Good Juice, Bad Juice

Did you hear the breaking news yesterday about dangerous levels of arsenic being found in our kids’ apple and grape juices? Well, it’s serious business.

Consumer advocates are saying the FDA is allowing too much inorganic arsenic into apple and grape juice and that the government is failing to enforce protective standards. The FDA allows 23 parts per billion as a benchmark to determine whether apple juice is contaminated. Consumers Union, publisher of Consumer Reports, is calling for this level to be reduced to as low as 3 parts per billion. The EPA’s level for drinking water, set at 10 parts per billion, is much safer than the juice our little ones are currently drinking!

Consumer Reports, a product-testing organization, analyzed 88 samples of juice and found that 9 of those samples had arsenic levels exceeding federal limits set for drinking water. Of those brands sampled were:

• Apple & Eve
• Great Value
• Mott’s
• Walgreens
• Welch’s

At least one of each of these brands had a sample that exceeded the 10 parts per billion threshold. Consumer Reports also reported that 25% of all juice samples had lead levels at or above the federal limit for bottled water. Grape juice samples were actually higher than apple juice.

What are the dangers of arsenic? Well, organic arsenic is not harmful to the body and will quickly pass through. It’s the inorganic arsenic that’s the problem. Inorganic arsenic is known to cause bladder, lung, and skin cancer as well as increase the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Some reports have even suggested that arsenic exposure can affect brain development in children!

So what should you do if you have a juice-drinking toddler? All of the experts, including the government and consumer advocates, agree that the concern is over drinking large amounts of juice over a long period of time. Drinking small amounts of apple juice is not harmful. However, options to consider are:

• Limit juice intake of children under 6 to 6 ounces a day.
• Limit juice intake of children over 6 to no more than 8-12 ounces a day
• Infants under 6 months should not consume juice at all
• Dilute your child’s juice with water first
• Diversify brands of juice purchased in case one brand tends to have higher arsenic levels

Georgia Hospitals Ranked

Ever wondered how your community ranks for its health care in terms of patient satisfaction? Within the state of Georgia, the Rome area (Northwest Georgia) ranks the highest in the state. Rome area hospitals ranked 12th nationally among 295 regional hospital markets across the United States for patient satisfaction. Not bad for Romans!


The study was published by Kaiser Health News and several other communities in Georgia made into the top 295 rankings for the United States:

91. Columbus

145. Augusta
167. Atlanta
176. Macon
188. Savannah
243. Albany

But does this study really mean anything? Well, according to Kasier Health News, Medicare will begin taking patient satisfaction scores into account when determining what a hospital’s reimbursement amounts will be. The hospitals with the best patient scores will be paid (or reimbursed) more on Medicare bills.

According to the Georgia Hospital Association, this isn’t new to Atlanta area hospitals. They have been using patient-satisfaction scores to compete with each other for years. But connecting the scores to federal payments will be a whole new ball game.
 
All in all, this new system should provide incentives for hospitals to do more to improve patient services. This may result in improvements to quality of employees, amenities, communication between doctors and nurses and their patients, pain management, cleanliness of the facilities, quietness and night, and discharge instructions and planning.

Congratulations to the Rome area physicians and hospitals on a job well done!

How "Hip" Are You?

Do you or a loved one have a Wright CONSERVE or a Wright PROFEMUR Total Hip System or know someone with a Wright PROFEMUR Z? Have you experienced any adverse reactions or symptoms since receiving your implant? Then you need some information that may help you save pain, time and money in the near future.

The Wright Conserve Total Acetabular System is a 3 component, metal-on-metal, device consisting of a femoral stem, a femoral head, and the acetabular cup. Implantation of this system began in 2004 and is very similar in design to the recalled DePuy ASR metal-on-metal hip implant device.

Due to the shallow nature of the Wright CONSERVE cup, constant heat and friction between the metal components may result in excess metal debris being released into the surrounding soft tissue and bloodstream. This metal toxicity is more specifically caused by increased levels of cobalt and chromium ions, which may lead to a multitude of health problems or permanent injury.

The three main problems associated with Wright implants are:

1. loosening of the device

2. the development of metalosis, and

3. the inhibition of bone grafting.

Common symptoms and difficulties associated with component loosening include:

1. difficulty standing or walking

2. difficulty rising from seated positions

3. unexplained hip, thigh, and groin pain

4. popping or crunching noises

5. tissue inflammation or infection, and

6. bone fractures.

Patients are also experiencing Aseptic Lymphocytic Vasculitis Associated Lesions (“ALVAL”) from elevated levels of chromium and cobalt in the bloodstream. Some of the symptoms of this metalosis include swelling in and around the implant site, dislocation, nerve palsy, cysts, necrosis, cardiac problems, intense pain at site of hip replacement, groin or thigh, and a noticeable mass or rash. Long-term injuries from metalosis can occur as well. Lastly, excess metal ions in the bloodstream may result in stunted bone growth.

What should you do if you or someone you know has received a defective joint replacement system? The first thing that you should do is to continue your treatment regimen and consult your doctor about your concerns immediately.

It is very important that you AVOID signing a release form of any kind from your physician, surgeon or Wright. This form would enable Wright to have complete access to all your medical records and give them possession of the defective implant upon removal. Also, it may be helpful to keep a journal detailing your symptoms. This may be helpful to both your physician as well as your legal representative if you believe you may have a claim against Wright. And remember not to release any of your confidential medical information to anyone representing Wright without first contacting an experienced team of hip replacement attorneys.

For more information or to discuss whether you have a potential case, please feel free to call the injury lawyers at the Studstill Firm, LLP at (478) 745-9002.

Even though the Wright Profemur Hip System has not yet been recalled, you may still be entitled to significant compensation if you have been experiencing hip replacement problems. The injury attorneys at the Studstill Firm, LLP have years of experience in defective product cases, including medical devices that claim to be safe. We will fight for your rights against the designer, manufacturer, and seller of defective hip implants such as the Wright Profemur Hip System.

Call our office today at (478) 745-9002 to discuss your situation. Your initial consultation is free of charge – and confidential – and you pay nothing unless we win your case.

Are Bad Boy Buggies Living Up To Their "Bad" Name?

The manufacturer of Bad Boy Buggies, an off-road utility vehicle, has recently recalled 3,200 Bad Boy Buggies due to a defective steering arm assembly. Essentially, the recall was issued because the vehicles contain a defective steering arm assembly which could break during normal operation and leave the vehicle uncontrollable and result in crashes with injuries.

According to the manufacturer, there have been 15 reported incidents of the steering arm breaking in these vehicles causing the driver to lose control. The following Bad Boy Buggy Models (pictured below) are involved in the recall: (1) Bad Boy LT; (2) Classic; (3) XT; (4) XTO, and (5) XT Safari. 

These models were manufactured at BB Buggies in Augusta, Georgia and Bad Boy Enterprises, LLC in Natchez, Mississippi and were sold nationwide.

This recall follows on the heels of an earlier recall of 9,300 Bad Boy Classic Buggies which contained defective accelerator petals that caused sudden and unintended acceleration. That recall involved Bad Boy Classic Buggies which were manufactured by Bad Boy Enterprises, LLC between 2003 and May 2010.

Owners of these vehicles should stop using them immediately and contact Bad Boy Buggies at (855) -738 3711 or visit its website at http://www.badboybuggies.com/.

Diabetes Drug Linked to Bladder Cancer

Actos is a drug that is manufactured by Takeda, a Japanese pharmaceutical company, and prescribed to treat type-2 diabetes. In September 2010, the FDA announced that Actos may be linked to urinary bladder cancer. This announcement was made by the FDA after a ten year epidemiological study revealed an increase in bladder cancer in patients taking Actos. After this study was published, Actos was removed from the market in Germany and France, but not in the U.S.

The FDA has since required Actos’ warning label to be revised to include the risk of urinary bladder cancer as a possible side effect.

Actos is currently marketed as a stand-alone drug or in combination form as Actoplus Met, Acoplus Met XR, and Duetact. Actos was designed to increase the cell’s sensitivity to insulin. It was widely prescribed in the United States as the “preferred medicine” for treating type-2 diabetes.

Unbelievably, there is strong evidence that suggests that Takeda, the Japanese manufacturer of Actos, knew of the increased risks of bladder cancer posed by Actos as early as the pre-clinical carcinogenicity studies, which showed an increase in drug-induced tumors in the bladders of rats. Despite these studies, which showed an increased risk of tumors, Takeda marketed and sold Actos without any warning whatsoever of an increased risk of bladder cancer.

In fact, it was only after the FDA required the revision to Actos’ warning label that doctors and patients were made aware of the risk of bladder cancer. Unfortunately, millions of Americans took Actos and were exposed to an increased risk of bladder cancer.

If you or a family member took Actos and have been diagnosed with bladder cancer, our Georgia injury lawyers would like to talk with you about your potential claims against Takeda.

Drug Maker Issues Correction After False Advertising

Following a meeting and warning of the FDA advisory panel, the makers of certain bisphosphonates have begun an ad campaign to correct their FALSE ADVERTISING. Genentech/Roche Group has started running an ad (which you may have seen in the Parade magazine included in your local newspaper) that begins with the following:

"AN IMPORTANT CORRECTION FROM BONIVA FOR WOMEN WITH POSTMENOPAUSAL OSTEOPOROSIS
You may have seen an ad about BONIVA for the treatment and prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis that may have given you the wrong impression. Our ads stated that ‘After one year on BONIVA, 9 out of 10 women stopped and reversed their bone loss.’ The FDA has found that there is not enough evidence to support this statement and wants us to clear up any misunderstanding you may have had about these ads and make sure you have the correct information about BONIVA.”
And here's the part where they finally tell the truth that they had been hiding: "BONIVA has not been proven to stop and reverse bone loss in 9 out of 10 women and is not a cure for postmenopausal osteoporosis.”

It is unfortunate that pharmaceutical companies are able to propogate these sorts of half-truths and lies to the public to try to sell more of their product than their competitors. It is even more unfortunate that the product they are pushing has actually been causing harm to many women. There have been numerous reports of thigh bone fractures and necrosis (decaying) of major joints like hips and jaw bones. For more information on the problems and injuries caused by BONIVA and other bisphosphonates, please see our earlier post entitled Building Bones or Breaking Bones?.

If you would like for us to email you a copy of the ad, along with a copy of the updated medication guide, please feel free to contact us directly.

The lawyers at the Studstill Firm are interested in speaking with individuals who may have taken medications that have caused them to have injuries. While the idea of being involved in a lawsuit may not be appealing to many individuals, a consultation with us about your options is free and confidential. Please feel free to contact one of our products liability injury lawyers in Georgia by calling (478) 745-9002 (in Macon, Georgia) or (229) 686-3500 (in Nashville or Tifton, Georgia) or (229) 244-2908 (in Valdosta, Georgia) to set up an appointment or to discuss your potential case with someone over the phone.

Injury Prevention Goes High Tech

I just read about a cool new app for iPhone and Android phone users that take disaster and emergency preparedness to a new high-tech level. The Georgia Department of Public Health and the Georgia Emergency Management Agency (GEMA) launched the Ready Georgia app recently. It’s a free interactive app that provides real-time information emergency information on hazards, weather alerts and disease outbreaks in Georgia. During an emergency, the app will deliver alerts and information on what to do during different types of disasters.

During non-emergency times, the Ready Georgia app helps Georgians plan for a range of emergencies. The app can be used to create personal checklists of emergency supplies, make disaster plans for their families, and check flood-risk levels and historic tornado data for their area. The key is to take action to be prepared for different types of disasters long before they happen.

The Ready Georgia app also has “geo-location” technology to determine the app user’s location, and then show the flow of traffic on evacuation maps and the location of nearby shelters. It also provides the locations of FEMA’s disaster recovery centers.

The key to surviving a major disaster in Georgia may very well be the steps you take to be prepared well in advance. This app seems to be a great tool to help you get prepared and then stay informed when the unthinkable happens.

To download the app or for more information, check out the Ready Georgia website.