September 2006 Archives

Dozens of dangerous products that violate federal safety regulations are finding their way onto store shelves, and hundreds of other recalled items that have been banned for sale in the United States are being sold overseas. A recent investigation by Consumer Reports, based on a decade’s worth of government public safety records and shopping at more than one dozen stores, found that weak laws and lax federal enforcement are allowing some manufacturers and importers to flaunt federal and voluntary industry safety standards. As a result, according to Consumer Reports, consumers are buying potentially lethal products.

Man’s best friend doesn’t always live up to the title – an average 4.7 million people throughout the nation suffer a dog bite each year. The Insurance Information Institute reports that dog bites account for about 25% of all homeowners’ insurance liability claims.

Home is where the heart is, but it may also be where the danger resides. In 2001, there were 33,200 accidental deaths in the home. The four leading causes of such fatalities are, in order: poisoning, falls, suffocation from an ingested object, and fires and burns. While no age group is invulnerable, the two most at-risk groups are children under age 4 and the elderly.

Common wisdom is that the best thing for our children is to get them outside to play - but this may not be such good advice if they head for the background playset. A surprising report released by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) revealed that over a ten year period, more children died from injuries sustained on backyard playground equipment than on public playgrounds. Data on playground related deaths reported to the agency from January 1990 through August 2000 was reviewed, and studied playground equipment related injuries treated in U.S. hospital emergency rooms.

You always knew it was a little slimy, and what it did to the sailorman was kind of creepy - but who thought it would kill you? Well, spinach won't be your only worry in the produce section if Congress follows through with plans to preempt state laws.

It’s not something you do with a rod and reel or an alternative music group. Phishing is an online scam used to commit identity theft. A fraudulent, but official-looking e-mail is sent to a user in an attempt to con that user into divulging personal and/or private information, which is then used for identity theft. The sender is “fishing” for a bite from a few of the millions of recipients of the fake e-mail.

Many in Colorado are familiar with the tragic story of the missing toddler being towed in Carter Lake this past July. He is now presumed drowned, and authorities report that his life jacket was too big for his 25-pound body.

Boating accidents are not so few and far between. The Coast Guard says that each year about 8,000 boating accidents are reported, resulting in the death of more than 800 people.