A newsletter roundup covering stories including how rising speed limits in the U.S. have led to an increase in traffic fatalities, the Takata airbag recall and GM ignition switch lawsuits.

1. NEWS You Can Use
From the Walker Advertising Research Desk 4/20/16
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Courtesy news clipping service provided to clients of Walker Advertising. All material is copyrighted by respective
publications. For copies of complete articles, contact your sales rep or Walker Advertising at 1-800-4WALKER.
1. Speed limit increases cause 33,000 deaths in 20 years
Adapted from Insurance Institute for Highway Safety Highway, 4/12/16
Rising U.S. speed limits over the last two decades have caused 33,000 additional fatalities, according
to a study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). In 2013, the higher speed limits caused
1,900 deaths. In 1995, Congress completely repealed the National Maximum Speed Limit, which
required states to set their maximum speed limit at 55 miles per hour (mph) to receive their full share of
highway funding. Since then, states have raised their state speed limits. Jason Farmer, IIHS vice
president for research and statistical services, said that each 5 mph increase led to a 4% increase in
fatalities.
2. Takata air bag recall may grow by 85 million
Adapted from L.A. Times, 4/14/16
The scope of the ongoing Takata airbag recall may widen substantially, with Takata potentially having
to recall a total of 113.8 million airbag inflators in the U.S. In addition to the 28.8 million inflators that
have already been recalled, the company may have to recall an additional 85 million inflators under the
terms of a 2014 agreement with the U.S. government. That deal would require Takata to recall all
inflators containing ammonium nitrate if they cannot prove the chemical is safe. The propellant has
been linked to airbag ruptures that can spew metal fragments into the passenger compartment. Takata
has also agreed to phase ammonium nitrate out of manufacturing by the end of 2018.
3. Teenage Driver Dies in Texas After Takata Airbag Ruptures
Adapted from N.Y. Times, 4/7/16
On March 31, a Takata airbag ruptured in a crash and killed a teenage driver, raising the number of
fatalities caused by the defect to ten in the U.S. Seventeen-year-old Huma Hanif died when the airbag
sent a metal shard into her neck. The 2002 Honda Civic involved in the crash had been recalled multiple
times, but Hanif’s family claimed they did not receive any notices. They purchased the car used. In the
U.S., used-car dealerships and rental companies are not required to fix recalled vehicles prior to sale, or
inform purchases of the recall action. It is unclear whether the car involved in the accident was recalled
prior to its purchase by the Hanif family. Worldwide, exploding Takata airbags have been involved in
eleven fatalities and more than 100 injuries.
4. New Fatal Cases of Legionnaires’
Adapted from L.A. Times, 4/12/16
Michigan health authorities announced they had identified two additional fatalities from
Legionnaires’ disease in the Flint area in 2015. The discovery raises the total number of fatalities from
Legionnaires’ disease in Genesee County to 12 over a period of 17 months. During this period, there
were 91 total cases, according to an updated analysis by the state Dept. of Health and Human Services.
That is five times larger than the country’s average prior to Flint’s switch to drawing water from the Flint

2. NEWS You Can Use
From the Walker Advertising Research Desk 4/20/16
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Courtesy news clipping service provided to clients of Walker Advertising. All material is copyrighted by respective
publications. For copies of complete articles, contact your sales rep or Walker Advertising at 1-800-4WALKER.
River. Before the 2014 switch, Flint sourced water from Detroit. Some experts have linked the increase
in Legionnaires’ disease cases to the new water source.
5. G.M. Settles Crucial Ignition-Switch Case and G.M. Begins To Prevail In Lawsuits On Switches
Adapted from N.Y. Times, 4/8/16 and 4/11/14
On April 7, General Motors (GM) announced it had settled with the plaintiff in a wrongful death case
related to its defective ignition switches. The case, which had been scheduled to go to trial next month,
was one of six so-called bellwether cases related to claims stemming from GM’s ignition switches. The
switch could slip into the off position while the vehicle was in operation, cutting power to the engine
and the airbags. Two of the first four bellwether cases were dismissed, while G.M. won one case and
settled another. GM’s unexpected decision to settle may have indicated that the automaker wanted to
avoid a prolonged jury trial over a case involving a death. To date, GM has spent more than $2 billion to
resolve claims and pay fines related to the faulty ignition switches.
6. Water Testing Shows Lead Persists in N.Y. City’s Schools; Officials Cite Safeguards
Adapted from N.Y. Times, 4/9/16
In the wake of the discovery of lead in the water at Newark’s schools, New York City has begun
testing water in all public school buildings. On April 8, city officials announced that a majority of the 140
school buildings that have so far tested positive for lead were already covered under protocols intended
to protect students and teachers from lead contamination. This protocol, which is put in place after lead
is discovered, includes weekly flushing of the plumbing system. Thus far, about one-third of the schools
spread across the five boroughs have been tested. The city Health Department indicated the number of
children younger than six with lead poisoning fell 69% from 2005 to 2014.
7. FTC settles complaints, files another over “all natural” labels
Adapted from L.A. Daily Journal, 4/13/16
On April 12, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced it had settled with four companies over
deceptive product labelling. The four companies allegedly falsely labelled products as “all natural” or
“100% natural.” The products involved included moisturizing gel, and hand and body lotion that
contained unnatural ingredients such as dimethicone and phenoxyethanol. The FTC also filed a
complaint for California Naturel Inc. over similar product label issues.
8. Tests Show Extent Of Lead Threat and Elevated lead levels in children
Adapted from L.A. Times, 4/13/16 and 4/9/16
A majority of homes around the now-shuttered Exide Technologies battery recycling plant in Vernon
will require cleanup, according to an April 12 report by the L.A. county Dept. of Public Health. About 98%
of the 500 homes tested have elevated levels of lead in the soil, including 45 that had levels so high they
qualified as hazardous waste. An additional 179 had lead levels higher than the federal residential action
level, while 268 had lower levels that nonetheless exceeded the level California has identified as

3. NEWS You Can Use
From the Walker Advertising Research Desk 4/20/16
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Courtesy news clipping service provided to clients of Walker Advertising. All material is copyrighted by respective
publications. For copies of complete articles, contact your sales rep or Walker Advertising at 1-800-4WALKER.
requiring cleanup. Blood tests confirm children living within a mile of the plant had higher levels of lead
in their blood than children who lived further away.
9. New rules target heavily polluted areas of L.A.
Adapted from L.A. Times, 4/14/16
On April 13, Los Angeles officials unveiled special land-use restrictions to lower health risks from
industrial and traffic pollution in three communities: Wilmington in the harbor area, Boyle Heights on
the Eastside, and Pacoima and Sun Valley in the eastern San Fernando Valley. These areas, among the
most polluted neighborhoods in LA, are predominantly Latino. For years, activists have fought for
greater environmental protections for these largely low-income communities. The new standards will
apply to more than 1,000 businesses in the three communities as part of a pilot program. New and
expanding businesses in these so-called “green zones” will face stricter development standards and
restrictions such as landscaping requirements, setbacks, and buffers between industry and nearby
homes. Industry groups opposed the new rules, arguing they will harm economic development.