The dietary supplement called Mass Destruction has been flagged by the Food and Drug Administration as potentially causing liver damage. The agency has received reports of illness and health damage possibly caused by the body building dietary supplement. According to experts, this is not an isolated incident though. They say that products marketed as “natural” or “herbal” or as “dietary supplements” have often been linked to health problems and illness. The liver and kidneys can easily be injured by these substances, causing liver failure or renal failure. Other dangerous side effects can also occur due to some of the ingredients placed into these dangerous dietary supplements. There is little oversight or control over these products by the federal or state governments. Health professionals note that proper medical safety testing has usually not been performed on these types of products, yet they are still marketed as safe or even as healthy. In addition, there is a lot of money to be made in selling these products, even if they are potentially unsafe. Experts say that the business of manufacturing and selling supplements has become a booming multi-billion dollar industry.

Many of the dangerous products are sold on the internet but even when they are sold in stores, they are still difficult to monitor. Consumer health consultants say that manufacturers and promoters of the products claim all kinds of health or wellness benefits with little-to-no evidence. To attempt to legally cover themselves, the companies will usually include a disclaimer on their labels that says something like, “this statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration.” Other attempts by companies to skirt their legal responsibilities to consumers include posting statements like, “this product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.” However, an injury lawyer in Manhattan, New York explains that this doesn’t absolve these manufacturers and the stores that sell the dangerous items from responsibility. Potentially misleading advertising is something that must be looked at closely in order to fully evaluate a given situation. Personal injury lawsuits may be filed against a company or individual that knowingly puts the public in danger by selling dangerous products that can cause illness or a health hazard. Professional investigation is usually needed to determine if negligence or deceit was involved with the production, advertising and sale of such hazardous products. Find out more about this recent warning and health scare in this article.

Photo by Ragesoss (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons