you feel after reading this:

• Some 98 percent of conventional apples have detectable levels of pesticides.
• Domestic blueberries tested positive for 42 different pesticide residues.
• Seventy-eight different pesticides were found on lettuce samples.
• Every single nectarine USDA tested had measurable pesticide residues.
• Grapes have more types of pesticides than any other fruit, with 64 different chemicals.
• Thirteen different pesticides were measured on a single sample each of celery and strawberries.

These are among the findings of the eighth edition of the Shopper's Guide to Pesticides in Produce, published annually by the Environmental Working Group, this year with updated information on 45 popular fruits and vegetables and their total pesticide loads.
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BPA Exposure May Last For Generations

Researchers found the chemical in a series of mice generations

By Mark Huffman, ConsumerAffairs.com

The debate over the safety of Bisphenol A (BPA), a widely used chemical in plastic containers, will likely continue for some time but the evidence of its effects continues to pile up.

The latest study comes from researchers writing in the journal Endocrinology who say they have found exposure to low doses of BPA during pregnancy had trans-generational effects on mice.

In other words, a female mouse exposed to BPA during gestation had offspring that displayed different social behaviors, previously associated with BPA exposure. The research found the offspring and succeeding generations of offspring all showed the effects of BPA, including anxiety, aggression and cognitive impairments.

Read the entire article here.