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Trick-or-Treat your way to an allergy-free Halloween
AAAAI urges children to recognize symptoms and carry epinephrine

"MILWAUKEE - Halloween is right around the corner and millions of children are preparing to sport their ghost and vampire costumes for school parties and a night of trick-or-treating. However, for children who suffer from severe food allergies, Halloween is a time where extra precaution must be taken.

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) asks children and parents to watch out for hidden foods that could trigger a life threatening allergic reaction called anaphylaxis. Food-related anaphylaxis leads to 150-200 deaths each year, so every exposure should be taken seriously.

Peanuts, tree nuts, eggs, milk and soy are the most common causes of food allergies in children. Eating even a small amount of these foods could trigger anaphylaxis.

Symptoms of anaphylaxis include severe headache, nausea and vomiting, sneezing and coughing, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue and throat, and itching all over the body. The most dangerous symptoms include difficulty breathing, a drop in blood pressure, and shock-all of which can be fatal.

If any of these symptoms occur, give the child self-injectable epinephrine, call 911 immediately, and schedule a follow-up appointment with your allergist/immunologist.

Here are some helpful Halloween tips to avoid hidden food dangers:

• When classroom parties are planned, parents can help by packing treats from home that their food-allergic child can eat.
• Create a "candy swap" with siblings or friends so that allergen-containing candies can be traded for other treats such as stickers or toys.
• Take the focus off of trick-or-treating by hosting a costume party that emphasizes fun instead of candy. Halloween stickers, pencils, spider rings and stamps are great alternatives for goody bags.
• Provide neighbors with allergy-safe candies for your child or ask neighbors to hand out only candy with individualized labels-so kids with allergies can determine whether the treat is safe to eat or not.
• Teach children to politely refuse offers of cookies and other homemade treats.
• Remember that candy ingredients can vary for different sizes of the same product such as full-size candy bars and their miniature versions, which are not always individually labeled.

Consult with an allergist/immunologist
If your child has ever had an allergic reaction to a food, or has a history of food allergies, seek the care of an allergist/immunologist for a follow-up evaluation and to discuss treatment and environmental control options. For more information, visit the AAAAI's Web site, www.aaaai.org.

The AAAAI represents allergists, asthma specialists, clinical immunologists, allied health professionals and others with a special interest in the research and treatment of allergic disease. Allergy/immunology specialists are pediatric or internal medicine physicians who have elected an additional two years of training to become specialized in the treatment of asthma, allergy and immunologic disease. Established in 1943, the AAAAI has more than 6,500 members in the United States, Canada and 60 other countries. The AAAAI serves as an advocate to the public by providing educational information through its Web site at www.aaaai.org.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Experts on food allergy and anaphylaxis are available for interviews by contacting Natalie Lemke or Amber Johnson at the AAAAI Executive Office, (414) 272-6071."

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The Washington Post offers common sense advice for Halloween travelers and revelers.

Getting Around on Halloween

"Some good advice for motorists and for trick or treaters everywhere, compiled by the Maryland State Highway Administration:

For Drivers
-- Stop for pedestrians in marked crosswalks and intersections.
-- Motorists should exercise extra caution during peak trick-or-treating hours between 4 and 9 p.m.
-- Slow down and obey the speed limit and all traffic signs/signals in residential neighborhoods.
-- Enter and exit driveways slowly.
-- Be alert for children crossing and darting across the street.
-- Watch for children crossing between parked cars.
-- Always look out for pedestrians, especially before turning at a green light or making a right turn on red.
-- When driving children to trick-or-treat or to a costume party, make sure all seat belts are fastened and let children out of the car on the curbside.

For Pedestrians
-- Cross at marked crosswalks and intersections.
-- Look left, right, and left again before crossing the street.
-- Be sure to see and be seen. Avoid dark clothing, wear bright colors and use reflective devices.
-- Avoid costumes that may impair vision.
-- Make eye contact with drivers when crossing the street.
-- Stay alert and be on the look out for cars traveling above the speed limit.

Taxis
The Washington Regional Alcohol Program says the Halloween SoberRide program will be operating from 8 p.m. on to 4 a.m. to assist those who have been over served in getting home during this high-risk period.

People 21 and older who need the service can call the toll-free SoberRide phone number (1-800-200-TAXI) and get a ride home home at no cost up to what would otherwise have been a $50 fare.

Some D.C. taxi drivers are likely to be on strike today in a protest against the plan to convert the fare system from zones to meters. SoberRide expects that there still will be enough available to make the program work. But the strike is something to keep in mind if you intend to go bar hopping. It may be difficult to hail a cab on the street afterward."

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Falls are the leading cause of personal injury to U.S. senior citizens, and most of those falls occur in the home.  Anyone can accidentally fall in a home, however,  and the costs associated with the treatment of those fall injuries exceeds $20 billion per year.  The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) offers the following guidelines for safeguarding the health of your family and friends by acting to prevent falls in your home: 

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Thanks to a change in Daylight Savings Time, trick-or-treaters will be made safer by an extra hour of evening light this year.  A lack of light on Halloween evening isn't the only danger posed to young ghosts and goblins, however -- many injuries each year stem from trips and falls attributed to unsafe costumes.  When planning your child's costume (or your own) this year, keep in mind the following advice, courtesy of Consumer Reports:

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Improper use of portable space heaters accounts for approximately 25,000 household fires each year, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).  As temperatures begin to decline this season, and the price of heating fuel rises, more Americans will inevitably be tempted to use space heaters in their homes.  Space heaters are widely available in wood, kerosene, gas, and electric models.  Regardless of the model, however, CPSC offers the following fire prevention suggestions:

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Each year, we post new Halloween health and safety tips here on the DC Metro Area Personal Injury Law Blog, but the basic dangers related to Halloween festivities tend to remain the same.  Following are some good, common sense tips for a safe celebration, courtesy of the American Red Cross:

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We've covered youth drinking before on the D.C. Metro Area Personal Injury Law Blog, but the subject bears repeating:  one of the most effective things parents can do to protect their children is to communicate with them about alcohol.  On its website for underage drinking prevention, the Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) advises parents that while all teens can be harmed by alcohol use, the following risk factors put some teens at exceptional risk of alcohol-related problems:

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The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), in conjunction with the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has kicked off a one-week campaign called "Operation Safe Driver."  The event, which runs from October 21 - 28, is designed to prevent trucking accidents, which are caused by negligent commerical drivers and negligent non-commercial drivers, alike.  The objectives of the campaign are as follows:

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Bumbo Baby Sitter Seats have been recalled by the manufacturer and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.  The full text of the CPSC warning is provided below: 

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Bumbo “Baby Sitter” Seats

Units: About 1 million

Manufacturer: Bumbo International, of South Africa

Hazard: If the seat is placed on a table, countertop, chair, or other elevated surface, young children can arch their backs, flip out of the Bumbo seat, and fall onto the floor, posing a risk of serious head injuries.

Incidents/Injuries: CPSC has received 28 reports of young children falling out of the Bumbo Baby Sitter seat, including three skull fractures, which occurred when children fell out of chairs that had been placed on tables.

Description: The bottom of the children’s seat is round and flat with a diameter of about 15 inches. It is constructed of a single piece of molded foam and comes in yellow, blue, purple, pink, aqua, and lime green. The seat has leg holes and seat back that wraps completely around the child. On the front of the seat in raised lettering is the word “Bumbo” with the image of an elephant on top. The bottom of the seat has the following words: “Manufactured by Bumbo South Africa Material: Polyurethane World Patent No. PCT: ZA/1999/00030.” The back of the seat contains the following “WARNING” – “Never use on a raised surface. Never use as a car seat or bath seat. Designed for floor level use only. Never leave your baby unattended as the seat is not designed to be totally restrictive and may not prevent release of your baby in the event of vigorous movement.”

Sold by: Target, Wal-Mart, Sears, Toys R Us, Babies R Us, USA Babies and various other toy and children’s stores nationwide, and various online sellers, from August 2003 through October 2007 for about $40.

Manufactured in: South Africa

Remedy: Consumers should never use the infant seat on a table, countertop, chair, or other elevated surface. Consumers can contact Bumbo to obtain new warning label stickers and instructions, free of charge. The new warning label will state: “WARNING – Prevent Falls; Never use on any elevated surface.” Consumers should use the Bumbo seat at ground level, but should never leave a child unattended.

Consumer Contact: Contact Bumbo International at (877) 932-8626 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s Web site at www.bumbosafety.com

Send the link for this page to a friend! The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $700 billion annually. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard or can injure children. The CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals - contributed significantly to the 30 percent decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or visit CPSC's web site at www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. To join a CPSC email subscription list, please go to www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain this release and recall information at CPSC's Web site at www.cpsc.gov.

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Payless ShoeSource is recalling 90,000 girls' Hannah Montana boots, because the guitar-shaped zipper pulls of the right and left boots can snag together while walking and cause the wearer to fall.  According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the boots were sold in girls' sizes 10.5 - 4.5, and were available from August 2007 through September 2007 for approximately $27. 

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We recently posted safety tips for trick-or-treaters here on the DC Metro Area Personal Injury Law Blog, but adults play a significant role in making Halloween safe, as well.  Following are some simple suggestions from the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) on making your home and neighborhood a safer place this Halloween evening:

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Commercially-available lead test kits used by consumers to detect unsafe levels of lead in their homes are not reliably accurate, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).   The agency recently issued a news bulletin regarding the kits after randomly testing several different models.  False positive test results and false negative test results were both obtained, though false negatives were more common.  Out of 104 tests, 56 tests provided false negative results and 2 provided false positives.  According to CPSC, the results are consistent with previous determinations that home-based lead testing kits are unreliable.

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October 22 - 26 is School Bus Safety Week.  We have previously covered school bus safety on the DC Metro Area Personal Injury Law Blog, but this annual safety event is a good opportunity to remind readers that a school bus is no playground.  Following are some helpful general safety tips for kids who commute by school bus, courtesy of the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT):

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The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced a new federal initiative to develop multi-state interstate highway corridors, including truck-only lanes, to decrease congestion and prevent truck accidents along six interstate routes, including Interstate 95, from Florida to the Canadian border.  Interstate 70, terminating at Baltimore, will also receive federal funding for improvements. 

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The price of an automobile doesn't always correlate to its safety rating, according to a recent news release from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).  The organization issues ratings of "Good," "Acceptable," "Marginal," and "Poor" following crash tests in which a weighted frame approximating a large SUV or truck strikes the parked vehicle on the driver's side at a speed of 31 miles per hour.  Side impacts are the second most fatal type of crash -- frontal collisions are generally the most deadly. 

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Statistically speaking, most young teens don't yet drink, and parents' disapproval of underage drinking is the key reason most young teens give for refusing to drink.  Because parents can make a difference in preventing alcohol abuse among young people, the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) has developed Make a Difference:  Talk to Your Child About Alcohol -- a free, downloadable brochure with helpful tips for talking to young people about the dangers of alcohol and alcoholism.

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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has announced a voluntary Toshiba recall of certain AC adapters included as accessories with some Toshiba DVD players.  The adapters are being recalled over concerns related to overheating and burn hazards.  Consumers should stop using these adapters immediately.  The following product information pertains to units affected by the recall:

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New RAND Corporation research reveals that drivers over 65 years of age are 16% more likely than the average adult driver to cause an accident, but as a group, they're not the most dangerous -- drivers under 24 years of age are 188% more likely to cause an accident. 

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Bunk beds are a common feature of many children's rooms, especially in homes where floor space carries a premium.  Each year, however, thousands of children sustain injuries related to bunk beds -- and not always predictable injuries.

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Rates of substance abuse are a national concern, but prevention efforts are more successful when they're implemented locally, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).  To encourage and assist in the development of local initiatives, the agency has published Focus on Prevention, a free, downloadable guidebook of proven and practical solutions to implementing successful substance abuse prevention programs for youth. 

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Home Safety Council (HSC) has announced a partnership with HotStop scald-prevention devices to prevent home-based scalding injuries.  Approximately 3,800 injuries and 34 deaths each year are attributable to scalding -- most involve the very young or the elderly.  The HSC / HotStop partnership is preparing to kick off a public awareness campaign this fall which will continue into next year and educate consumers of the dangers of scalding injuries and ways to prevent them.

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There are 585,000 school buses in this country.  Many without seatbelts.  Yet statistics show that this is the safest way to travel to school.  Nevertheless, children are killed each year in bus accidents.  On average, five children are killed on school buses each year and another 15 are killed when struck by a bus.    The experts estimate seat belts would save an average of one child's life each year.

In Arlington, Virginia, two children were killed when their bus was struck by a garbage truck in April of this year.    Twenty-six children wearing seat belts in New York when their bus flipped over only suffered minor injuries.

"School buses are old-fashioned, out-dated and don't give children the benefit of current safety techniques," says Alan Ross, president of the National Coalition for School Bus Safety. He says school buses should have seat belts and be redesigned so they are not so top-heavy and prone to rolling over.

According to Michael Martin, executive director of the National Association for Pupil Transportation, some states, such as New York, New Jersey and Florida require new buses to have seat belts. Only New Jersey and Florida require students to use them.

According to a report called The Relative Risks of School Travel, when measured by miles traveled or number of trips, school bus travel is the safest way to get to school.  This report was published by produced by the Transportation Research Board.

The most dangerous way to travel to school is teens driving to school — 100 times more deadly than riding a school bus, when measured by miles traveled.

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One helpful resource for reducing teen drinking and its associated dangers is DontServeTeens.gov, a public service website maintained by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC).  The website offers tips for reducing teens' access to alcohol, talking points for discussing the dangers of alcohol, and a directory of state laws aimed at reducing underage alcohol consumption.  Distinct categories of the site address how everyone can help curb teen drinking, whether you're an individual, a member of an organization, a member of the media, a retailer, or law enforcement personnel.

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October is Fire Safety Month, and while much can be said of fire prevention, early detection of fire is critical to keeping it contained and preventing personal injuries.  The Home Safety Council reports that while 97% of American homes contain a smoke detector, one is seldom enough -- particularly if it's installed improperly.  The organization reminds consumers of the following concerning home smoke detectors:

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Paintball is one of the fastest growing sports in the country.  Nowadays, with the right safety equipment, it can been relatively safe.  However, in this instance, the manufacturer of the carbon dioxide cylinder used on the paintball gun knew about safety issues with the valve.  According to the family's investigation, the manufacturers knew of the potential danger from the valve-and-cylinder combination since 1990.

Unfortunately for the Contois family, their wife and mother was killed when a teenager player inadvertently detached a valve, launching his gun’s carbon-dioxide-filled cylinder like a missle. The cylinder struck Ms. Contois in the head. She died on the scene.

The family recovered $8 million for their loss. But  the family and their attorney did not stop there.  They insisted as part of the settlement that the company promise to publicize warnings about the dangers of old valves.  The family then claimed that KEE Action Sports, the successor to National Paintball Supply, inherited the obligation to continue to warn consumers about these older valves. In another complaint to filed in Contra Costa County Superior Court, the family contends KEE has not lived up to their promises.  The family says Kee has failed to post warnings on its Web site and elsewhere. KEE did not comment, citing the litigation, but they do have a statement on their website stating that they have reached out to the Contois family to resolve this.

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On September 21, 2007, the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) announced the recall of 1 million Simplicity cribs due to safety  concerns.  The cribs were made in China and sold in various department stores in the United States. This is not the first recall of Simplicity Cribs.  The CPSC links the Simplicity Cribs to two infant deaths and another child's death is under investigation.  The company and agency also report  7 cases of infants becoming trapped and 55 other cases of drop-rail complaints.

Families are asking why it took so long for Simplicity and the CPSC to act?  The Chicago Tribune reported that President of Simplicity, Inc.,  Ken Waldman,  contended that his company makes safe products and was cooperating with the CPSC.  Mr. Waldman did not say why the recall did not occur earlier. "This is the thing to do and that's why we decided to do it now," he said.  

Another very disturbing development is that parents report calling for the repair kits and being told that the kits are not available or kits have been received with no written instructions.

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Previously, a number of articles regarding Back to School Safety issues were posted on the DC Metro Area Personal Injury Law Blog by Regan Zambri and Long.  Add to those recommendations: darker evenings of autumn can pose added dangers to young pedestrians and school bus riders, who may not be seen as readily as usual by motorists.  In addition to wearing shoes and backpacks with reflective strips or materials, a basic brush-up on pedestrian and school bus safety can pay dividends in this time of year.  The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) offers the following Tips For Improving School Bus Safety in your neighborhood:

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Pool and spa safety is a year-round concern that cannot take a back seat after Labor Day.  Regan Zambri & Long previously highlighted the importance of pool safety in an earlier posting on the DC Metro Area Personal Injury Law Blog.

Recently, an Anne Arundel County, Maryland jury awarded the parents of a five-year-old boy a verdict in excess of $4 million dollars in damages related to their son's drowning in 2006 wherein he was found floating on the surface of Crofton Country Club's outdoor pool, as reported by The Baltimore Sun.

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