LexisNexis Torts: Torts News

EPA testing air after twister in toxic Oklahoma town

LexisNexis Tort Center Staff — Mon, 12 May 2008 12:24:13 GMT

PICHER, Okla. -- (AP) The Environmental Protection Agency was preparing to conduct air and soil tests to check for high lead levels Monday after a deadly tornado blew through Picher, a town so tobacco settlement between 46 states and the four major cigarette companies was anticompetitive and violated antitrust laws. Full version avail

U.S. health secretary: Chinese Heparin shipped to U.S. now safe

LexisNexis Tort Center Staff — Mon, 12 May 2008 11:18:11 GMT

SHANGHAI, China -- (AP) A blood thinner manufactured in China and linked to dozens of deaths in the United States is now safe because of tighter testing and controls, a top American health official said Monday, while warning that all U.S. imports would face closer scrutiny in the future. vaccines triggers autism will challenge mainstream medicine Monday as they take their case to a federal court. Full version available to lexis.com subscribers.

Western states rebuff plan for Italian nuclear waste in Utah

LexisNexis Tort Center Staff — Fri, 09 May 2008 10:12:07 GMT

BOISE, Idaho -- (AP) Eight Western states on Thursday rejected a company's plan to ship tons of radioactive waste from Italy for disposal in Utah, saying importing foreign loads would violate the group's rules. Full version available to lexis.com subscribers.

5th Circuit says plea violated rights of BP gas plant blast victims

LexisNexis Tort Center Staff — Thu, 08 May 2008 10:14:59 GMT

HOUSTON -- (AP) Federal prosecutors violated the rights of victims of a deadly 2005 explosion at a BP PLC plant when they didn't consult them about a plea agreement to settle criminal conduct in connection with the blast, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday. lawsuits over the use of the gasoline additive MTBE, a potential carcinogen that has been found in drinking water. drug Chantix, which has recently been linked with depression and suicidal behavior. Full version available

China accuses U.S. of shoddy probe into tainted heparin

LexisNexis Tort Center Staff — Wed, 07 May 2008 10:16:04 GMT

BEIJING -- (AP) China's drug safety agency accused the United States on Tuesday of blocking Beijing's inquiry into a blood thinner linked to 81 deaths by refusing to provide details on victims and specifics about production. Full version available to lexis.com subscribers.

Streak of trouble with FDA, other problems hit Merck

LexisNexis Tort Center Staff — Tue, 06 May 2008 10:54:47 GMT

TRENTON, N.J. -- (AP) The roller coaster ride for Merck & Co. shareholders and employees is on another speedy downhill run. In barely a week, Merck has suffered a stunning streak of setbacks, including federal regulators rejecting two experimental drugs and publicly demanding the drugmaker clean

Texas attorney general: Case against needle-exchange workers can proceed

LexisNexis Tort Center Staff — Tue, 06 May 2008 10:48:02 GMT

SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- (AP) Those in possession of drug paraphernalia as part of a needle-exchange program can be prosecuted, the Texas Attorney General's Office said Monday, clearing the way for a case against three activists who passed out clean syringes. Full version available to lexis.com subscribers.

FDA study: Insulin pumps linked to injuries, deaths in teens

LexisNexis Tort Center Staff — Mon, 05 May 2008 11:31:17 GMT

CHICAGO -- (AP) Insulin pumps are used by tens of thousands of teenagers worldwide with Type 1 diabetes, but they can be risky and have been linked to injuries and even deaths, a review by federal regulators finds. Full version available to lexis.com subscribers

Anti-psychotic drug use soars in UK children, too

LexisNexis Tort Center Staff — Mon, 05 May 2008 11:26:21 GMT

CHICAGO -- (AP) American children take anti-psychotic medicines at about six times the rate of children in the United Kingdom, according to a comparison based on a new U.K. study. Full version available to lexis.com subscribers.

EPA administrator for Midwest resigns amid fights over dioxin contamination

LexisNexis Tort Center Staff — Fri, 02 May 2008 11:25:43 GMT

CHICAGO -- (AP) The top U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administrator in the Midwest resigned Thursday amid internal fights over dioxin contamination near Dow Chemical Co.'s world headquarters in Michigan, according to a published report. Full version available to lexis.com subscribers.

Medical device advocacy group spent $666,550 on lobbying

LexisNexis Tort Center Staff — Fri, 02 May 2008 11:03:42 GMT

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- (AP) The medical device industry's chief advocacy group spent $666,550 lobbying the federal government in the first quarter of the year. Full version available to lexis.com subscribers.

China says food exports to Japan fall sharply following dumpling poisoning case

LexisNexis Tort Center Staff — Fri, 02 May 2008 10:43:11 GMT

BEIJING -- (AP) China's food exports to Japan, a key market, plunged 30 percent in February, hurt by a scare over poisoned Chinese-made dumplings, according to data reported Friday. Full version available to lexis.com subscribers.

Jury delivers split verdict against New York cigarette dealer

LexisNexis Tort Center Staff — Fri, 02 May 2008 10:17:26 GMT

CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. -- (AP) The owner of an Indian reservation smoke shop that prosecutors claim is a major supplier of black market cigarettes was convicted of racketeering conspiracy Thursday, but acquitted of charges that he waged a campaign of arson and murder to protect his multimillion dollar business.

Seattle study ties bone drug Fosamax to heart problem

LexisNexis Tort Center Staff — Thu, 01 May 2008 11:35:24 GMT

SEATTLE -- (AP) Another research study has found a possible connection between the bone-building drug Fosamax and irregular heart rhythms. Full version available to lexis.com subscribers.

House Science and Technology Committee hearing to focus on recycling electronic waste

LexisNexis Tort Center Staff — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:45:46 GMT

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- (AP) Trash talk comes to Capitol Hill Wednesday at a hearing on the disposal and recycling of computers, televisions, cell phones and other scrapped consumer electronic products. Full version available to lexis.com subscribers.

Appeals court lets New York City calories-on-menus regulation proceed

LexisNexis Tort Center Staff — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 11:30:39 GMT

NEW YORK -- (AP) A federal appeals court let the city proceed Tuesday with ordering some chain restaurants to post calorie counts on menu boards, but only after the city agreed to postpone issuing fines until mid-July. Full version available to lexis.com subscribers.

Contaminated heparin deaths noted

LexisNexis Tort Center Staff — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 18:59:45 GMT

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- (AP) The widow of a man who died after receiving contaminated heparin told a congressional subcommittee Tuesday "we have a false sense of security" in a land where people expect to be protected and safe. toxic chemicals. Full version available to lexis.com sub

Study says FDA allowed risky tests of blood substitutes

LexisNexis Tort Center Staff — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 16:24:12 GMT

CHICAGO -- (AP) Experimental blood substitutes raised the risk of heart attack and death, yet U.S. regulators allowed human testing to continue despite warning signs, says a scathing new report. Full version available to lexis.com subscribers.

Scotts says employee skirted pesticide registration policies

LexisNexis Tort Center Staff — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:51:46 GMT

MARYSVILLE, Ohio -- (AP) A former employee violated product registration policies at a lawn and garden company that has been ordered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to stop selling unregistered and mislabeled pesticides, the company said Thursday. Full version av

Railroad accused of polluting water in South Carolina wreck

LexisNexis Tort Center Staff — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:37:23 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- (AP) Federal prosecutors say the owner of a train involved in a deadly chemical spill in South Carolina should be fined for violating the Clean Water Act. Full version available to lexis.com subscribers.

Moth spraying in California county must wait, judge rules

LexisNexis Tort Center Staff — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:21:33 GMT

FRESNO, Calif. -- (AP) The state must halt an aerial spraying campaign to eradicate an invasive moth in a county near San Francisco Bay, at least until a full environmental review is done, a judge decided Thursday. Full version available to lexis.com subscribers.