In 2007 alone, about 11 million people were diagnosed and roughly 8 million people died from some form of cancer worldwide. However, a recent study has found that a healthier diet, increase in exercise and weight control could help prevent more than 40 percent of colon and breast cancer cases. The study, which involved 23 experts, examined how diet, exercise and weight contributed to 12 types of cancer, including kidney, mouth, lung and gallbladder cancer. In Britain, the experts found that these lifestyle improvements would prevent 42 percent of breast cancer cases and 43 percent of colon cancer cases. In the United States, they found that these healthy lifestyle changes would prevent 38 percent of breast cancer cases and 45 percent of bowel cancer cases. The group also found that in the U.S., improvements in diet, exercise and weight would stave off more than 1/3 of the 12 most common cancers. In Britain, 39 percent of those 12 cancers would be prevented.
The group of experts that conducted the study recommend that people follow diets rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and eat dairy products, red meats and fatty foods in moderation. The American Cancer Society (ACS) also recommends that people make an effort to eat right, keep active and maintain a healthy weight to reduce their risk of developing cancer, in addition to heart disease and diabetes. The ACS website also provides helpful suggestions, guidelines and tools to reach these healthy goals, including recipes, tips on staying active and other useful information. If you or a loved one have already been diagnosed with cancer, the ACS also offers nutrition resources for people living with cancer to help stay healthy. Cancer treatment is most effective when started during the earlier stages of the cancer. If you or someone you love has been harmed by a delay in diagnosing or treating cancer, our malpractice attorneys can help. Your initial consultation is FREE and there is NO FEE to you unless we recover money. Please call Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. today, or submit an instant inquiry now and we will respond within 24 hours. Our experienced attorneys serve clients with Bronx cancer malpractice, Brooklyn cancer malpractice, Queens cancer malpractice, Nassau cancer malpractice and Suffolk cancer malpractice cases.
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Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Monday, March 30, 2009
Getting Smart About High Blood Pressure
When a person has high blood pressure, or hypertension, this means that the force of blood against the walls of arteries, which usually varies throughout the day, remains elevated. High blood pressure forces the heart to work harder and can cause hardening of the arteries; a condition known as atherosclerosis. These factors make both the heart and the arteries more prone to injury and increase a person’s risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, congestive heart failure, eye damage and other serious health problems. Blood pressure is usually measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg) and is recorded as systolic pressure (top number) over diastolic pressure (bottom number). The systolic pressure measures the pressure of blood as the heart is beating, while the diastolic pressure measures the pressure of blood as the heart relaxes between beats. Both of these numbers are important when monitoring blood pressure, however, for people age 50 and over, systolic pressure is used to get the most accurate high blood pressure diagnosis. Blood pressure levels of 140/90 mmHg or higher are considered high, so it is important to discuss treatment options with a doctor to reduce that number. Reaching a healthy goal will help reduce the risk for the various health risks that follow high blood pressure.
Among adults over age 65, about two-thirds have blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg or higher. Many more have levels between 120/80 mmHg and 139/89 mmHg, which means that they have prehypertension and are at high risk of developing high blood pressure in the future if healthy lifestyle changes are not made. Hypertension can be reduced by maintaining a healthy weight, keeping physically active, maintaining a healthy diet, moderating alcohol consumption and taking prescribed drugs as directed. One of the most serious conditions that results from high blood pressure is heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in both men and women in the United States. This makes it extremely for those at risk to monitor and correct the controllable risk factors for developing the disease, including high blood pressure, irregular cholesterol levels, smoking, diabetes, weight and physical activity. Still, even if people control these risk factors, certain factors such as age and family history of early heart disease are not controllable, so heart disease may still develop. To learn more about ways to lower the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease, visit the American Heart Association website. If you or a loved one has experienced a serious injury or death as a result of a delay in diagnosis or treatment of heart disease, please contact the attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. We serve clients with Brooklyn medical malpractice, Bronx medical malpractice, Manhattan medical malpratice, Queens medical malpracitce and Long Island medical malpractice cases. We also serve clients located in Staten Island and Westchester County.
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Among adults over age 65, about two-thirds have blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg or higher. Many more have levels between 120/80 mmHg and 139/89 mmHg, which means that they have prehypertension and are at high risk of developing high blood pressure in the future if healthy lifestyle changes are not made. Hypertension can be reduced by maintaining a healthy weight, keeping physically active, maintaining a healthy diet, moderating alcohol consumption and taking prescribed drugs as directed. One of the most serious conditions that results from high blood pressure is heart disease, which is the leading cause of death in both men and women in the United States. This makes it extremely for those at risk to monitor and correct the controllable risk factors for developing the disease, including high blood pressure, irregular cholesterol levels, smoking, diabetes, weight and physical activity. Still, even if people control these risk factors, certain factors such as age and family history of early heart disease are not controllable, so heart disease may still develop. To learn more about ways to lower the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease, visit the American Heart Association website. If you or a loved one has experienced a serious injury or death as a result of a delay in diagnosis or treatment of heart disease, please contact the attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. We serve clients with Brooklyn medical malpractice, Bronx medical malpractice, Manhattan medical malpratice, Queens medical malpracitce and Long Island medical malpractice cases. We also serve clients located in Staten Island and Westchester County.
Call us toll-free 1-877-ASK4SAM and visit www.ask4sam.net
Friday, March 27, 2009
Lowering the Risk of Deadly Infections in Hospitals
Each year in the U.S., an estimated 90,000 patients die as a result of infections they contracted in a hospital. Cases of infections such as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) and C. diff (Clostridium difficile) used to be few and far between. However, by 2004, about two out of three staph infections were MRSA in U.S. hospitals. The C. diff infection was thought to be a minor problem until a November 2008 study revealed that the intestinal bug was almost 20 times as prevalent as experts had previously estimated. The study, which was sponsored by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), looked at cases of C. diff in almost 650 hospitals in the U.S. between May and August of 2008. What researchers found was that on any given day, nearly 7,200 hospital patients are either colonized or infected with C. diff, most of which are either children or older adults, due to their increased vulnerability to infection. In addition, of those 7,200 patients, an estimated 300 patients will die as a result of the C. diff infection.
The C. diff infection can be easily transmitted to hospital patients after they have been on an antibiotic, since those medications remove certain bacteria from the gut, making it difficult for the body to fight off the infection. Since the main symptom of C. diff is diarrhea, the infection spreads rapidly, infecting the hands of patients and hospital workers, sheets, bed rails, IV poles and other hospital equipment. When a hospital worker’s hands or equipment that is used between numerous patients is contaminated, it is extremely easy for this bug to travel. For this reason, health care workers should make sure that they scrub their hands with soap and warm water (not alcohol), which is the only way to kill C. diff spores on the skin. As for keeping hospital equipment clean, it is necessary to use bleach to eliminate spores on surfaces. In many cases, hospitals make some attempt to enforce hand-washing and equipment-sanitizing rules, although most fall short of ideal conditions.
Other serious infections that hospital patients run the risk of contracting are bloodstream infections, which affect about 250,000 people in the U.S. each year as a result of catheter use. Death rates for these types of bloodstream infections can be as high as one in four patients. However, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study found that MRSA bloodstream infections were cut by almost 50 percent when preventive measures were taken in the 1,684 ICUs involved in the study. If appropriate measures are taken, bloodstream infections can be eliminated completely from hospitals. Several years ago, 108 Michigan hospitals implemented a five-step checklist for doctors and nurses, requiring them to wash their hands, wear sterile gowns and gloves, and protect patients with antiseptics and sterile drapes and dressings. By following these simple steps, these Michigan hospitals completely eliminated bloodstream infections in just 18 months, saving an estimated 1,500 lives. Although hospital are meant to save lives and treat health problems, patients often incur additional injuries or death as a result of a hospital stay. If you or a loved one was injured by hospital medical malpractice in the New York area, call or e-mail the malpractice attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. Our experienced attorneys serve clients with Bronx hospital malpractice, Brooklyn hospital malpractice, Queens hospital malpractice, Nassau hospital malpractice and Suffolk hospital malpractice.
Call us toll-free 1-877-ASK4SAM and visit www.ask4sam.net
The C. diff infection can be easily transmitted to hospital patients after they have been on an antibiotic, since those medications remove certain bacteria from the gut, making it difficult for the body to fight off the infection. Since the main symptom of C. diff is diarrhea, the infection spreads rapidly, infecting the hands of patients and hospital workers, sheets, bed rails, IV poles and other hospital equipment. When a hospital worker’s hands or equipment that is used between numerous patients is contaminated, it is extremely easy for this bug to travel. For this reason, health care workers should make sure that they scrub their hands with soap and warm water (not alcohol), which is the only way to kill C. diff spores on the skin. As for keeping hospital equipment clean, it is necessary to use bleach to eliminate spores on surfaces. In many cases, hospitals make some attempt to enforce hand-washing and equipment-sanitizing rules, although most fall short of ideal conditions.
Other serious infections that hospital patients run the risk of contracting are bloodstream infections, which affect about 250,000 people in the U.S. each year as a result of catheter use. Death rates for these types of bloodstream infections can be as high as one in four patients. However, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study found that MRSA bloodstream infections were cut by almost 50 percent when preventive measures were taken in the 1,684 ICUs involved in the study. If appropriate measures are taken, bloodstream infections can be eliminated completely from hospitals. Several years ago, 108 Michigan hospitals implemented a five-step checklist for doctors and nurses, requiring them to wash their hands, wear sterile gowns and gloves, and protect patients with antiseptics and sterile drapes and dressings. By following these simple steps, these Michigan hospitals completely eliminated bloodstream infections in just 18 months, saving an estimated 1,500 lives. Although hospital are meant to save lives and treat health problems, patients often incur additional injuries or death as a result of a hospital stay. If you or a loved one was injured by hospital medical malpractice in the New York area, call or e-mail the malpractice attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. Our experienced attorneys serve clients with Bronx hospital malpractice, Brooklyn hospital malpractice, Queens hospital malpractice, Nassau hospital malpractice and Suffolk hospital malpractice.
Call us toll-free 1-877-ASK4SAM and visit www.ask4sam.net
Thursday, March 26, 2009
The Cost of Preventive Care
Preventive care, such as screenings and tests, usually prove beneficial to the patient because doctors can detect problems and begin treatment before they cause serious damage. However, some health experts are now saying that this type of preventive care can be ineffective when it comes to cost, with many screenings detecting abnormalities that doctors decide to treat, even though they may pose no risk to the patient. Aside from price, some treatments for these minor abnormalities may even harm the patient more than the actual problem. One recent study looked at PSA (prostate-specific antigen) prostate screenings over the past 15 years, revealing that many men with slow-growing tumors were receiving treatment for their cancer, even though the tumors were not advancing quickly enough to pose a risk. The study linked this excessive treatment to an over-diagnosis of prostate cancer resulting from “preventive care” screenings that detected these inconsequential tumors. According to the U.S. Preventive Care Task Force, there is not enough evidence to recommend for or against prostate cancer screenings for men under age 75. The Task Force also recommends against prostate cancer screenings for men age 75 and older. In addition, the American Cancer Society (ACS) does not support routine testing for prostate cancer, backing the belief that regular prostate cancer screenings are not completely necessary.
When it comes to improvements in technology, newer techniques usually mean better results. However, one 2007 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that a 3-D spiral CT screening used to detect lung cancer was ineffective, since it was not able to lower the number of lung cancer deaths. The spiral CT, which was initially welcomed by the American Cancer Society, was found to be possibly harmful because more abnormalities were detected, leading to unneeded surgeries. In addition, the ACS recently concluded that “no lung cancer screening test has been shown to prevent people from dying of this disease.” However, if a patient is at higher risk of developing cancer, their doctor may recommend more regular screenings than those with less risk. People with a family history of cancer or those that smoke, consume alcohol, are obese or have other risk factors may fall in to that high-risk category. Cancer treatment is most effective when the cancer is caught early on. If you or someone you love has been harmed by a delay in diagnosing or treating cancer, our malpractice attorneys can help. Your initial consultation is FREE and there is NO FEE to you unless we recover money. Please call Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. today, or submit an instant inquiry now and we will respond within 24 hours. Our experienced attorneys serve clients with Bronx cancer malpractice, Brooklyn cancer malpractice, Queens cancer malpractice, Nassau cancer malpractice and Suffolk cancer malpractice cases.
Call us toll-free 1-877-ASK4SAM and visit www.ask4sam.net
When it comes to improvements in technology, newer techniques usually mean better results. However, one 2007 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that a 3-D spiral CT screening used to detect lung cancer was ineffective, since it was not able to lower the number of lung cancer deaths. The spiral CT, which was initially welcomed by the American Cancer Society, was found to be possibly harmful because more abnormalities were detected, leading to unneeded surgeries. In addition, the ACS recently concluded that “no lung cancer screening test has been shown to prevent people from dying of this disease.” However, if a patient is at higher risk of developing cancer, their doctor may recommend more regular screenings than those with less risk. People with a family history of cancer or those that smoke, consume alcohol, are obese or have other risk factors may fall in to that high-risk category. Cancer treatment is most effective when the cancer is caught early on. If you or someone you love has been harmed by a delay in diagnosing or treating cancer, our malpractice attorneys can help. Your initial consultation is FREE and there is NO FEE to you unless we recover money. Please call Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. today, or submit an instant inquiry now and we will respond within 24 hours. Our experienced attorneys serve clients with Bronx cancer malpractice, Brooklyn cancer malpractice, Queens cancer malpractice, Nassau cancer malpractice and Suffolk cancer malpractice cases.
Call us toll-free 1-877-ASK4SAM and visit www.ask4sam.net
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
More Joint Replacements Needed, Fewer Surgeons Available
At the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons annual meeting in Las Vegas, two recent studies were revealed that both found that more patients will be waiting for knee and hip replacement surgeries in the near future. One study, led by Dr. Thomas K. Fehring, an orthopaedic surgeon with OrthoCarolina in Charlotte, North Carolina, found that in the year 2016, surgery will be unavailable to almost 750,000 patients (72 percent) requiring knee replacements and almost 200,000 patients (46 percent) requiring hip replacements. This is because the number of orthopaedic surgeons retiring from the field is greater than the number of new doctors coming into the field, which means that the number of doctors able to perform these joint replacement surgeries will continue to fall unless something changes. One main reason why young doctors are choosing not to go into the arthroplasty field is low insurance reimbursements, which have decreased by 60 percent since 1990. This means that these surgeons receive less money from the companies insuring joint replacement patients, making young doctors more apt to choose a more lucrative field. Fehring noted that if this trend continues, many joint replacement patients will have to wait one to two years for their surgery.
The second study presented at the meeting was conducted by Steven M. Kurtz, vice president of Philadelphia-based engineering and scientific consulting firm Exponent Inc., along with colleagues. This study found that an increase in younger patients requiring joint replacement surgery is the cause of the recent increase in demand for these types of surgery. Kurtz and his colleagues found that patients under age 65 will make up more than half of hip replacement patients by 2011 and more than half of knee replacement patients by 2016. The team also found that more and more patients between ages 45 and 54 are in need of knee replacement, with 59,077 people in this age range having had knee replacement surgery in 2006. This increase is most likely due to the high success rates of these surgeries and the fact that more people are getting active, which causes joints to deteriorate. Another reason for the increase in knee replacement surgeries in this younger age range is obesity, which can cause arthritis in the knees and other areas. The study found that by 2030, the number of people between ages 45 and 54 that require knee replacement surgery will soar to almost 1 million, an increase of 17 times the number recorded in 2006. With more knee and hip replacement surgeries being performed on younger patients, the chance these patients will require a revision procedure also increases, since the average joint replacement lasts about 20 years. This means that even more surgeons will be needed in the future to perform procedures to replace the replacements patients received when in their 40s and 50s, making it even more necessary for new doctors to enter this field.
When a doctor is careful and has experience performing a procedure, most surgeries do not have major complications. However, if a doctor is negligent or makes a mistake that results in serious injury or death, that doctor may be held responsible for the injuries incurred. If you or a loved one was injured by surgical malpractice in New York City or Long Island, please call or e-mail us today for a free consultation with our experienced surgical malpractice attorneys. Our firm serves clients with Bronx surgical malpractice, Brooklyn surgical malpractice, Queens surgical malpractice, Nassau surgical malpractice and Suffolk surgical malpractice cases.
Call us toll-free 1-877-ASK4SAM and visit www.ask4sam.net
The second study presented at the meeting was conducted by Steven M. Kurtz, vice president of Philadelphia-based engineering and scientific consulting firm Exponent Inc., along with colleagues. This study found that an increase in younger patients requiring joint replacement surgery is the cause of the recent increase in demand for these types of surgery. Kurtz and his colleagues found that patients under age 65 will make up more than half of hip replacement patients by 2011 and more than half of knee replacement patients by 2016. The team also found that more and more patients between ages 45 and 54 are in need of knee replacement, with 59,077 people in this age range having had knee replacement surgery in 2006. This increase is most likely due to the high success rates of these surgeries and the fact that more people are getting active, which causes joints to deteriorate. Another reason for the increase in knee replacement surgeries in this younger age range is obesity, which can cause arthritis in the knees and other areas. The study found that by 2030, the number of people between ages 45 and 54 that require knee replacement surgery will soar to almost 1 million, an increase of 17 times the number recorded in 2006. With more knee and hip replacement surgeries being performed on younger patients, the chance these patients will require a revision procedure also increases, since the average joint replacement lasts about 20 years. This means that even more surgeons will be needed in the future to perform procedures to replace the replacements patients received when in their 40s and 50s, making it even more necessary for new doctors to enter this field.
When a doctor is careful and has experience performing a procedure, most surgeries do not have major complications. However, if a doctor is negligent or makes a mistake that results in serious injury or death, that doctor may be held responsible for the injuries incurred. If you or a loved one was injured by surgical malpractice in New York City or Long Island, please call or e-mail us today for a free consultation with our experienced surgical malpractice attorneys. Our firm serves clients with Bronx surgical malpractice, Brooklyn surgical malpractice, Queens surgical malpractice, Nassau surgical malpractice and Suffolk surgical malpractice cases.
Call us toll-free 1-877-ASK4SAM and visit www.ask4sam.net
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
New Tests for Predicting and Diagnosing Prostate Cancer
At the 2009 Genitourinary Cancers Symposium in Orlando, Florida, researchers presented two recent studies involving new ways to predict and diagnose prostate cancer. One of the studies proposed that a urine test that could identify both the TMPRSS2 and ERG genes may help predict which men are at greater risk of prostate cancer. The researchers noted that this gene fusion is present in about 50 percent of all prostate cancer cases, so doctors would be able to provide more extensive screenings for men with those two genes. For the study, researchers tested the urine of 556 men for the gene fusion and found that the test had a “specificity” of 84 percent. Current prostate cancer screening methods include digital rectal exams and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) readings, which has a specificity of 27 percent.
The second study presented at the Symposium incorporated multiple factors, including PSA readings, prostate size, a previous negative biopsy and family history of prostate cancer. Researchers used these factors to create a chart that would help them predict a man’s risk of prostate cancer. For this study, researchers included 5,176 men, analyzing these factors and screening these men four years after their charts were created. They found that men with PSA levels of 1.5 nanograms/milliliter were seven times as likely to develop prostate cancer when compared to men with lower levels of PSA. The combination of these factors would allow doctors to recommend additional testing for men at higher risk of developing prostate cancer and determine the frequency of future screenings for men at lower risk. Still, some experts believe that much more research needs to be done on these methods before they will be used by doctors to predict or diagnose prostate cancer. Cancer treatment is most effective when the cancer is caught early on. If you or someone you love has been harmed by a delay in diagnosing or treatment of cancer, our cancer malpractice attorneys can help. Your initial consultation is FREE and there is NO FEE to you unless we recover money. Please call Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. today, or submit an instant inquiry now and we will respond within 24 hours. Our experienced attorneys serve clients with Bronx cancer malpractice, Brooklyn cancer malpractice, Queens cancer malpractice, Nassau cancer malpractice and Suffolk cancer malpractice cases.
Call us toll-free 1-877-ASK4SAM and visit www.ask4sam.net
The second study presented at the Symposium incorporated multiple factors, including PSA readings, prostate size, a previous negative biopsy and family history of prostate cancer. Researchers used these factors to create a chart that would help them predict a man’s risk of prostate cancer. For this study, researchers included 5,176 men, analyzing these factors and screening these men four years after their charts were created. They found that men with PSA levels of 1.5 nanograms/milliliter were seven times as likely to develop prostate cancer when compared to men with lower levels of PSA. The combination of these factors would allow doctors to recommend additional testing for men at higher risk of developing prostate cancer and determine the frequency of future screenings for men at lower risk. Still, some experts believe that much more research needs to be done on these methods before they will be used by doctors to predict or diagnose prostate cancer. Cancer treatment is most effective when the cancer is caught early on. If you or someone you love has been harmed by a delay in diagnosing or treatment of cancer, our cancer malpractice attorneys can help. Your initial consultation is FREE and there is NO FEE to you unless we recover money. Please call Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. today, or submit an instant inquiry now and we will respond within 24 hours. Our experienced attorneys serve clients with Bronx cancer malpractice, Brooklyn cancer malpractice, Queens cancer malpractice, Nassau cancer malpractice and Suffolk cancer malpractice cases.
Call us toll-free 1-877-ASK4SAM and visit www.ask4sam.net
Monday, March 23, 2009
Contaminants Present in Many Children’s Personal Care Products
Recent lab tests warranted by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (CSC) and the Environmental Working Group (EWG) have found that more than half of tested children’s personal care products contain both formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, chemicals that have been associated with cancer and skin allergies. Samples of these common children’s products, which included lotions, shampoos, soaps and other bath products, were sent to Analytical Sciences, a lab in California where the tests were conducted. Results of the lab tests showed that of the 28 products tested for both formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, 23 of these products, or 82 percent, contained formaldehyde and 17 products, or 61 percent, contained both formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane. The lab tested 48 child bath products for 1,4-dioxane, finding that 32 of these products, or 67 percent, contained the chemical.
In their report, the CDC noted that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does consider both formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane to be possible carcinogens, meaning they are chemicals that may induce cancer. In addition, manufacturers are not required to list these chemicals on product labels because they are byproducts and not ingredients, making it impossible for consumers to avoid purchasing products containing these chemicals. Byproducts are products that are produced in the manufacture of the intended product, so the only way to eliminate these chemicals from products would be to stop using certain ingredients that create these byproducts. Formaldehyde is produced when preservatives break down, causing the chemical to accumulate in the container of the product. 1,4-dioxane is a byproduct of the ethoxylation process, which uses ethylene oxide to produce some of these child care products. In addition, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) states that this chemical is a cause for concern, even as a trace contaminant.
These two chemicals are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) because they cannot require manufacturers to test products for safety before they are placed on store shelves and have no control over the amounts of unsafe chemicals used in products. So, although these chemicals can be easily eliminated from products by using different ingredients and methods, manufacturers are not required to do so by law, making it likely that many of these manufacturers will continue to sell children’s products containing these harmful chemicals. If your child or someone you love has been seriously injured by a defective or dangerous product, contact the attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. today. We offer free consultations to clients with Bronx product liability, Brooklyn product liability, Queens product liability, Manhattan product liability, Nassau product liability and Suffolk product liability cases.
Call us toll-free 1-877-ASK4SAM and visit www.ask4sam.net
In their report, the CDC noted that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) does consider both formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane to be possible carcinogens, meaning they are chemicals that may induce cancer. In addition, manufacturers are not required to list these chemicals on product labels because they are byproducts and not ingredients, making it impossible for consumers to avoid purchasing products containing these chemicals. Byproducts are products that are produced in the manufacture of the intended product, so the only way to eliminate these chemicals from products would be to stop using certain ingredients that create these byproducts. Formaldehyde is produced when preservatives break down, causing the chemical to accumulate in the container of the product. 1,4-dioxane is a byproduct of the ethoxylation process, which uses ethylene oxide to produce some of these child care products. In addition, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) states that this chemical is a cause for concern, even as a trace contaminant.
These two chemicals are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) because they cannot require manufacturers to test products for safety before they are placed on store shelves and have no control over the amounts of unsafe chemicals used in products. So, although these chemicals can be easily eliminated from products by using different ingredients and methods, manufacturers are not required to do so by law, making it likely that many of these manufacturers will continue to sell children’s products containing these harmful chemicals. If your child or someone you love has been seriously injured by a defective or dangerous product, contact the attorneys at Silberstein, Awad & Miklos, P.C. today. We offer free consultations to clients with Bronx product liability, Brooklyn product liability, Queens product liability, Manhattan product liability, Nassau product liability and Suffolk product liability cases.
Call us toll-free 1-877-ASK4SAM and visit www.ask4sam.net
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