Topic: safety

Three Years Later, The FDA Revisits Concerns Over The Safety Of Yaz

If you were looking to start a new birth control pill in or around 2008, your OB-GYN probably suggested Yaz, by Bayer, which was that year’s most popular pill. If, in 2011, you’re still on it, you may soon be seeing new warning labels, courtesy of the FDA, who are meeting this week to revisit the safety of Yaz and similar drugs. The reason for the meeting? Concern over conflicting safety studies, some of which show a higher-than-average risk of blood clots–just three years after copious lawsuits and oodles of bad press. Why did it take the FDA so long to catch up? More »

8 Tips For Performing Self-Defense Safely

After the recent attacks in Brooklyn, N.Y. many women are turning to martial-arts based self-defense classes to learn how to protect themselves. Haven’t made it to a class yet? Here are some easy self-defense tips from the Center for Anti-Violence Education in Park Slope, Brooklyn, compiled by our friends at Well + Good. More »

Anderson Cooper’s New York City Bike Rides: Smart Or Stupid?

Normally, we’re thrilled to see celebrities on bikes; they may not be just like us, but at least they can set a good example from time to time. But we hesitate to applaud Anderson Cooper‘s video promo for his new talk show: He’s biking instead of driving, but…without a helmet? Some people say that bike helmets aren’t really necessary, but we’re going to err on the side of conventional wisdom here and say that Cooper should probably be protecting his silver-haired head. More »

Tower of Terror: If your elevator starts falling, lie on the ground on your back. Seriously. (via NPR)

17 Million People Drove Drunk Last Year: Um, That’s a Lot.

In a new report of the U.S. Department of Transportation, it’s estimated that there have been 17 million drunk drivers over the past year. That’s about 20% of the population ages 16 and over. And two-thirds of everyone who had … More »

Uh-Oh, American: The FAA proposed a $24.2 million dollar penalty for American Airlines’ failure to inspect wire bundles on planes in 2008. (via CNN Money)

The Sound of Silence: Electric Cars Will Hit You

Toyota just released a new noisemaker for the Prius, like a lot of hybrid car manufacturers are. Yes, people are paying to make their electric cars louder. Apparently, the cars are so silent that pedestrians won’t hear the car coming … More »

Want Better Bike Lanes? Pledge Support for “People for Bikes”

If you like the idea of riding your bike around town, but hate the reality of competing with cars, trucks, and pedestrians on the road, you’re not alone: Peopleforbikes.org wants to change the hectic road conditions that make biking less … More »

No Whey: Champion Nutrition Chocolate Peanut Butter Pure Whey Protein is being recalled because peanuts aren’t adequately declared as an ingredient on the label. Luckily, most people assume that a product with the word “peanut” in the title probably contains peanuts, so there have been no reports of allergic reactions yet. (via Chicago Tribune)

What We're Reading:

Work/Life: Test Your Computer Password Safety (Sort of)

While browsing Lifehacker today, something caught our eye – “How Secure Is My Password?” Since we’ve been using the same password for basically everything for the past ten years, we thought this seemed like a good idea. How Secure Is … More »

BP Supervisor Fired For Safety Concerns: A former BP employee says he was fired after expressing his worry about the safety of the oil rig that exploded in April. (Huffington Post)

Johnson & Johnson Expands Recall: Lots of Benadryl Allergy Ultratab tablets and Tylenol Extra Strength Rapid Release Gel Caps have both been recalled. (via ABC)

Health Alert: Bottled Water Can Contain Bacteria

We all know that bottled water is bad for the environment, but did you know it also could be bad for your health? In Canada, a study measured the amount of heterotrophic bacteria in popular brands of bottled water, and … More »

“Embrace Life” Campaign from Sussex Safer Roads: Video of the Day

This advertisement, commissioned by the UK’s Sussex Safer Roads, is probably the most dramatic plug seatbelts we’ve ever seen: