By: Allison Lane

As early as September 2008, the maker of Tylenol products was made aware of the complaints that some Tylenol products had a moldy smell and were causing nausea, however, the products were not recalled until November 2009.  The maker of Tylenol products, Johnson & Johnson’s McNeil Consumer Healthcare Products, is being criticized by the FDA for its failure to investigate the contamination and pulling the products off of the shelves more quickly.  The FDA sent a warning letter to McNeil for failing to follow the manufacturing standards.  The FDA does not have the authority to recall products on its own accord. 

This is the second recall that has occurred in the last several months.  In November 2009, McNeil recalled Tylenol Arthritis for the moldy smell which caused nausea, stomach pain, vomiting, and diarrhea.  Now, it has expanded the recall to include some batches of regular and extra-strength Tylenol, children’s Tylenol, Eight-Hour Tylenol, Tylenol PM, children’s Motrin, Motrin IB, Benadryl Rolaids, Simply Sleep, and St. Joseph’s aspirin. These caplets and geltabs were recalled in the Americas, United Arab Emirates and Fiji. 

Research has revealed that the tainted products are being traced back to a chemical in wooden shipping pallets.  McNeil liked the illness to tribromoanisole, which is also known as  TBA.  This chemical is used to treat pallets that contain packaging material used in the tainted products.  Investigators surmise that the chemical leached into the packaging material.  There has not been a lot of research done on the effects of TBA on humans, however, it is believed to cause serious illness.

Please visit www.mcneilproductrecall.com for a complete list of the McNeil recalled products.

A new product recall has been issued for certain cuts of beef. Shipments of the meat were received in 13 states, including Florida. The questionable products came from one of the country’s largest meat producers, JBS Swift Co. The Colorado-based company has recalled 42,000 pounds of beef with potential for E. coli contamination. The cuts are boneless beef bottom sirloin, which could now be in the form of steaks, beef strips and tips, as well as ground beef.

The beef was produced April 21 and 22; it is most likely in consumers homes and not in grocery stores. Packages were labeled as Swift, Black Angus or the brand of grocery store. To view the whole story, please click here.

For a list of the product identifying codes, visit the U.S. Department of Agriculture here or call 800-555-7675.

Attorneys Balkan & Patterson work with personal injury, auto accident, class action, dangerous/defective product and abuse cases in Boca Raton, Broward County, Lighthouse Point, all of Florida and throughout the country. For more information about our firm, please visit www.balkanpatterson.com or call (561) 750-9191.

The law firm of Balkan & Patterson is representing parents and families in a new class action case involving more than 10 million toys recalled by MEGA Brands. The toys contain small parts and magnets that detach from the toys. Young children can swallow these parts, and while small, these tiny magnets can cause serious internal injuries or death if a magnet or a magnet and a metallic object attract each other while inside the child’s body.

The recalled toys are:

• Magnetix Magnetic Building Sets (“Magnetix”)
• MagnaMan Magnetix
• Toy Figures (“MagnaMan Toys”)
• Magtastik, and Magnetix Jr. Pre-school
• Magnetic Toys (the “Recalled Magnetic Toys”)

If you believe you may have a potential case relating to these toy recalls, please contact us online at www.balkanpatterson.com or call (561) 750-9191.

When a pantry staple such as peanut butter is recalled, it can cause a lot of confusion as to what is safe and what is not safe. From dog biscuits to ice cream, almost all kinds of food with peanut butter are cause for speculation and caution right now. The contaminated products can cause salmonella poisoning, which can be deadly.

To protect your children and families, we encourage you to review the following information related to the peanut butter product recalls, provided by the Food and Drug Administration. Please click here for a complete list of recalled products.

Should you have any additional questions, please contact our personal injury attorneys in Boca Raton and Broward County, Florida. You can visit our website at www.balkanpatterson.com.

As many as 30 million potentially faulty tire valves have been installed on cars and vehicles throughout the country. These valves were manufactured in China and have a tendency to crack and split, which can result in a tire blowout. Several American tire makers and car and auto companies have used these valves. The “ingredients” in the manufacture of the tire valves were not correct, and it causes the product to wear out at a faster rate. The tire valves are being investigated by the government, although the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s records show that millions of the faulty valves were installed on cars and truck in the U.S. between Sept. 2006 and June 2007.

Here are a few tips to determine whether the valves on your tires are safe:

1. Spray a mixture of soap and water on the tire valve. If air is seeping out, bubbles will form.

2. Monitor your tire pressure. If your tires are consistently low on fair, it could be a faulty tire valve.

3. Have a mechanic or auto professional check your valves to see if they are in good condition.

For more information, please contact the Boca Raton-based personal injury law firm of Balkan & Patterson, LLP at www.balkanpatterson.com or call (561) 750-9191.