Arsenic in Rice, Tattoo Ink Infections, Dangerous Diet Products Among Top 2012 FDA Consumer Updates

Last year, more than 7.3 million people visited the Consumer Updates section of FDA.gov to get health information. The FDA has provided Patch with this list of the 10 most popular topics in 2012. Some things on the list might surprise you!

1. Disposing of unused medicines. Read more. 2. Beware: Mercury in skin products sold illegally in U.S. Read more. 3. HCG diet products—a dangerous fad. Read more. 4. Dietary supplement Hydroxycut—can be hazardous to health. Read more. 5. Examining arsenic in rice: A work in progress. Read more. 6. Tattoo inks linked to serious infection. Read more. 7. Is the common additive triclosan safe? What you should know. Read more. 8. Thickening agent may be deadly for infants. Read more. 9. Expanded advice: Take statins with care. Read more. 10. Symptoms of Cushing’s disease in dogs, and how to treat it. Read more. Stay connected by signing up for our free email newsletter or "liking" us on Facebook.

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FDA Warning: Kids Hospitalized After Swallowing Small Amounts of Nasal Spray or Eye Drops

The FDA wants parents to know that some common products in your medicine cabinet could make your child sick if small amounts are swallowed.

The FDA is warning the public that young children can become seriously ill if they swallow over-the-counter eye drops and nasal decongestant sprays.  There have been cases in which children age 5 and younger have been hospitalized after ingesting these products, a small amount of which could make them very sick.  The products are sold under various brand names, such as Visine, Dristan and Mucinex, as well as in generic and store brands. Risk: These products are safe when used in the eyes and nose as directed. However, when swallowed, their active ingredients—tetrahydrozoline, oxymetazoline, or naphazoline—can have effects that include nausea, lethargy, decreased respiration and even a coma. No deaths have been reported. Most of these …

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Medication Errors Happen to Pets, Too

According to Linda Kim-Jung, PharmD, an FDA safety reviewer, "A number of the medication errors that occur in the treatment of people are similar to those we are seeing in the treatment of animals."

Your dog or cat is sick, and you head to the animal hospital. The veterinarian prescribes medications that you hope will make your friend better. But with pets, as with people, medication errors can happen. Pet owners may mistakenly be given the wrong medicine for any number of reasons. Just as it does when medication errors affect people, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) looks out for mistakes that may harm animals. In 2008, FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine (CVM) started to take a closer look at error reports on medications for animals and to focus on ways to increase the safe use of those medications. The CVM formally established its Veterinary Medication Error Program in 2010. According to Linda Kim-Jung, PharmD, a safety …

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Beauty Bustle

Six Changes You'll See On Sunscreen Labels

How does your current sunscreen stack up against the new rules? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will require label changes to all sunscreens by summer 2012.

You may toss your sunscreen in your beach bag as an afterthought. Or you may be very careful about reading sunscreen labels before you purchase them. Either way, you may not be properly protected against damaging radiation from the sun. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced tougher and clearer label requirements on sunscreen products. The announcement was made June 14 and will be effective in summer 2012; however, we will probably see changes in the labels well before then. So why the change? According to the FDA Web site, current products need to be updated with new safety information on the dangers of sun exposure. The changes are to help consumers choose sunscreen products based on protection. One of the biggest …

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