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In February SimplyThick, LLC, the manufacturer of SimplyThick, announced online a major change to its product warnings. The new warning will state that SimplyThick is “NOT intended for use with preterm or infants under 12 months of age. Or children under the age of 12 years with a history of NEC.” This action follows two advisories by the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (“FDA”) that infant’s fed SimplyThick may develop necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a condition in which tissue in the intestines becomes inflamed and dies, which can be fatal. In May 2011, the FDA advised against feeding SimplyThick to infants born before 37 weeks gestation because it could cause NEC. In September 2012, the FDA expanded its warning to all infants under the age of 12 months.

New federal safety standards for cribs, play yards, bassinets and cradles show a laudable concern for infants and the danger well-meaning but unsuspecting parents place their children in. Beginning June 28, 2011, all cribs made and sold after that date must meet new standards which prohibit traditional drop-side cribs, strengthen crib slats and mattress supports, improve the quality of hardware, and require more rigorous testing from entering the marketplace. Beginning December 28, 2012, cribs provided by child care facilities, family child care homes, hotels, motels and other places of public accommodation must meet the requirements of the new standards.  Failure to do so could render the facility  negligent per se.

Every day, 352 children ages 19 and under are injured as a result of a fire or burn-related cause.  Among children under 5 years of age, scalds or contact burns are responsible for 90 percent of burn injuries.  One of the focus areas of the American Burn Association’s Burn Awareness Week (February 3-9, 2013) is preventing scald burn injuries – a burn from hot liquid or steam. The maximum recommended residential water temperature is 120ËšF (48ËšC). Children have thinner skin than adults which can result in a more severe burn. The most common places children experience scalds are in the kitchen or dining rooms and in the bathrooms.

Effective February 12, 2012, a new law goes into effect in New York that expands the list of convictions that disqualify a school bus driver from either permanently or temporarily operating a school bus.  The law adds to the list of convictions that would either permanently disqualify an applicant from being a bus driver or disqualify the candidate for five years. The law also changes from a temporary five-year prohibition to a permanent prohibition vehicular manslaughter in the first degree, aggravated vehicular homicide, and promoting prostitution in the first, second, or third degree. Additionally, added to the list of crimes which would result in a five-year prohibition are forcible touching and criminal sale of a prescription for a controlled substance.

On January 26, 2011, Democratic lawmakers reintroduced legislation, Protecting Student Athletes from Concussions Act, that would set minimum safety standards for concussion management in public schools across the country. The legislation would, for the first time, ask school districts to implement a concussion safety and management plan. It would require schools to post information about concussions on school grounds and on school websites. It would also support when in doubt, sit it out policies for students suspected of sustaining a concussion during a school-sponsored athletic activity. The National Football League

On January 26, 2011, Democratic lawmakers reintroduced legislation, Protecting Student Athletes from Concussions Act, that would set minimum safety standards for concussion management in public schools across the country. The legislation would, for the first time, ask school districts to implement a concussion safety and management plan. It would require schools to post information about concussions on school grounds and on school websites. It would also support when in doubt, sit it out policies for students suspected of sustaining a concussion during a school-sponsored athletic activity. The National Football League

A report released earlier this month by the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) reveals that pedestrian fatalities increased during the first six months of 2010, by seven, from 1,884 to 1,891. The increase is small 0.4 percent but is notable because overall traffic fatalities during this period were significantly down, and it comes on the heels of four straight years of steady declines in pedestrian deaths. If the second six months of 2010 also show no significant change, this will be the first year of increase or no progress after four years of decline. Pedestrian traffic fatalities dropped from 4,892 in 2005 to 4,091 in 2009, an average decline of 200 each year. New York, however, like California and Texas, experienced reductions in pedestrian fatali

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has recalled more than 11 million dangerous cribs since 2007. Detaching drop-side rails were associated with at least 32 infant suffocation and strangulation deaths since 2000. Additional deaths have occurred due to faulty or defective hardware. Federal crib standards had not been updated in nearly 30 years. But finally on December 28th, 2010 the CPSC approved new mandatory standards for full-size and non-full-size baby cribs. The crib standards will cover used as well as new cribs. The mandatory crib standards will: (1) stop the manufacture and sale of dangerous, traditional drop-side c

Controversy has surrounded alcohol energy drinks such as Red Bull fortheir unhealthy concentration of caffeine. But rather than backing off, the beverage industry has come up with yet more potent and dangerous drinks. One such drink is Four Loko, and alcoholic energy drink combining alcohol and caffeine. To combat the danger, the New York State Liquor Authority (SLA) announced that the SLA has reached a voluntary agreement with Four Loko producer Phusion Products to stop shipping alcoholic beverages that contain caffeine and other stimulants to New York State by this Friday, November 19, 2010. Phusion Products has also agreed to fund alcohol awareness programs to educate licensees and consumers about the dangers of alcohol and binge drinking. The federal government may go further with the Food and Drug Administration likely finding the drinks unsafe and outlawing them, possibl

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety (CPSC) this week announced that after decreasing from 2007 to 2008,toddlers were injureddue to defective cribs and other nursery items rose 21% in 2009. There were 77,300 emergency room visits for products geared to young children in 2009 - in 2008, that figure was 63,700. 2009 saw the most nursery product recalls in history. The CPSC report also stated that nursery products and clothing surpassed toys with the most recalls, representing 28 and 27 percent of childrens product recalls, respectively; products were recalled mainly due to entrapment, fall, and choking hazards. Childrens clothing recalls also reached an unexpected high, due to strangulation hazards present in clothing with drawstrings and choking hazards from small detachable parts. Recalls in 2009