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• New England School Mistakenly Administers Shock Therapy to Students

  Courtney Mills | December 20, 2007 11:12 AM | 0 CommentsSpartanburg, SC

  A New England school for the emotionally and mentally handicapped mistakenly administered electric shock therapy (EST) to two students earlier this year, according to admissions by school officials. A single prank caller to the school initiated the mistaken shock therapy to the affected students.According to officials at the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center, allegedly a former student at the...

• Deaths Reported in Patients Undergoing Radiofrequency Ablation of Tumors

  Courtney Mills | December 13, 2007 9:50 AM | 0 CommentsSpartanburg, SC

  The FDA made a public announcement recently about the association between radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of lung tumors and patient deaths. The FDA has received several reports of patient deaths linked to lung tumor ablation with RFA devices. According to the government agency, patient selection, follow-up care, and technical use of these devices may have contributed to patient...

• Four Transplant Recipients Contract H.I.V. in Chicago

  Courtney Mills | November 14, 2007 5:26 PM | 0 CommentsSpartanburg, SC

  Four patients in Chicago tested positive for H.I.V. after receiving organs from an H.I.V. - infected organ donor. Two patients were infected at the University of Chicago Medical Center, one at Northwestern University Medical Center, and one transplant patient was infected at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.The story was first reported by the Chicago Tribune. The transplant recipients...

• U.S. Recalls Aqua Dots Toys Because of 'Date-Rape' Drug

  Courtney Mills | November 08, 2007 3:14 PM | 0 CommentsSpartanburg, SC

  Spin Master Toys of Toronto, Canada in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a recall for over 4 million packages of Aqua Dots because the coating applied on these toy beads breaks down in the stomachs of toddlers into GHB, the notorious 'date-rape' drug.Aqua Dots are chemically-coated toy beads that fuse together once sprayed with water. Known as Bindeez in...

• Chemical Plant Fire Causes Explosion, One Injury

  Courtney Mills | November 01, 2007 1:30 PM | 0 CommentsSpartanburg, SC

  A chemical plant northeast of Des Moines, Iowa exploded Monday afternoon, sending firefighters from all over the region scrambling to help with the huge chemical fire. The fire started at 1:15pm, and continued to burn for several hours thereafter.Flames and thick clouds of black smoke could be seen emanating from the Barton Solvents chemical plant for several miles, according to media reports. ...

• Topps E. Coli Beef Recall Linked to Tainted Canadian Beef

  Courtney Mills | October 29, 2007 1:53 PM | 0 CommentsSpartanburg, SC

  The U.S. Food Safety and Inspection Service announced on Friday that a Canadian meatpacker was the probable source of the Topps large beef recall last month. DNA beef fingerprints had led the F.S.I.S. to the conclusion that Ranchers Beef Ltd of Balzac, Alberta was the source of the contagion.According to media reports, over 100 cases of E. coli illness have been reported in both Canada and the...

• Baby Crib Bumper Pads More Harmful to Toddlers

  Courtney Mills | October 23, 2007 3:08 PM | 0 CommentsSpartanburg, SC

  The risk of accidentally becoming injured and suffocating as a result of a baby crib bumper pad appears to be much higher than was previously considered. Crib bumpers are soft pads that mothers place inside baby cribs to shield toddlers from bruises and other forms of injury, and were thought to be safe. A recently released study by the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis...

• Banquet Pot Pies Recalled for Salmonella

  Chrissie Cole | October 12, 2007 3:12 AM | 0 CommentsSpartanburg, SC

  ConAgra Foods announced a voluntary recall of Banquet-brand poultry pot pies (expanded to include beef pot pies) after health officials found a link to 139 cases of salmonella contamination across 30 states. Consumers are advised not to consume any pot pies with the product code P-9 on the side of the box. While ConAgra contends the pot pies are safe if cooked properly, the U.S. Department of...

• Fuel Tanker Truck Crashes into South Carolina Home

  Chrissie Cole | September 25, 2007 4:19 PM | 0 CommentsSpartanburg, SC

  A man suffered injuries in a truck accident at his home on Thursday, when a fuel tanker parked at a gas station across the street, rolled away and crashed into his home.The tanker was transporting 8,000 gallons of fuel. None of which was spilled during the accident, according to authorities.The house, located about 300 feet from the gas station, was pushed off its foundation. He was transported...

• Chrysler Recalls 369,000 SUV Due to Brake Problems

  Jenny Albano | September 14, 2007 11:56 PM | 0 CommentsSpartanburg, SC

  Chrysler LLC, an automaker, is recalling almost 369,000 sport utility vehicles because of problems with the brakes going up hill. Also, on some of the vehicles, there are problems with the locks and door latches.The company is recalling 296,550 vehicles for the brake-related problem. The recall includes the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Jeep Commander SUVs from 2006 and 2007 model years and the 2007...