Health Highlights: Aug. 15, 2007

Mar. 23 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments,compiled by editors of HealthDay:

Baby Bibs From China May Contain Lead: Report

Some vinyl baby bibs imported from China and sold at Toys "R" Us stores appear to contain lead, according to laboratory tests cited Wednesday by The New York Times.

The bibs include drawings of baseball bats, soccer balls, and "Winnie the Poo" characters. They cost less than $5 each and are sold under brand names such as "Especially for Baby" and "Koala Baby," the newspaper said.

Tests paid for by the California-based Center for Environmental Health found lead levels in these bibs sold in the state up to three times the amount allowed in paint, the Times said. And the newspaper's separate tests on bibs bought in Maryland conducted by an independent laboratory found similar lead levels.

A Toys "R" Us spokeswoman said the company's own tests conducted as recently as May found that the bibs met lead safety standards, the Times reported. "Our uncompromising commitment to safety has been, and continues to be, our highest priority," spokeswoman Kathleen Waugh said in a statement.

Unidentified officials from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said the department's tests showed that lead levels in the bibs were low enough that if a child chewed on the product, it would not expose the child to "an unhealthy dose," the newspaper reported. But the agency advised parents to discard vinyl bibs if they are ripped or deteriorated in some other way.

CPSC officials "have not pushed for a recall of lead-contaminated bibs," the Times said.

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FDA Warns Alzheimer's Drug Maker on Promotional Claims

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has warned Swiss drugmaker Novartis about misleading claims included in a promotion directed at doctors for the company's Alzheimer's drug, Exelon.

"The professional file card makes unsubstantiated superiority claims for Exelon, overstates the efficacy of Exelon, includes misleading risk presentations, and recommends or suggests a combination use of Exelon that has not been approved by the FDA," the agency said in a warning letter to the company, published on the FDA's Web site.

The recall involves model numbers 5650, 5700, 5750 and 5755. The saws were sold across the United States from January 2002 through December 2006 for $70 to $80. The model number and date code are printed on the nameplate on the front of the saw. The following date codes are affected:

• 28101 - 29231
• 38101 - 39231
• 48101 - 49231
• 58101 - 59231
• 68101 - 69231

Consumers should immediately stop using the saw and contact the company for information about obtaining a free repair. The toll-free phone number is: 866-761-5572.

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Children May Inherit Craving for Junk Food

Children born to pregnant women who eat junk food may develop the same cravings, a new study published in the British Journal of Nutrition concludes.

Offspring born to pregnant rats fed crackers, potato chips, and sweets ate more unhealthy foods than offspring born to mothers who ate a more healthy diet of "rat chow," U.K. researchers at the Royal Veterinary College found.

The junk food diet fed to some rats was continued past birth as mother rats breastfed their offspring, according to a BBC Online report on the study. The sweet-eating rats tended to eat more overall, the researchers found.