ESL Podcast 445 - Problems with Drugs and Medical Devices

drug - medicine; a chemical substance that is swallowed to make a sick or injured person feel better or to make one healthier

Are you taking any drugs to lower your blood pressure?

medical device - a piece of electronics or other equipment that helps one's body perform better, usually because one's body can no longer do something

Some people have pacemakers, which are medical devices that help the heart beat regularly.

to recall (something) - for a company to officially say that one of its products is dangerous and should no longer be sold, and to take back those products from people who have already bought them, usually giving them a replacement product or returning their money

If we buy a used heater, we need to call the manufacturer to make sure that it hasn't been recalled.

medicine - drug; a chemical substance that is swallowed to make a sick or injured person feel better or to make one healthier

Which medicine do you use to treat your allergies?

contaminated - with an impurity; with something that is dirty, full of germs, or poisonous; not pure or clean

The river is contaminated with chemical waste from the factories.

one in a million - very rare, unusual, or uncommon

Your chances of being struck by lightning are about one in a million, so stop worrying about it!

side effect - an unintended consequence of doing something, especially of taking a medicine; something unexpected that happens as a result of doing something else

The doctor warned me that the side effects of taking this medicine might include headaches, nausea, and dizziness.

birth defect - something that is wrong with a baby when he or she is born, often caused by a genetic problem or by the mother's health while she was pregnant

Ramon's daughter has a birth defect and cannot hear.

defective - not working correctly; with a problem

Max bought a new camera, but it was defective, so he had to take it back to the store and get a new one.

alert - notification; warning; an important message, usually about a problem

The television program was interrupted by an alert about a dangerous storm that was coming to the area.

to warn (someone) - to tell someone about something bad or dangerous that will or might happen

I warned you that there would be a lot of traffic, but you didn't listen to me.

over-the-counter - sold in a store without a prescription (written permission from a doctor)

He usually takes an over-the-counter medicine for his headaches, but this one is really bad so he's going to ask his doctor for something stronger.

pharmaceutical - related to making and selling medicines

The pharmaceutical company is trying to find a cure for AIDS.

litigation - legal action; lawsuits; the process of deciding in a court whether someone has done something against the law

A few years ago, there was a lot of litigation between tobacco companies and people with lung cancer.

to check (something) against (something) - to look for something on a list

Please check the names of the participants against this list to see how many people didn't come today.