Baby Wipe Recall

In looking through new parent forums on the web, one can see parents informing new parents and parents to be they go through approximately 15 baby wipes with diaper changes per day, or 3 packages of baby wipes per month. That’s a lot of baby wipes going on the sensitive skin of babes everywhere. They are used by parents to assure their babies are clean, whether it is with diaper changes, on hands, on faces, or wherever the need may arise. The last thing a parent is going to think is that the wipe being used to rid their babies of bacteria actually is contaminated with bacteria! Not to mention, baby wipes are popular among a whole host of consumers these day as a means of disposable cleaning cloths, so they’re not just for babies any more. That is actually a problem that happens and the latest recall involves a company called Nutek Disposables out of McElhattan, Pennsylvania. In case you do not live in Pennsylvania and you don’t think you’ve ever heard of Nutek baby wipes, think again. The wipes are sold by the brand names, Cuties, Diapers.com, Femtex, Fred’s, Kidgets, Member’s Mark, Simply Right, Sunny Smiles, Tender Touch, and Well Beginnings. Those all sound like healthy, positive names for a baby product, right? The wipes are sold at popular stores, Sam’s Club, Family Dollar, Walgreens, Fred’s, and Diapers.com. The wipes have been tested and found to contain a bacteria called Burkholderia cepacia (B. cepacia), which can harm those who have compromised immune systems, especially those with the disease cystic fibrosis or chronic lung disease.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) put out an immediate voluntary recall on October 25, 2014 for the wipes distributed by Nutek before October 21, 2014. They cite complaints of symptoms such as rash, irritation, infections, fever, gastrointestinal problems, and respiratory problems by users of the wipes. They state these symptoms have not been definitively linked to the subject wipes, but to err on the side of caution the recall was made public. Nutek, itself, has put out statements that no baby wipes are being shipped out of their manufacturing plant until the cause of the bacterial contamination has been found because the company is very serious about its product quality and safety. The FDA and Nutek are working in conjunction with one another and recommend seeing a doctor if a compromised person exposed to the wipes. The products themselves can be taken back to the store where purchased for a full refund and Nutek can be contacted with questions at 1-855-646-4351. Be careful out there consumers. A lesson can be learned here once again that if a product of any kind does not look right, be cautious in use and do not hesitate to report the possible problem to the product’s company to help stay safe in this big world of product recall and liability issues.

Fireball Whiskey May Have More Than You Bargained For

There’s a good chance that many readers are mourning the red flags being risen in regards to the product, Fireball whiskey, manufactured by Louisiana located Sazerac Co. The drink has often been popular given the proclivity of wedding photos showing the beverage being consumed straight from the bottle, as well as sales of the product going from $1.9 million in 2011 to $61 million in 2013. The red flags being raised are a problem for the company, however, even if the company is claiming otherwise at present. European countries are doing a recall of the batches of Fireball whiskey that contain too high of levels for their standards of the chemical, propylene glycol (the same chemical found in antifreeze).

Apparently there are three different recipes for Fireball whiskey, each containing different levels of the propylene glycol. Europe has the strictest regulations on how much of the chemical can be included. The two other recipes are for the United States and Canada. Fireball whiskey’s manufacturer is touting the safety of its whiskey and maintaining it will not be recalled in the United States and Europe is only recalling the batches made from the North American formulas. The FDA in the United States claims propylene glycol is “generally recognized as safe’ and found in many food colorings and flavors made in the United States. In fact, the chemical manufactured by Dow Chemical Company is in frozen dairy products, seasonings, frostings, confections, nuts and nut products, other various foods, and e-cigarettes. Dow claims the chemical is safe for human ingestion and different than ethylene glycol. Does Dow’s claims, as well as FDA approval make most feel safer ingesting this chemical? If so, the high consumption of Fireball and other products containing propylene glycol shall go on with abandon. Many, however, may question whether an agent used in antifreeze for automobiles and diesel trucks, as a deicing agent for airport runways, and paint and plastics manufacturing, should also be in products heavily consumed by humans. This may well wind up being another of those products approved by the FDA, and touted safe by their makers (the same makers who make lots and lots of money by their sales) that could be found to cause health issues in the future. It might be wise to abstain from products containing propylene glycol that are not a real necessity in one’s life…unless one is ready to state that those Europeans just have two high of health standards.