RECALLS poisonous chemical in many brands of toothpaste

[Guest guest]

RECALLS/SAFETY ALERTS

 

 

 

 

Toothpaste Recall:

 

 

› FDA has a special page that lists the latest information on brands of toothpaste being recalled due to the presence of a poisonous chemical, diethylene glycol.

http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/toothpaste.html

 

 

Food Recalls:

 

 

 

 

› Gerber Organic Rice and Gerber Organic Oatmeal, 8 oz. boxes

Reason for recall: potential choking hazard

 

http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/gerber07_07.html

› Market Basket Complete Pancake & Waffle Mix, 32 oz. cartons

Reason for recall: milk not declared on label

 

http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/karlin07_07.html

› Sun Kee Brand Dried Sweet Potato, 12 oz. size

Reason for recall: sulfites not declared on label

 

http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/prosperityresources07_07.html

 

 

Safety Alert:

 

› Following confirmation that a strain of Salmonella bacteria found in Veggie Booty is responsible for a disease outbreak between March and June 2007, FDA continues to advise consumers not to eat Veggie Booty and to throw away any of the product they have. The agency also is advising consumers not to eat Super Veggie Tings Crunchy Corn Sticks, which also may be contaminated.

http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01666.html

 

 

For a list of recalls, market withdrawals, and safety alerts involving FDA-regulated

products from the past 60 days, go to http://www.fda.gov/opacom/7alerts.html.

 

 

To access the RSS feed of FDA recalls information, go to

http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/rssRecalls.xml

[What is an RSS feed? See http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/news/newsfeeds.html.]

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UPCOMING PUBLIC MEETINGS

 

 

July 17 -- Orthopaedic and Rehabilitation Devices Panel of the Medical Devices Advisory Committee

Under discussion: pending application for cervical disc prosthesis

Location: Gaithersburg, Md.

http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/E7-10267.htm

 

July 24 -- Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee

Under discussion: two pending drug approval applications

Location: Rockville, Md.

http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/E7-11496.htm

 

July 26 -- Cellular, Tissue, and Gene Therapies Advisory Committee

Under discussion: updates on two research programs

Location: Bethesda, Md.

http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/E7-11728.htm

 

For a complete list of FDA meetings, seminars, and other public events, go to

http://www.fda.gov/opacom/hpmeetings.html.

 

 

 

 

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

 

What's the difference between viruses and bacteria?

 

There are many differences. Viruses are the smallest and simplest life form known. They are 10 to 100 times smaller than bacteria. The biggest difference between viruses and bacteria is that viruses must have a living host -- like a plant or animal -- to multiply, while most bacteria can grow on non-living surfaces.

 

Also, unlike bacteria, which attack the body like soldiers mounting a battle, viruses are guerilla fighters. They don't attack so much as infiltrate. They literally invade human cells and turn the cell's genetic material from its normal function to producing the virus itself.

 

In addition, bacteria carry all the machinery needed for their growth and multiplication, while viruses carry mainly information -- DNA or RNA, for example. Viruses harness the host cell's machinery to reproduce. In a sense, viruses are not truly "living," but are essentially information floating around until encountering a suitable living host.

 

For more information, see http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/a2z-uvw.html#virus.