Consumer alert!

Amid rising concern that plastic baby bottles contain bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical compound that can be transmitted to kids and cause developmental problems, Toys R Us said it would stop selling the bottles and similar items by year-end. Wal-Mart said it also is planning to eliminate such products from its shelves.

The Canadian government recently declared bisphenol A “dangerous” and opened a public comment period on its proposal to ban the use of the chemical in baby bottles. The U.S. National Institutes of Health acknowledged there is “some concern” that babies, fetuses, and children are in danger because BPA harms animals at the low levels found in nearly all humans. The product is used to line beverage and soup cans and also is present in some water bottles.

For more information sources about BPA, click here.

To sign an online petition urging manufacturers to stop making baby bottles containing BPA, click here.

Area gasoline prices are up about 4 cents a gallon, on average, from last week and probably will rise higher with the cost of a barrel of oil passing $117.

Prices at pumps in the county today ranged from $3.38 to $3.59, with an average of $3.48. The lowest price was recorded at the Speedway station on S. Dixie Hwy. in Monroe Township.

Hassles at work can cause you to lose sleep more than odd shifts or hard labor, according to a new University of Michigan study.

Some firms, both here and abroad, are soliciting investors and claiming they’re registered with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission.
This fraudulently implies that they’re operating with the oversight and in compliance with federal securities laws. They’re not.
The SEC has published a list of firms that have claimed they are registered securities dealers when, in fact, they’re not.

The Consumer Price Index for the Midwest increased 0.9 percent in March, following an increase of 0.2 percent in February, and up 3.7 percent from March 2007, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics said. Costs for transportation, housing, and apparel accounted for more than 90 percent of the overall gain in the monthly index.

Energy prices, which include prices for motor and household fuels, were up 5.0 percent in March following a 0.5 percent increase the prior month. Energy prices advanced 16.6 percent since March a rise in the uti2007, led by rising motor fuel costs.

Transportation costs had the greatest impact on the overall monthly index, increasing 2.3 percent in March. Motor fuel prices advanced 6.7 percent following February’s decline of 0.3 percent.

Area gasoline prices are up 15 cents a gallon, on average, over the first week in April.
Prices at pumps in the county today ranged from $3.34 to $3.54, with an average of $3.44. The lowest price was recorded at the Marathon station at W. Elm Ave. and Roessler St. in Monroe.

That compares to an average of $3.29 during the first week of April, when the lowest-priced gas was $3.19 and the highest price at the pump also was $3.54.

If you paid the average then and now to fill your 20-gallon tank, you paid an additional $3 for the same amount of gas.

The state’s Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation is warning Michigan residents about companies promising, for a fee, that they can clean up and fix credit reports. The OFIR said the companies do nothing to improve a credit report and only cost citizens money. After consumers pay these companies hundreds or thousands of dollars in fees, most simply vanish.

No one can legally remove accurate and timely negative information from a credit report and the Federal Trade Commission says it has never seen a legitimate credit repair company.

“Consumers should avoid companies pitching quick and easy credit repair,” said OFIR Commissioner Ken Ross. “Removing blemishes from a credit report requires the passage of time, careful budgeting and establishing a successful track record of on-time payments.”

According to the FTC, the tell-tale signs of a scam include companies that:
● want you to pay for credit repair services before they provide any services.
● do not tell you your legal rights and what you can do for yourself for free.
● recommend that you not contact a credit reporting company directly.
● suggest that you try to invent a “new” credit identity – and then, a new credit report – by applying for an Employer Identification Number to use instead of your Social Security number.
● advise you to dispute all information in your credit report or take any action that seems illegal, like creating a new credit identity. If you follow illegal advice and commit fraud, you may be subject to prosecution.

For a free annual credit report click here.

Use care in buying bottled water. You might be getting ripped off.

“There is no guarantee that bottled water is any better than tap water. Twenty-five percent of bottled water is actually just repackaged tap water,” says Dr. Jane Sadler,family medicine physician on the medical staff at Baylor Medical Center.

Bottled water is regulated by the FDA, but when it’s packaged and sold in the same state—which is the case with around 60 percent of bottled waters—it becomes exempt from FDA regulations.

“In fact, it’s been shown some bottled waters do not meet EPA standards so you really have to be careful in your selection of bottled waters. Make sure you know the company that’s producing it,” adds Dr. Sadler.

Dr. Sadler adds that it’s also important to pay attention to the how the water is processed.

“Be sure that you’re getting water that’s been distilled or that’s been processed through reverse osmosis.”

But experts say that filling your cup at the tap can be just as clean and healthy.
“We know that tap water is highly regulated by the EPA and we know that tap water is generally safe,” says Dr. Sadler.

Also, how you store your bottled water is critical. Water should not be kept at anything above room temperature. Leaving water for days in a hot car for instance can cause bacteria in the water to multiply.