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Build-A-Bear Workshop Pins Recalled Due to High Lead Content
The Consumer Product Safety Commission and Health Canada have announced a recall of 28,700 lapel pins from the Build-A-Bear Workshop due to high levels of lead in the paint. The paint on the Love.Hugs.Peace lapel pins has lead levels that are higher than federal standards permit. The pins were sold at stores nation wide and Read More
Step Stools Sold at Target Recalled
The Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a recall of 206,000 step stools imported by Target. The agency said that the stools can break under the weight of the user, posing a fall and injury risk. Target has received 26 reports of stools breaking, including nine injuries. Carter Stein
City of North Little Rock to Save Costs with LED Road Lights but at What “Cost” to Motorists?
The city of North Little Rock has projected that it will save nearly $240,000 over a 20 year period by installing LED lighting on parts of Interstates 30 and 40 within the city limits. In theory, LED lights should better illuminate roadways for motorists than existing high-pressure sodium light bulbs. However, valid concerns exist because Read More
Interesting Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Article on Speed Limits & Fatality Rates in Arkansas
On Monday, August 1, 2010, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette ran an article entitled “Speed-limit rise not on state radar.” I thought this article provided some interesting data regarding the correlation between speed and traffic fatalities. A 1996 study of the Arkansas Highway Commission found that when the speed limit was lowered from 75 mph to 55 Read More
Leaking Underground Storage Tanks
According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), there are approximately 595,000 underground storage tanks (USTs) nationwide that store petroleum or hazardous substances. USTs leak from a variety of causes – corrosion, leaking fittings, overfills are a few examples. The greatest potential threat from a leaking UST is contamination of groundwater, which is the Read More
Summer 2011 and Climate Change
As we endure what seems like the hottest summer ever (and it may be) many are discussing climate change. It is tempting to allow short term weather phenomenon (such as record snowfall last winter or the record high temperature we experienced yesterday) to influence our view of climate change. However, the evidence supporting climate change Read More
Debate Over Fracking and Drinking Water Contamination Continues
Despite industry claims that not a single instance of a freshwater aquifer being contaminated by hydraulic fracturing exists, an article in today’s New York Times points out that an EPA Study conducted over two decades ago suggests otherwise. A drinking water well in Jackson County, W. Va. known as the “Mr. Parson’s water well” was Read More
Ford Recalls 1.1 Million F-150 Trucks for Fire-Causing Strap Corrosion
Ford Motor Co. has issued a recall of 1 million trucks to fix problems with the fuel tank straps. The company reported that the straps may corrode over time, causing the fuel tank to fall. There have been three fires and one injury caused by the defect. To read more, click here https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-08-01/ford-recalls-f-150-trucks-for-corrosion-of-fuel-tank-straps/. Carter Stein
Arkansas Attorney General Dustin McDaniel Issues a Consumer Alert to Arkansans to Use Caution When Dealing with Chiropractic “Runners.”
Here’s a link to the alert – https://ag.arkansas.gov/newsroom/index.php?do%3AnewsDetail=1&news_id=447. Carter Stein
20,000 Umbrella Strollers Recalled
Britax Child Safety Inc. has issued a recall of 20,000 B-Nimble Umbrella Strollers due to potential brake failure. The company said that a “clicking sound” when the brake is pressed can “give a false impression that the brake is fully engaged when it is not.” There have been seven reports of brake failures with the Read More