CPSC

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission on Thursday recalled 21,000 inflatable Banzai in-ground pool water slides.

After investigating the death of a 29-year-old woman and severe injuries in two other consumers, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has recalled 21,000 inflatable Banzai in-ground pool water slides.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. and Toys R Us, Inc., have agreed to offer full refunds for the slides that are returned to them.

The CPSC determined that the slides were defective and could deflate suddenly, allowing the user to crash to the ground. The commission also found that the slide is unstable and can topple over in both still and windy conditions.

At the heart of the investigation was the death of Robin Aleo, a Colorado mom who had been visiting relatives in Andover, Mass. During a pool party on July 29, 2006, Aleo, the mother of an 18-month-old girl, climbed to the top of the 6-foot-high Banzai Falls slide and then started sliding down head first, according to a report in the Merrimack Valley Eagle-Tribune.

As Aleo neared the bottom, the slide deflated and she struck her head on the edge of the pool. Her neck was broken and she was paralyzed and unable to breathe, according to the Eagle-Tribune. She died the following day at a Boston hospital.

Aleo’s family sued Toys R Us and a jury returned a $20.6 million verdict after less than an hour of deliberation, the Eagle Tribune reported.

The CPSC also knew of two other cases: a 24-year-old man from Springfield, Mo., who became a quadriplegic and a woman from Allentown, Pa., who fractured her neck after slide deflations.

The recall is for Banzai in-ground pool water slides. The vinyl slides have a blue base, yellow sliding mat and an arch going over the top of the slide. By connecting a hose to the top of the slide, water can be sprayed on its downward slope. The words “Banzai Splash” are printed in a circular blue, orange and white logo that is shaped like a wave and appears on both sides of the slide.

The recalled slides, which were manufactured in China by Manley Toys, Ltd, were sold at Wal-Mart and Toys R Us from January 2005 through June 2009 and were priced around $250. They have a barcode number 2675315734 and a model number 15734. While those numbers both were on the original package, they do not appear on the slides themselves.  

While the CPSC began its investigation based on the three incidents, it’s not uncommon for more people to come forward with reports after a recall is announced, said Alex Filip, a spokesman for the CPSC.

“People sometimes attribute failures to poor maintenance or something they did wrong and if they’re not hurt, they may not report it," Filip said.

The CPSC urges consumers to immediately stop using the product and bring it to the nearest Toys R Us or Wal-Mart for a refund. Consumers don’t need to bring the entire pool. They can just cut out the two safety warning notices out of the slide and return those for a refund.

Filip warned people not to be lulled into a false sense of security because their slide hasn’t given them any problems yet.

“You could play on it all day Saturday and then the kids go out on Sunday and get hurt,” he said. “It’s dangerous. You need to do what’s best for your family. Just bring it back and you’ll get your money back.”

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North Carolina health officials have confirmed that tempeh contaminated with a rare strain of salmonella is responsible for an outbreak of food poisoning that has sickened at least 46 people. 

The Buncombe County Department of Health announced that the outbreak strain of Paratyphi B salmonella is the same as that detected in packages of tempeh recalled May 1 by Smiling Hara of Asheville, N.C. 

Smiling Hara voluntarily recalled 12-ounce packages of unpasteurized soybean tempeh produced between Jan. 11 and April 11. The containers are marked with a best-by date of July 11, 2012 through Oct. 25, 2012. Tempeh is a meat substitute used in vegetarian cuisine.

“Anyone with this product in their possession should not eat it,” North Carolina Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said in a statement. “Smiling Hara launched the recall after samples collected by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services during a routine inspection tested positive for salmonella.”

At least seven people have been hospitalized because of illness. Victims range in age from 4 to 79, health officials said. No deaths have been reported.

Those who are sick include people who ate tempeh, people who had contact with food items contaminated by the tempeh, and those connected to those who became ill. In this outbreak, new cases are continuing to be spread by person-to-person contact. 

Health officials urged residents to seek medical care if they've consumed the tempeh and develop symptoms of salmonella poisoning, including diarrhea, fever, headache and cramping that usually begins one to 10 days after exposure. The infection typically lasts four to seven days, but can last longer. 

More cases of salmonella poisoning may be detected. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that for every case actually reported, 29.3 cases actually occur. Using that multiplier, as many as 1,348 people may have become ill in this outbreak.

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By The Associated Press

J.M. Smucker Co. is recalling thousands of 16-ounce jars of its Smucker's Natural Peanut Butter Chunky because of possible salmonella contamination.

The Ohio-based company says the jars covered in the recall would have been purchased in the last week or so. They have "Best if Used By" dates of Aug. 3, 2012 and Aug. 4, 2012, plus the production codes 1307004 and 1308004.

Smucker says 3,000 jars are being recalled from stores. Another 16,000 had never left warehouses.

Salmonella is bacteria resulting in fever, cramps and diarrhea that lasts for several days and can require hospitalization.

Smucker says no illnesses have been reported.

The product was distributed in: Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia.

By Jane Weaver

More than 3,000 cases of bagged lettuce and spinach blends were recalled by Taylor Farms Retail due to worries about possible samonella contamination. The precautionary move followed a random test on a package of spinach by the State of Washington Department of Agriculture, the Salinas, Calif., company said Wednesday.

There have been no reported illnesses linked to the recalled products.

The bagged salad products include those with "best by" dates ranging from Oct. 18 to 21. They were marketed under the brand names Fresh Selections, HEB, Marketside and Taylor Farms and included bags of Romaine Blend, Asian Salad, Caesar Salad and Spring Mix items.

The products were distributed in Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington and Puerto Rico and sold in various retail supermarkets.

Consumers who have purchased the bagged salads are urged not to eat them and to discard them. Taylor Farms Retail can be contacted for further information at 1-877-323-7374. For a complete list of the recalled items, visit the FDA website.

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

By Jane Weaver

Minnesota health officials are investigating six cases of salmonella poisoning linked to organic eggs.

The Department of Agriculture said the contaminated eggs were traced to the Larry Schultz Organic Farm of Owatonna, where testing confirmed the presence of salmonella bacteria. The farm has issued a voluntary recall of the eggs and is cooperating with the Minnesota agriculture probe.

At least six people, both children and adults, became ill between Aug. 12 and Sept. 24, after consuming the organic eggs purchased at grocery stores. Three were hospitalized but have recovered.

 The eggs were packaged under the brand names Lunds & Byerly’s Organic, Kowalski’s Organic and Larry Schultz Organic Farms. They were sold in 6-egg cartons, dozen egg cartons and 18-egg cartons. Affected eggs carried the EXP Nov 12 label. Cartons bearing plant number 0630 or a "Sell by" date are not included in the recall.

The organic eggs were distributed to restaurants, grocery stores, food wholesalers and food service companies in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan.

To avoid getting sick, consumers should thoroughly cook all eggs before eating. Consumers who believe they have purchased the recalled eggs are advised not to eat them, but return them to the store where purchased for a full refund. For more information, go to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture website.

Amid growing reports of eye problems ranging from blurry vision to torn corneas, federal health officials are threatening to issue a public warning about recalled contact lenses manufactured by CooperVision Inc. and sold widely at stores such as Costco, Wal-Mart and LensCrafters.

The Fairport, N.Y., firm has yet to heed a request from the federal Food and Drug Administration to broaden notification of problems with certain lots of its Avaira Toric contact lenses, which were recalled quietly in August because of unidentified “residue.” On Tuesday, CooperVision officials said the recall affected about 600,000 contact lenses, or 10 percent of those sold or issued as samples in the United States.

“Absent prompt and adequate communication by CooperVision, the FDA may independently share its concerns about Avaira Toric contact lenses,” FDA spokeswoman Morgan Liscinsky said in an e-mail.

But for at least a dozen consumers who indicated to msnbc.com they have suffered impaired vision, excruciating pain or landed in emergency rooms after wearing the contacts launched in April and recalled in August, such notice is long overdue.

“It is very frustrating that they’re not more vocal about it and that the FDA hasn’t warned more people,” said Mellisa Cotton, 40, of Atlanta, who said she suffered two corneal abrasions this summer after wearing Avaira Toric contact lenses.

“Next to labor, a corneal abrasion is one of the most painful things you can have," said the mother of two.

Dan O’Neil, 0, of Hampton, Va., said his 15-year-old daughter, Erin, had to be rushed to the local ER on Aug. 21 after using Avaira Toric contact lenses from a newly opened box from Wal-Mart.

"I noticed what first looked like a torn piece of contact on her eye," he said. "Upon closer examination, I realized that what I was seeing was Erin's cornea torn and rolled back."

Doctors confirmed a severe tear and the girl was treated with pain medication and antibiotics. Only after she was injured did O'Neil and his wife learn of the recall.

"The ophthalmologist didn't even seem to be aware of it," he said, adding later.  “Any time your kid’s vision is affected, you’re going to worry.”

CooperVision Inc. officials issued a voluntary U.S. recall on Aug. 19 of what the company called “a limited number of lots” in the U.S. market. On Aug. 25, the company notified the FDA of the recall, officials said.

CooperVision officials said they initiated the recall after investigating a “small number of unexpected wearer reports of hazy vision and discomfort.”

A notice posted on the company’s website includes a fill-in box where customers can check to see if their lots are affected. However, it does not include a list of retailers or a complete list of affected lots.

Major retailers said they notified their customers quickly about the Avaira Toric recall. About 2,600 Costco customers who bought the lenses were notified on or soon after Aug. 19, said Craig Wilson, vice president for food safety and quality assurance. Wal-Mart notified its optical departments on Aug. 24, said spokeswoman Dianna Gee. A LensCrafters spokeswoman who didn’t want to give her name said the company notified customers immediately through its retail stores.

Those moves, however, followed wider international notification of the defective lenses, including recalls issued in Hong Kong, Australia and in Spain, where the public notice included a list of more than 200 affected lots of lenses. The Hong Kong notice indicates that Avaira Toric lenses were also recalled in Canada, Germany, and Italy.

But the company has yet to issue wider notification in the U.S. that the FDA has the authority to seek, but not demand. “We are requesting that the firm issue a broader statement to ensure that users are aware of the recall,” Liscinsky, the FDA spokeswoman, wrote in an e-mail.

CooperVision officials, did not respond to msnbc.com questions about why they had not complied with the FDA request.  In a statement, a firm spokeswoman said that the company “has fully cooperated with the FDA and continues to closely monitor the situation and seek advice from FDA during this process." The company's stock, traded as COO, fell on Tuesday.

Critics say that CooperVision has downplayed the recall of hundreds of lots of contact lenses in the United States, exposing vulnerable consumers to ongoing injury.

Phyllis Entis, author of the blog eFoodAlert, which tracks public safety recalls, has been following the Avaira Toric situation since August, documenting what she said “can only be described as a stealth recall.”

The blog includes reports from several consumers who have reported injuries and other problems with Avaira Toric contact lenses from August through October.

They include Deirdre Shapiro, 43, of Villanova, Pa., who said she suffered hazy vision and a scratched cornea that "felt like someone was in there with a sharp instrument stabbing my eye."

She wore the contacts for months, until September, when her doctor finally notified her of the recall.

"Literally, my whole summer, I thought I was going crazy," she said. "I wish I'd known. I would never have put this thing near my eye."