The Hillsborough County Commission wants Gov. Charlie Crist keep pushing the federal government to provide relief for homeowners affected by Chinese drywall. ...more

March 17, 2010

Just days after Florida asked the federal government for disaster relief for homeowners affected by tainted drywall, the state received an answer: No. ...more

March 17, 2010

The U.S. government is preparing a safety warning about baby slings — those popular and fashionable infant carriers that parents can sling around their chests to carry their baby. ...more

March 12, 2010

The Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates about 500 children have strangled on the cords of blinds and shades since the early 1980s, an average of about one child each month. That makes blinds and shades some of the deadliest products subject to recalls announced by the safety agency in the last 15 years. Yet the government has failed to require manufacturers to design safer blinds and shades, relying instead on the industry to develop its own standards. ...more

March 4, 2010

Government safety officials today announced a recall of more than 500,000 drop-side cribs sold at Buy Buy Baby, Kmart, Walmart and other stores after the death of three infants. ...more

February 9, 2010

Black mold, which is actually greenish black in color, has been associated with "sick building syndrome" and a variety of health problems. Molds are commonly found in buildings and homes and will grow indoors anywhere there is moisture. The most common indoor molds are Cladosporium, Penicillium, Aspergillus, and Alternaria. ...more

January 28, 2010

For more than 11 years, a St. Petersburg company hired to perform child safety tests on cigarette lighters falsified the tests and submitted fraudulent reports to federal regulators, court documents show. ...more

January 24, 2010

Kathy Sanders waited until her 4-year-old daughter, Emma, was distracted with a video game Thursday. Then she made her move. ...more

January 17, 2010

Barred from using lead in children's jewelry because of its toxicity, some Chinese manufacturers have been substituting the more dangerous heavy metal cadmium, a known carcinogen, in sparkling charm bracelets and shiny pendants being sold throughout the United States, an Associated Press investigation shows. ...more

January 11, 2010

Readers who did not overly indulge in Uncle Fred's eggnog or trip over the tail-end of their new Snuggies and smash their skulls on coffee tables may recall last week's column, Scott's Trance-Induced 2010 Year in Preview, Part I, a guide to what will happen in the coming year. Here, for your reading pleasure is Scott's Trance-Induced 2010 Year in Preview, Part II: ...more

January 6, 2010