Consumer Awareness

It was six years ago that the Chicago Tribune did an investigation of hazards from magnetic toys for children that helped touch off the government stiffening standards on the small pieces that can be swallowed by the unaware. At the time, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) held a public hearing in Chicago on consumer safety. One of the clients of Clifford Law Offices, a mother from the far northern suburbs, Sharon…

Carrageenan is being studied by researchers at the University of Illinois in Chicago and University of Chicago to determine if it has ill effects on some people’s gastrointestinal systems, the Chicago Tribune reported in a recent article (“Food Additive Stirs Calls for Scrutiny,” March 18, 2013). UIC physician and professor Joanne Tobacman has been looking at the health effects of this food additive for years and in 2008 she petitioned the Food and Drug Administration…

Two North Carolina women who are also food bloggers learned about two additives contained in the popular Kraft Macaroni & Cheese that are banned in various European countries yet still are in the product on U.S. store shelves. They started a petition to have the additives removed. So far, more than 220,000 people have signed the petition asking Kraft to remove yellow dye 5 and yellow dye 6 from the popular food. The two women,…

Have you seen the blog written by Dr. Howard J. Bennett? He’s a Washington, D.C. board-certified pediatrician who, when he’s not seeing patients, writes books and some very practical advice for moms. One of his latest tips was published in The Washington Post newspaper about how “Research has repeatedly shown that cold medicines don’t work for children younger than 6.” He goes on to say that these store-bought, often self-prescribed remedies provide only negligible benefit…

As many new mothers have found, getting new bedding products for your infant may seem like a special day – changing pads, mattress pads, car seats and other products you buy at your local toy or department store may seem new, but some also have that “funny” smell. Initially, you may attribute it to being wrapped in plastic because the smell dissipates over time. Now comes word that some of these common products sold in…