In December 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration took steps to eliminate the use of antibiotics in food animals for growth promotion. It asked drug companies to remove indications for “feed efficiency” and “weight gain” from labels of antibiotic products and require veterinarians to oversee addition of these drugs to feed and water. The new policy is intended to reduce antibiotic misuse, which contributes to the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. A new report from the Pew Charitable Trust examines gaps in FDA policy that may allow some harmful practices to persist.
Worried about impact on industry, Japan may expand air bag recalls
Honda Motor and Mazda Motor may have to recall another 200,000 cars in Japan to replace Takata Corp air bags if Takata complies with a U.S. order to recall cars across the United States rather than just in humid regions, reports Japan Today. Several automakers in the U.S. have issued regional recalls of certain models to investigate what is causing some Takata air bags to explode with excessive force. U.S. safety regulators have ordered Takata to have those recalls expanded nationwide.
Alcohol abuse costing Britain £6 billion a year
Alcohol abuse could be costing the United Kingdom up to £6 billion a year in NHS bills, premature death, losses to business and drink-related crimes and accidents, reported The Daily Mail. A study by the Royal College of Physicians said drink-related health problems could account for up to 12% of total NHS spending on hospitals, about £3 billion. Campaigners said that with the estimated £3 billion lost through absenteeism, unemployment, premature deaths and alcohol-related crimes and accidents the total cost of excessive drinking is £6 billion.
Jay Leno Cancels SHOT Show Appearance
After Jay Leno cancelled his appearance at the firearms industry 2015 SHOT Show State of the Industry Dinner, the National Sports Shooting Foundation, a gun industry trade group, issued a statement: “we are clearly disappointed by Jay Leno’s decision … He unilaterally cancelled his promised appearance due to pressure from the anti-gun lobby, which included false statements about our industry and its commitment to genuine firearms safety, which we attempted to personally correct with him, but to no avail… (We are not) unfamiliar with the bullying political tactics of the gun control groups that seem to have as little respect for the First Amendment as they continually demonstrate with regard to the Second Amendment.”
Drugging our kids: RX alliance rewards doctors as drug companies get richer
The Los Angeles Daily News analyzed financial ties between drug manufacturers and doctors who prescribed psychotropic medications to California foster children from July 2009 to July 2014. The investigation found that drug makers, anxious to expand the market for some of their most profitable products, spent more than $14 million from 2010 to 2013 to woo the California doctors who treat this captive and fragile audience of patients at taxpayers’ expense. The drug makers distribute their cash to all manner of doctors, but the investigation found that they paid the state’s foster care prescribers on average more than double what they gave to the typical California physician.
California can’t challenge ruling on concealed guns, court says
Relaxed rules for carrying concealed guns in public may not be challenged by California state officials or advocacy groups, a federal appeals panel decided, reports the Los Angeles Times. The decision was another victory for gun rights advocates, but it was not likely to be the last word. The state has the right to appeal Wednesday’s order and legal analysts expect the state to do so.
USA Today: Airbag Recall Deadly Slow
In an editorial, USA Today wrote, automobile air bags save about 2,300 lives each year, so when they instead turn deadly — exploding and spewing shrapnel into drivers’ bodies — you’d expect urgent action to get the defective products off the road. Instead, air bag maker Takata and its biggest customer, Honda, conducted glacial, piecemeal recalls that have left drivers in jeopardy.
Air Pollution Set to Soar as Vehicle Population Grows Exponentially in Indian Cities
International Business Times reports that the vehicle population on Indian roads will increase air pollution three to five times over, says a report from The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB). Under current trends of vehicle population, and existing fuel and emission standards, particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers will increase by a factor of three, while nitrous oxide emissions will rise by a factor of five.
Surprising Findings From a Comprehensive Report on Gun Violence
Background checks are back, reports Slate. Last week, Vice President Biden said that five U.S. senators—enough to change the outcome—have told him they’re looking for a way to switch their votes and pass legislation requiring a criminal background check for the purchase of a firearm. Sen. Joe Manchin, the West Virginia Democrat who led the fight for the bill, is firing back at the National Rifle Association with a new TV ad. The White House, emboldened by polls that indicate damage to senators who voted against the bill, is pushing Congress to reconsider it.
2014 Sets New Record as Year of the Most Automobile Recalls Ever
A Ford announcement today recalling more than 200,000 of its vehicles for everything from gas leaks to stalling problems helped solidify 2014′s place as the year of the most-ever automobile recalls. Automakers have issued more than 550 recalls for more than 52 million vehicles, according to the Associated Press. The previous record, set in 2004, was 30.8 million recalled automobiles.
Corporations and Health Watch 