Indiana Injury Lawyer Blog

Even as researchers warn of an ever-increasing risk of lead exposure-related health effects in children, the federal administration has moved ahead to slash funding for an important lead poisoning prevention program.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s lead poisoning prevention program channels funds to state health departments in order to conduct lead screening programs. The funds for this lead poisoning prevention program have been cut by approximately 93%.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s lead poisoning prevention program received $2 million in funding this year. That was a dramatic decline from $29.2 million last year. Most of the money goes for screening programs by state health departments, while the rest of the money goes toward education programs and data collection. These are important activities that help health agencies understand the extent of lead poisoning and exposure hazards in the country.

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For millions of Americans, medical devices have meant an improved quality of life. However, many of these people also suffer injuries from medical devices that were not tested adequately before they were implanted in their bodies.

According to a new report by Consumer Reports, there are an increasing number of American patients who live with some kind of medical devices. These devices range all the way from defibrillators to vaginal mesh. Many of these devices are untested. According to Consumer Reports, in many cases, manufacturers are getting their medical devices approved by the Food And Drug Administration by merely filing paperwork.

Getting a simple new medical device approved by the Food and Drug Administration costs just over $4,000. A company only has to pay this user fee to begin selling a medical product that can be inserted in the bodies of millions of Americans.

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The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is continuing its stepped-up enforcement of trucking safety rules. The agency recently ordered a trucking company in Indiana to shut down all transportation services immediately. The order came after a review of the trucking company’s compliance with federal trucking safety rules.

According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, it conducted a review of the company, U & D Service Inc., and found multiple federal trucking safety violations. These violations included a continuous pattern of employing drivers who do not possess valid commercial driver's licenses. The agency also found in its review that the company frequently employed divers who did not meet federal requirements for English proficiency. A truck driver who is unskilled, untrained and does not possess a valid commercial driver's license, could be at a much higher risk of committing a serious and possibly even fatal driving error.

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