September 12, 2023
August 31, 2023
3M has decided to pay $6 billion to settle 300,000 cases relating to their combat earplugs over the next five years. Use of these earplugs in the military resulted in permanent hearing loss and tinnitus injuries. 3M’s Combat Arms earplugs were used in US Military training and combat from 2003 to 2015 including in Afghanistan and Iraq. It is widely believed that 3M knowingly hid “design flaws, fudged test results and failed to provide instructions for the proper use of the earplugs.” Aearo, the company responsible for manufacturing the earplugs for 3M, filed for bankruptcy in July 2022. 3M pledged […]
August 15, 2023
August 7, 2023
July 18, 2023
June 28, 2023
Testing via gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, and other methods, as well as numerous product recalls, have demonstrated dangerously high levels of benzene in dry shampoo products, including but not limited to the following brands: Tresemme, Dove, Nexxus, Sauve, and BedHead. No amount of benzene is acceptable in dry shampoo products. Benzene is toxic, carcinogenic, and poisonous substance that has been linked to cancer, and other diseases and is dangerous at any level. Despite testing and recalls showing these products contain benzene, it is not among the ingredients listed on the labels. Benzene is a component of crude oil, gasoline, and […]
June 26, 2023
California, and several other states, are experiencing an epidemic of advanced silicosis, progressive massive fibrosis (PMF), accelerated silicosis, acute silicosis, and/or pulmonary alveolar proteinosis, among fabricators, cutters, polishers, and installers of engineered stone countertops. Silica is an abundant mineral found in materials including sand, stone, and concrete. Artificial stone countertops, also known as engineered stone or manufactured stone, are popular due to their affordability and versatility. They contain up to 95% of tiny, fine, pulverized, crushed crystalline silica fibers. Popular manufacturers include Ceaserstone, Cosentino, Mohawk, and many others. While cutting, grinding, drilling, or polishing the artificial stone slabs, workers are […]
June 22, 2023
Gemstones sold at new-age stores in Australia have been recalled due to the inclusion of asbestos. A green-black gemstone, serpentine, that some believe can “detox the body and alleviate diabetes,” has been recalled due to it containing asbestos. The gemstones were sold at stores in Australia, but serpentine is also found naturally occurring in the United States. Serpentine is prolifically found in California and is the official state mineral. In 1965 serpentine replaced gold as the state mineral since it was viewed as an economically important mineral because it is a known source of asbestos. Serpentine is green, blue, and […]
June 14, 2023
Stephan Schmidheiny, a Swiss billionaire, was sentenced to 12 years in jail for aggravated manslaughter after his company exposed hundreds of people to asbestos. Schmidheiny was a main shareholder in the cement production company Eternit Italia. He was found guilty of causing the deaths of 392 people in Casale Monferrato, the town that housed six Eternit Italia factories until 1986. 60 of the victims were factory workers; the rest of the victims were living in the town or surrounding area. Eternit’s factories used asbestos to strengthen cement during the 1970s and 1980s. In addition, judges ordered him to pay about […]
