| Not even halfway through 2022, Sedgewick Brand Protection reported that American products hit a 10-year high in the first quarter for recalls. Research showed that more than 1 billion items had been recalled by the end of summer due to poor design, contamination, dangerous ingredients, mislabeling, and adverse reactions.
These high numbers would seem troubling, but with advanced technologies like AI (Artificial Intelligence) and predictive analytics, early modeling and alerts are helping industries before catastrophic injuries and more deaths. This is good news for consumers, according to Duke law professor Nita Farahany.
Tesla had a rough year with back-to-back recalls that affected 30,000 Model X cars due to the potential for the airbag system deploying incorrectly and taillight issues on combined Model 3 and Model Y cars, increasing the risk of collisions.
Other car manufacturers issued recalls consistently throughout the year. It was an especially bad year for food. Everything from beef to cookie dough, baby formula (scarce as it is, to begin with), to faulty fitness equipment.
Water beads caused severe injury and death in babies and children. Water beads are used in gardens mostly, but in recent times, parents of autistic children have bought water beads to help their children with sensory issues.
In one case, a baby swallowed a water bead that her older brother dropped on the floor. The bead swelled in the baby's intestines, creating a maelstrom of violent organ chain reactions rendering the baby with a traumatic brain injury after fighting for her life.
Target recently stopped carrying the brand in the spotlight that rendered the most damage, but other brands are still on the shelves. | 
