That good old World War II phrase – meaning you’ve got it good without the extras – could be used to describe the American breakfast today: Eat your bacon and biscuits but skip the eggs. Since May, eggs contaminated with salmonella have sickened more than 1,500 people in the United States, leading to the largest egg recall in American history.

It was bound to happen. The U.S. egg industry has escaped federal regulation for decades. It’s a $4.4 billion industry that’s had little if any oversight despite pleas from consumers, public health experts and economists. The lack of supervision stems from what The Washington Post calls the “Balkanization” of federal agencies that are supposed to regulate food production in the U.S.

According to the newspaper, more than 15 federal agencies and 71 interagency agreements are involved in monitoring food in America. The proliferation of agencies results in serious safety gaps that expose the public to potentially deadly salmonella infections and other ailments that threaten health and waste tax dollars.

Since the May recall, a congressional investigation, a federal criminal investigation and several lawsuits have been filed over eggs contaminated with salmonella at two huge Iowa egg farms said to have caused the latest outbreak. Federal investigators found the farms had chicken coops piled high with manure and other contaminants.

Twenty years ago, experts warned that salmonella in eggs could be a public health threat. In July, the first federal regulations of egg production in the United States took effect.

Hip replacement surgery is usually successful. There are more than 200,000 of these operations in the United States each year. Most hip replacements last 15 years.

But the ASR Hip System can fail within a few months after hip replacement surgery. There were 37,000 ASR Hip Systems implanted in patients in the United States before the device was recalled this year. Estimates are that the device will ultimately fail in 5,000 cases. Those patients will have to have it removed and replaced. In some cases, it begins failing within a few months after surgery. Lawsuits have already been filed by victims across the United States.

A Johnson & Johnson company, DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc. manufactured the ASR HIp System. DePuy knew it had a 13 percent failure rate but sold it anyway.

The DePuy ASR Hip System is a metal-on-metal implant. It can release large amounts of metal debris as it wears, leading to high levels of metal in the blood. That can harm internal organs, damage muscles, inflame soft tissue and cause painful cysts and bone loss.

It is difficult to implant the ASR Hip System at the proper angle. So it may subsequently slip out of the joint, and chip or break bone in and around the hip. Certain types of patients are more at risk with the ASR: people who are short, people with weak bones and women.

Depuy has offered to pay for surgery to replace the device, all doctor’s visits and tests for those whose ASR Hip Systems fail. But Texas personal injury attorney Jim Adler says companies that knowingly dupe patients owe them more than that. Anyone whose hip surgery resulted in ongoing pain up to five years after the operation should consult a personal injury lawyer.

The fear that heavy cell phone use causes brain cancer has been around awhile. Over the last several months, new reports seemed to debunk that idea. In “Should You Be Scared of Your Cell Phone?” an ABC News report on October 15, the network featured a book that raises the issue anew. Five billion people around the world are now using cell phones. In her new book “Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation, What The Industry Has Done to Hide It, and How to Protect Your Family,” author Devra Davis says “compelling evidence” shows a definite connection. Davis, a former health scientist with National Academy of Sciences, is an epidemiologist and a toxicologist who examines the effects of electromagnetic fields on cells.

According to Davis, brain cancer did indeed develop in survivors of the atomic bomb attack on Hiroshima. It appeared 40 years after the bombing during the Second World War. Davis also cites “stunning new findings” that “you can cause birth defects in mice embryos from cell phone radiation.” The cell phone industry says the amount of radiation in cell phones is very low. Davis counters that it’s the pulsed, digital nature of the radiation that does the harm. The book also cites numerous other examples of the connection between cell phone radiation and brain cancer that Davis contends proves her point.

Once upon a time, Americans had FRESH milk delivered to their doorsteps every morning along with eggs that were fresh and disease-free. That’s not a fairy tale. Up until World War II, that’s the way Americans got their milk and eggs.
Today, we are living with a dangerous “yuk factor” brought on by mega farms easily infested with salmonella – killer bacteria that the federal government cannot seem to properly regulate. Houston personal injury attorney Jim Adler has a solution.

“Sue the offenders. These big corporate guys think they can get away with anything to make a buck. I’ve seen it over and over again for 30 years,” the “Texas Hammer” says. Today, eggs are just another product. They drop out of hens crowded into small cages onto a conveyor belt like parts on an assembly line. The FDA ordered more than half a billion eggs recalled by the end of August that were contaminated with the dread bacteria. By then, they had caused more than 1,400 cases of salmonella poisoning nationwide. Americans were sickened by news accounts about the giant Iowa egg farms responsible for the outbreak.
Reporters wrote of manure piles up to eight feet tall around the plants, of mice scooting in and around the cages, dead maggots and flies that gagged federal inspectors investigating the outbreak at Hillendale Farms and Wright County Egg. How did another salmonella outbreak escape the FDA ? In 2009, alfalfa sprouts contaminated with salmonella sickened 225 people in 14 states and peanut butter contaminated with salmonella killed eight and sickened 500. In 2008, salmonella contaminated jalapeno peppers made 1,200 sick. Each time, the FDA issued warnings and recalls after the outbreaks began.
“These mass food operations are breaking the law because they are looking to make a buck. If the FDA is too underfunded and undermanned to stop these outbreaks, then people should exercise their legal rights,” Adler says. Victims of the latest outbreak can get help at www.jimadler.com

Why won’t carmakers put bells in cars to alert parents they are forgetting children in car seats in the back seat? Automakers say it’s not that easy. Watchdog groups disagree. They cite bells that sound when doors are ajar, lights are left on or seat belts are unbuckled. So why, safety advocates wonder, can’t carmakers build cars with bells that go off when parents forget kids in the back seat?
So far this year, at least 41 children have baked to death in cars when parents forgot them strapped into car seats designed to protect them. There is a device that could have warned them. It was invented in 2001. It alerts drivers a minute after a child is locked in the car. So far, no automakers have plans to install it in their cars. Meanwhile, most are going full speed ahead in the drive to put touch screen computers in dashboards and provide email in cars in response to consumers’ demands. A spokesman for GM says it is trying to find a solution to the hot car deaths. But it says it has yet to come up with anything that works. Some safety groups like Consumer Federation of America and Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety are pushing for federal legislation that would mandate the alarms.

Applying ice packs to sports injuries or after surgery to injured joints and muscles is the gold standard for speedy healing. No wonder. Ice reduces pain, swelling and muscle spasm. Of late, however, orthopedic machines have replaced ice packs. Some of these machines have caused frostbite, nerve damage and even the need for amputation. Patients have suffered severe injuries to the ankles, feet, wrists, hands, shoulders and knees.

Some of these machines come with few instructions (or none at all) for patients following surgery or serious injury about how cold temperatures should be and for how long. Some of these devices have no alarm or automatic shut-off valve when icy water has been flowing into ice packs long enough to damage tissue.

Three machines have been cited in this regard: The EBice Cold Therapy System made by Biomet, Inc, Iceman made by DJO, Inc (a.k.a. Donjoy) and the Polar Care System manufactured by Breg, Inc. People who have been injured or need surgery would do well to exercise extra caution when using them.

It’s especially important for the elderly, who may be facing knee or hip replacement surgery, to be aware of the potential hazard these machines pose. In 2007, there were close to one million hip and knee replacement surgeries in the United States. As more and more baby boomers reach retirement age, the number of these surgeries will increase. Anyone who has suffered frostbite, nerve damage or has had to have a limb amputated after using one of these machines should contact a personal injury lawyer.

It’s supposed to ease the pain of injuries to the knee, foot, shoulders and back or relieve pain after surgery to the joints. But cold therapy machines can cause skin damage, permanent nerve damage and extreme pain. In some cases, damaged limbs have to be amputated. How does this happen? Some of the cold therapy devices are operated by patients who don’t know how to operate them.

Some don’t have alarms or shut-off devices that prevent excessively low temperatures for extended periods, keeping the limb at ice-cold temperatures that can cause frostbite. The machines are currently under investigation for defective designs that have triggered lawsuits filed by patients injured by DonJoy Cold Therapy Machines, PolarCare Cold Therapy Machines and EBIce Cold Therapy Machines.

A possible link between cell phones and brain cancer is back in the news. Recent articles in several national newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, have discussed it, making September 2009 expert testimony before a congressional committee in Washington D.C. even more relevant. The experts who testified before the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee said new studies involving human subjects show that “heavy cell users of 10 years or more have developed brain tumors on the sides of their heads” where they most often hold the phones. Older studies had debunked the idea. But the most recent epidemiological studies do show an effect.

Don’t hang up on this issue. Kids are literally growing up with cell phones stuck to their heads, talking to friends at every opportunity if they are not tweeting or texting. Cell phones emit a low level radioactivity, meaning we all need to stay connected on the truth of their hazards.

Imagine being unable to stop smacking your lips, making faces or sticking out your tongue. How about constant blinking or moving your eyes, arms, legs or fingers? If you’ve taken Reglan and this happened to you, you could have Tardive Dyskinesia. It’s a side effect that is rarely reversible. Although there is no known cure, some symptoms may diminish once victims are off the drug.

In February 2009, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) slapped a “Black Box Warning” on Reglan, the strongest alert it can put on a medication. It also ordered Reglan’s manufacturer, Wyeth, to display the Black Box warning on prescriptions for Reglan and develop a medication guide for patients that discusses the risk. The federal agency also warned that Reglan should not be taken in large doses or for more than three months.

Reglan is the brand name of metoclopramide, a drug used to treat GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), a severe form of heartburn and related conditions, including heartburn in diabetics (diabetic gastro paresis). Metoclopramide prevents nausea and vomiting by moving food faster through the digestive tract. Teva Pharmaceuticals, Pliva, Pharma and Baxter Healthcare sell generic equivalents of Reglan.

Reglan has also been prescribed for infants with symptoms of vomiting or esophageal reflux and  pregnant women. But seniors, especially elderly women, seem to be the most vulnerable to Tardive Dyskinesia when taking Reglan.

It’s estimated that 60 million Americans have heartburn. For 25 million in the United States, heartburn is an everyday event. Attorney Jim Alder advises anyone taking Reglan, or one of its generic equivalents to contact their doctor immediately and then seek legal advice. Tardive Dyskenisia is a drug-induced disability that can cause life-long suffering.

It’s simple: Not everybody hears about recalled products even when they get a lot of publicity. So it’s worth bringing up two recent recalls because you and your children need protection from products that can kill babies or – and this isn’t much of a stretch – burn the house down. We’re talking about cribs and laptops, believe it or not.

• The Consumer Product Safety Commission recalled more than one and a half million Delta Enterprise Drop Side Cribs in October after they “trapped and suffocated” two eight month-old babies. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says the cribs have two lethal defects: missing safety pegs and spring peg failure.
• One hundred thousand Sony laptop batteries were recalled in October after 40 incidents of overheating.  Users reported smoke and flames. Twenty-one cases involved damage to property. Minor burns were involved in other instances. Hewlett-Packard, Toshiba and Dell are involved in the recall. In 2006, Sony recalled almost 10 million laptop batteries for fear they could catch fire.