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01 Feb 2012 10:08

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Biz: Pfizer recalls one million birth control packets over packaging error

  • An investigation by Pfizer found that some blister packs may contain an inexact count of inert or active ingredient tablets and that the tablets may be out of sequence. As a result of this packaging error, the daily regimen for these oral contraceptives may be incorrect and could leave women without adequate contraception, and at risk for unintended pregnancy.
  • A statement from Pfizer • Discussing their recall of one million packets of birth control medication. Phrases you don’t want to see in a story about a recall of birth-control medication: “At risk for unintended pregnancy.” The problem, described by the company as a “mechanical and operator visual inspection systems failure on the packaging line,” has reportedly been corrected already. But yeah, that’s kind of a big mistake. source

17 Aug 2011 10:36

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U.S.: Wisconsin Democrats survive recalls unscathed; GOP still has majority

  • Maybe it shows that voters indicated they deserved more time to let their voice be heard on such an important piece of legislation.
  • Wisconsin State Sen. Jim Holperin • Discussing the reasons he felt he and fellow State Sen. Robert Wirch got to keep their seats last night after facing a recall over the controversial anti-union legislation that led to an earlier set of recalls that cost two Republicans their seats. The final tally? Republicans now have a 17-16 majority in the state senate — less than what Democrats wanted, but enough to make Republicans take notice. source

24 Feb 2011 10:42

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U.S.: Toyota’s got floormat issues: They just recalled a bunch of cars

  • 2.17
    million
    the number of cars Toyota recalled today for gas-pedal/floormat issues
  • 5.3
    million
    the number of cars previously recalled for similar issues source
  • » What’s the issue? Simply put, the floormats aren’t fully secure, so that when you’re driving, it can move around and get caught inside the gas pedal mechanism. This issue is unrelated the that acceleration problem Toyota’s cars have infamously had recently.

08 Feb 2011 14:40

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Biz: Toyota’s cars don’t have computers with minds of their own

  • yes Mechanical defects in the Toyota vehicles, which have already been addressed by the company, were behind the sudden acceleration problem their cars had.
  • no After a long check, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that the electronics were OK and the computer wasn’t at fault. source

21 Oct 2010 07:26

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Biz: Same ol’ song and dance: Toyota back to recalling cars again

  • 1.5 million cars recalled over brake fluid leaking concerns source

30 Sep 2010 09:45

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Biz: Fisher-Price blames choking hazard for massive toy recall

  • 10.9 million toys recalled, including tricycles source

24 Aug 2010 21:30

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U.S.: Why did the U.S. decide not to vaccinate hens from salmonella?

  • The U.S. chose not to force hens to get vaccinated for Salmonella. They claimed there wasn’t enough evidence that it did anything. (And it wouldn’t raise costs much; it’d cost less than a penny per dozen eggs.) With the very large egg-tainting problem in the U.S., it’s probably good to look at what happened after Britain mandated hen vaccinations:
  • 14,771the number of cases in England and Wales caused by the most common strain of salmonella in 1997, the year a new hen vaccine was tested by the country’s farmers
  • 581the number of cases in England and Wales last year, a decrease of 96 percent; the hen vaccine, which has been in use since 1998, has helped lead to yearly declines source
  • » So why didn’t they? Well, the FDA, while it claims that it looked at the vaccine seriously, said that there were significant differences between the U.S. version of the vaccine and the British one. The vaccine-maker, however, says that the differences were minor and the drugs were equally effective. Meanwhile, the current recall is at around 550 million eggs.
 

08 Jun 2010 11:23

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Biz: Another day, another massive recall, this time from GM

  • 1.5 million vehicles recalled over fiery windshield wiper fluid source

04 Jun 2010 10:57

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Biz: Shrek glasses: The latest thing that could make you sick

These McDonald’s glasses contain cadmium, a toxic metal, so the company’s recalling a couple of them. And by a couple, we mean 12 million. source

11 May 2010 10:41

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Biz: Despite the recalls, Toyota actually made big profits last quarter

  • $2.2B the size of Toyota’s profits over the last fiscal year, after a down year
  • $1.2B the profits Toyota made during their recall troubles last quarter
  • 53k the increase in new car sales the company expects this year source