Barnes and Noble quietly recalls in-store inventory of the Android powered 7-inch Nook tablet
January 13, 2017, phonearena.com and Android Police.com
Barnes and Noble has ordered that all in store inventory of Nook Tablets 7″ be returned to the company headquarters, according to an employee posting on Reddit. The official Barnes and Noble website currently shows that the Nook Tablet 7 is “not available.” A company spokesman revealed that it has received three complaints about the charger adapter casing breaking apart. A statement from the company says that “in the meantime, the Nook Tablet 7″ can be charged using a computer. We will be providing more information as we work closely with the Consumer Product Safety Commission to determine details of a public product recall” No injuries have been reported.
CPSC Approves new federal safety standard for infant sling carriers
January 13, 2017, cpsc.gov
The Commission voted 3-2 in favor of the new mandatory standard on January 11, 2017. Infant sling carriers are worn by the parent or caregiver and are designed to carry an infant/toddler in an upright or reclined position. The new standard incorporates the most recent voluntary standard by ASTM International (ASTM F-2907-15), Standard Consumer Specification for Sling Carriers, with one modification that makes warning labels more permanent by preventing the labels from being attached to the sling carrier along only one side of the label.
Blog: Improving regulatory analysis at independent agencies
January 10, 2017, regblog.org
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Commissioner Joseph Mohorovic blogs that the safety agency could benefit from following key analytic standards that have been previously imposed on executive branch agencies by executive order. The analytics include identifying a market failure before promulgating a new regulation, and adopting the type of cost-benefit analysis required of executive branch agencies.
Proposition 65 Committee: Nitrite in combination with amines or amides “has not been clearly shown” to cause cancer
January 6, 2015, oehha, Nov. 15, 2016 meeting synopsis
A committee considered by California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment to be an authority for purposes of listing chemicals under California’s Proposition 65 has unanimously voted that nitrite in combination with amines or amides “has not been clearly shown through scientifically valid testing according to generally accepted principles to cause cancer.” The Carcinogen Identification Committee Meeting held November 15, 2016 resulted in this action.
6 Volkswagen executives charged as company pleads guilty in emissions case
January 11, 2017, The New York Times
Federal prosecutors announced criminal charges against six Volkswagen executives for their roles in the company’s emissions scandal. The company pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and to violate the Clean Air Act, customs violations and obstruction of justice. Volkswagen will pay $4.3 billion in criminal and civil penalties in connection with the federal investigation, bringing the total cost of the deception to $20 billion.
Korea looks to update regulation on toys
January 13, 2017, Military Technologies. net
The South Korea ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy has issued proposals to amend regulations concerning toy safety. Changes proposed under the Special Act of Safety Management of Children’s Products include migration limits of current elements, labels and instructions requirements for battery operated toys and ride-on toys, and addition to organic chemical (flame retardants) requirements.
Illinois court to decide whether product recall efforts can trump telephone privacy laws against automated calls
January 9, 2017, Lexology (Baker McKenzie)
Recall efforts for consumer products and vehicles typically take the form of a multimedia campaign, including mass publications, individual mailings, and targeted telephone calls. While the Telephone Consumer Protection Act provides consumers with relief from intrusive calls, there is an “emergency” exception to restrictions on use of automated dialing to contact consumers where the call was “made necessary in any situation affecting the health and safety of consumers,” which would arguably extend to the product recall context.
Hoverboards make comeback at Vegas electronic show
January 7, 2017, phys.org
Hoverboards are aiming for a comeback after a series of debacles and recalls for the quirky wheeled personal transport devices. A handful of new self-balancing skateboard like gadgets made their appearance at the Consumer Electronics Show. One company official says his firm as recovered from the tainted public image of hoverboards in 2016 to a product that has moved from the “toy” category to a “personal transportation mode.”
William Wallace: Brexit fantasies and realities of a complex world
January 6, 2017, Yorkshire Post, UK
A British Lord explains why it’s going to be a very difficult task to separate the UK from the EU to return to the way things were before 1973. Britain has been integrated into the EU and vise versa. Ten million UK visits to the continent were made annually in the 1970s; in 2015, 51 million visits were made by British citizens to the continent, suggesting that leaving the EU will be more difficult and costly than pro Brexit interests had promoted.
General Assembly close to requiring schools to test for lead
January 9, 2017, Belleville News Democrat
The Illinois General Assembly is closer to requiring schools to test for lead in their water. A bill was recently passed in the House by 108-1 requiring all schools in the state to collect water samples for analysis at an Illinois Environmental Protection Agency-accredited laboratory.
