Thomson West reports consumers are worried about public safety

EAGAN, Minn., Dec. 18, 2007 - Consumers' worries over product safety are growing, according to an analysis by legal information services provider Thomson West. And consumers are increasingly expressing those concerns in the form of lawsuits. Thomson West is part of The Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC).

Following recent publicity surrounding recalls of consumer products, including children's toys containing lead paint; beef and other foods contaminated with E. coli bacteria; and children's cold medicine with improper dosage markings, Americans are increasingly concerned about product safety.

In a survey of 1,000 American adults, with results accurate to plus-or-minus three percent, Thomson West research found:

• 61% of Americans are worried or very worried about product safety
• 55% of Americans say they are more worried today about product safety than they were a year ago
• 73% of Americans have owned a recalled product:
  • Automobiles - 42%
  • Food - 27%
  • Toys - 15%
  • Home appliances - 9%
  • Infant products - 9%
  • Medicine - 7%
• What did you do with the recalled product(s)?
  • Returned the product to the manufacturer or store for repair, replacement or refund - 65%
  • Discarded the product - 35%
  • Kept the product and continued using it - 8%
  • Kept the product but stopped using it - 5%

Meanwhile, Thomson West research shows that product liability lawsuits filed in federal courts have been rising steadily, more than doubling in the last five years. Cases filed reached a new high in 2006 with 28,274 cases filed in federal courts. Pharmaceutical companies accounted for nearly half (47 percent) of product liability lawsuits filed against businesses in federal courts since 2002, followed by industrial manufacturing (14.5 percent), healthcare (5 percent), chemicals (5 percent), construction (4 percent), and retail (4 percent).

Michael Brown, former executive director of the Consumer Product Safety Commission and currently a principal at Brown & Gidding, P.C., believes heightened consumer concerns about product safety may be a result of greater consumer awareness, rather than a greater number of unsafe products. "We generally have safer consumer products than we did twenty years ago," said Brown. "But thanks to the Internet and other forms of communications, we have greater awareness among consumers when safety violations occur."

Brown, however, has concerns about the increasing globalization of product manufacturing and the ability of government and corporations to monitor product safety. "The Consumer Product Safety Commission is woefully depleted, and needs additional staff and training to address these concerns," says Brown. "At the same time, many of the large multinational companies who have been involved in these high-profile product recalls had safety standards and policies in place, but assumed that suppliers and contract manufacturers halfway around the globe had the same understanding to adhere to those standards in order to ensure safe products."

• 61% of Americans are worried or very worried about product safety
• 55% of Americans say they are more worried today about product safety than a year ago
• 73% of Americans have owned at least one recalled product

• Very Worried 23%
• Somewhat Worried 37%
• Not Too Worried 32%
• Not Worried at All 7%

• More Concerned 55%
• Less Concerned 4%
• About the Same 41%

• Medicine 64%
• Food 61%
• Toys 53%
• Infant Products 49%
• Automobiles 48%
• Consumer Products in General 45%
• Home Appliances 31%

• Yes 73%
• No 27%

• Automobiles 42%
• Food 27%
• Toys 15%
• Home Appliances 9%
• Infant Products 9%
• Medicine 7%
• Pet Food 2%
• Other 2%

• Returned for Repair, Replacement or Refund 65%
• Discarded 35%
• Continued to Use 8%
• Kept Product But Stopped Using It 5%

One thousand American adults were randomly surveyed. The survey participants were demographically balanced, and survey results are accurate plus-or-minus three percent. The survey was conducted for Thomson West by Ipsos, a major international polling organization.

A video news release discussing the survey results is available at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrBI5fZXhGs

A podcast discussion with Michael Brown is available at: http://feeds.feedburner.com/Westcast

Additional information on product recalls can be found at:

Consumer Product Safety Commission www.cpsc.gov

Food & Drug Administration www.fda.gov

FindLaw Product Recall Center www.findlaw.com

Headquartered in Eagan, Minn., Thomson West is the foremost provider of integrated information solutions to the U.S. legal market. Thomson West is a business within The Thomson Corporation (NYSE: TOC; TSX: TOC) and was formed when West Publishing and Thomson Legal Publishing merged in June 1996. For more information, please visit the Thomson West website at west.thomson.com.