Product Liability Attorney Blog

Experts in Florida worry that the fear of buying a home containing Chinese drywall may hurt the real estate market, The Tampa Tribune reports.

Home buyers are wary of purchasing a house with Chinese drywall. Prospective buyers are being advised to add a clause in the sales contract which would allow the agreement to be cancelled if Chinese drywall is discovered before closing. Potential buyers are also urges to hire a professional inspector if the house was built between 2004 and 2007 and to watch for corroded or black electrical wiring, tarnished metal or silver and the smell of rotten eggs.

The imported drywall was primarily used between 2004 and 2007, when destruction by hurricanes and the housing boom led to a shortage of drywall. As many as 100,000 homes throughout the nation are thought to contain the drywall which emits a corrosive gas that smells like rotten eggs and corrodes wires and appliances. More than 450 complaints have been lodged with The Florida Department of Health. The majority of homes contaminated with Chinese Drywall have been found in Florida.

Common health complaints made by homeowners living with Chinese drywall include sore throats, dry eyes, nosebleeds and dizziness.

Continue reading " Chinese Drywall Could Delay Housing Rebound " »

This week, the nominee to head the Consumer Product Safety Commission was grilled about the problem of tainted Chinese drywall during her U.S. Senate confirmation hearing.

According to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune, nominee Inez M. Tenenbaum promised to work quickly to resolve the Chinese drywall problems. She added that, if confirmed, her first step would be to meet with scientists and set up a schedule for testing.

Some senators criticized the ‘wait-and-test’ approach. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., called the investigation’s pace “inadequate.” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., said victims face a “Kafkaesque tragedy.”

Continue reading " CPSC Nominee Faces Questions about Chinese Drywall " »

Raptiva, a drug used to treat psoriasis, has been pulled from the market in Canada because of its link to a fatal brain infection, The Canadian Press reports.

Canadian health officials suspended marketing of the Raptiva in February. On June 17, Health Canada pulled the drug from the market due to safety concerns.

Raptiva was authorized for use in adult patients with moderate to severe psoriasis, a chronic disease of the immune system that often appears on the skin. Raptiva suppressed T cells in the immune system. Because the immune system is compromised, patients were at risk for infectious diseases.

In February 2009, the US Food and Drug Administration warned that Raptiva was linked to three fatal cases of progressive multifocal leukoencephalitis (PML), a deadly type of brain infection. Four months before the announcement, the FDA required Raptiva’s manufacturer to include a black boxed warning.

In April, Genentech, the San Francisco-based maker of Raptiva, announced the drug was being withdrawn from the global market.

Continue reading " Raptiva Pulled from Canadian Market " »

Construction workers hanging Chinese drywall complained of the off-putting stench to home developers, according to a Broward-Palm Beach New Times online report.

According to journalist Eric Barton, some construction workers refused to work with the Chinese drywall, afraid that the smell meant the material was rotten. Barton also writes that some contractors told workers to paint the drywall quickly in order to mask the smell.

Homeowners have been driven out of their houses by the rotten-egg smell of sulfur dioxide. The sulfur dioxide can be toxic and has been blamed for corroding wires and pipes leading to the ruin of appliances and household systems such as air conditioners. The Consumer Product Safety Commission indicates that the problems seem to be concentrated in homes built in 2006 and 2007.

Continue reading " Chinese Drywall Stench Detected by Construction Workers " »

Patients over the age of 65 who are taking Cipro are at risk for tendon tears, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned.

Ciproflaxin is a powerful antibiotic that is used to treat bacterial infections of the bladder, kidney, prostate gland, cervix, stomach, intestine, lung, sinus, bone, and skin and as a preventive measure after exposure to anthrax. Made by Bayer AG, it is sold under a variety of names including Cipro, Ciproxin, Ciprobay, and Cipro XR.

On July 8, 2008, the FDA added a black box label warning to Cipro in order alert patients of possible tendon ruptures and tendinitis.

According to the warning, “the risk of tendon effects is higher if you are over 65 years of age, and especially if you are taking corticosteroids.”

Anyone who has been given ciprofloxacin and experiences pain, swelling or inflammation in the area of a tendon should stop taking the drug and contact his or her physician. Patients who experience a snapping or popping sensation in the area of a tendon, note bruising right after an injury in the area of a tendon or are unable to move or bear weight after taking the drug should also contact a doctor immediately.

Continue reading " Seniors Taking Cipro Risk Tendon Tears " »

Three patients who were prescribed Levaquin recently filed suit against the maker of the antibiotic in a New Jersey state court, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The lawsuits claim that Johnson & Johnson and its Ortho McNeil unit touted Levaquin as a safe treatment for bacterial infections even though the companies allegedly knew that it could cause severe tendon ruptures and tendonitis.

On July 8, 2008, the FDA issued an alert requiring Ortho to add a black-box warning to Levaquin’s label. The warning advises patients that Levaquin increases their risk of tendinitis—inflammation or irritation of a tendon, one of the thick fibrous cords that connect muscle to bone. Some patients who have taken Levaquin have reported the rupture of tendons in the shoulder, hand and heel.

The risk of tendinitis and tendon rupture is increased in patients older than 60; in kidney, heart, and lung transplant recipients; and in patients given Levaquin in conjunction with steroid therapy.

If you or a loved one has suffered a serious complication after taking Levaquin, contact the attorneys of Carey & Danis. We can help. Carey & Danis is a national law firm that represents individuals injured by America’s largest corporations.