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Friday, December 31, 2004
Gauging Disaster: How Scientists and Victims Watched Helplessly
The old Chinese saying of "Water Can Float & Sail A Ship, It Also Can Capsize A Ship".
On the issue of the oversight. It is shown in the Chinese History back to believe to be 200 B.C., the forecastor are watching the Astro Stars formations at night & also observe the behavour of animals, dogs, Cat, Flogs, Fish, Tortoise even meditation to formulate the pre-warning system.
I can recall that 15 days before the Bay Bridge incident in Oct 1989, I have the experience of the sensing for those 15 days prior to the even.
The other incident was the mid year 1986 the Penang Jetty incident. I have the similar experience just 18 hours before the Jetty collaped.
With the advance in Satellite & Computing & Internet Technology, the recent event is certainly can be avoided. Perhaps we shall employ those historical methode in devine the pre-warning systems so that to compliment the advance technology systems.
How Scientists and Victims Watched Helplessly
By ANDREW C. REVKIN
It was 7 p.m. Seattle time on Dec. 25 when Vasily V. Titov raced to his office, sat down at his computer and prepared to simulate an earthquake and tsunami that was already sweeping across the Indian Ocean.
He started from a blank screen and with the muted hope that just maybe he could warn officials across the globe about the magnitude of what was unfolding. But the obstacles were numerous.
Two hours had already passed since the quake, and there was no established model of what a tsunami might do in the Indian Ocean. Ninety percent of tsunamis occur in the Pacific, and that was where most research had been done.
Dr. Titov, a mathematician who works for a government marine laboratory, began to assemble his digital tools on his computer's hard drive: a three-dimensional map of the Indian Ocean seafloor and the seismic data showing the force, breadth and direction of the earthquake's punch to the sea.
As he set to work, Sumatra's shores were already a soup of human flotsam. Thailand to the east was awash. The pulse of energy transferred from seabed to water, traveling at jetliner speed, was already most of the way across the Bay of Bengal and approaching unsuspecting villagers and tourists, fishermen and bathers, from the eight-foot-high coral strands of the Maldives to the teeming shores of Sri Lanka and eastern India.
In the end, Dr. Titov could not get ahead of that wave with his numbers. He could not help avert the wreckage and death. But alone in his office, following his computer model of the real tsunami, he began to understand, as few others in the world did at that moment, that this was no local disaster.
With an eerie time lag, his data would reveal the dimensions of the catastrophe that was unfolding across eight brutal hours on Sunday, one that stole tens of thousands of lives and remade the coasts of the Asian subcontinent.
For those on the shores of the affected countries, the reckoning with the tsunami's power came all but out of the blue, and cost them their lives. It began near a corner of the island of Sumatra, and ended 3,000 miles away on the East African shore.
For the scientists in Hawaii, at the planet's main tsunami center, who managed to send out one of the rare formal warnings, there was intense frustration. They had useful information; they were trained to get word out; but they were stymied by limitations, including a lack of telephone numbers for counterparts in other countries.
For Colleen McGinn, a disaster relief worker in Melbourne, Australia, the developing crisis would send her off on an aid mission that she could not have comprehended and that United Nations officials have projected to be the greatest relief effort ever mounted.
For others like Phil Cummins, an Australian seismologist, what was happening made all too much sense. He had grasped the dangers a year earlier, and in 2004 had delivered a Powerpoint presentation to tsunami experts in Japan and Hawaii.
"It really seems strange now to see the title," Dr. Cummins recalled yesterday. "Tsunami in the Indian Ocean - Why should we care?"
Hawaii: Helpless Warners
He wore two beepers, in case one failed. Both chirped.
It was a languorous Christmas afternoon, with his girlfriend away and nothing to do, and Barry Hirshorn, 48, was asleep. As a geophysicist, he was used to having his rest interrupted. Almost daily, earthquakes announced themselves somewhere, usually modest nuisances, and off went his pagers.
It was just after 3 p.m. in Honolulu, nearly halfway around the globe from where the earth was trembling. Mr. Hirshorn worked at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, a stubby cinderblock structure set in a weedy plain in Ewa Beach. He was one of five staff scientists entrusted with the big task of alerting Pacific countries and the United States military to deadly tsunamis.
"I knew it wasn't tiny," he said. "Probably over a 6." The messages on his beepers indicated alerts from two far-apart seismic monitoring stations, meaning the quake had power.
Shrugging into a shirt, he hopped onto his "duty bike," and pedaled the several hundred yards to the center, operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Stuart Weinstein, 43, was already at a terminal in the windowless operations room, staring at the thick blue seismic lines that signaled an "event." "This is a big earthquake," he recalled thinking. "Maybe a 7."
Dr. Weinstein began pinpointing the location. Sliding into the seat beside him, Mr. Hirshorn waited to calculate the magnitude. Within minutes, they concluded it was a quake of 8.0 magnitude.
More data arrived, and they reworked their calculations. But they stayed with 8.0.
At 3:14 p.m., 15 minutes after the earthquake struck, they issued a routine bulletin announcing an event off Sumatra with a magnitude of 8.0. It added, "There is no tsunami warning or watch in effect." This referred to the Pacific.
The bulletin alerted perhaps 26 countries, including Indonesia and Thailand, though it did not go to other coastal areas of the Indian Ocean, for they were not part of any warning system.
Next, the men tackled a slower but more precise means to measure an earthquake, using waves that pierce the earth's mantle rather than simply the initial waves. They got an 8.5, a marked difference in possible threat. "Uh oh," Dr. Weinstein said. Read More....
The New York Times > International > International Special > Gauging Disaster: How Scientists and Victims Watched Helplessly
On the issue of the oversight. It is shown in the Chinese History back to believe to be 200 B.C., the forecastor are watching the Astro Stars formations at night & also observe the behavour of animals, dogs, Cat, Flogs, Fish, Tortoise even meditation to formulate the pre-warning system.
I can recall that 15 days before the Bay Bridge incident in Oct 1989, I have the experience of the sensing for those 15 days prior to the even.
The other incident was the mid year 1986 the Penang Jetty incident. I have the similar experience just 18 hours before the Jetty collaped.
With the advance in Satellite & Computing & Internet Technology, the recent event is certainly can be avoided. Perhaps we shall employ those historical methode in devine the pre-warning systems so that to compliment the advance technology systems.
How Scientists and Victims Watched Helplessly
By ANDREW C. REVKIN
It was 7 p.m. Seattle time on Dec. 25 when Vasily V. Titov raced to his office, sat down at his computer and prepared to simulate an earthquake and tsunami that was already sweeping across the Indian Ocean.
He started from a blank screen and with the muted hope that just maybe he could warn officials across the globe about the magnitude of what was unfolding. But the obstacles were numerous.
Two hours had already passed since the quake, and there was no established model of what a tsunami might do in the Indian Ocean. Ninety percent of tsunamis occur in the Pacific, and that was where most research had been done.
Dr. Titov, a mathematician who works for a government marine laboratory, began to assemble his digital tools on his computer's hard drive: a three-dimensional map of the Indian Ocean seafloor and the seismic data showing the force, breadth and direction of the earthquake's punch to the sea.
As he set to work, Sumatra's shores were already a soup of human flotsam. Thailand to the east was awash. The pulse of energy transferred from seabed to water, traveling at jetliner speed, was already most of the way across the Bay of Bengal and approaching unsuspecting villagers and tourists, fishermen and bathers, from the eight-foot-high coral strands of the Maldives to the teeming shores of Sri Lanka and eastern India.
In the end, Dr. Titov could not get ahead of that wave with his numbers. He could not help avert the wreckage and death. But alone in his office, following his computer model of the real tsunami, he began to understand, as few others in the world did at that moment, that this was no local disaster.
With an eerie time lag, his data would reveal the dimensions of the catastrophe that was unfolding across eight brutal hours on Sunday, one that stole tens of thousands of lives and remade the coasts of the Asian subcontinent.
For those on the shores of the affected countries, the reckoning with the tsunami's power came all but out of the blue, and cost them their lives. It began near a corner of the island of Sumatra, and ended 3,000 miles away on the East African shore.
For the scientists in Hawaii, at the planet's main tsunami center, who managed to send out one of the rare formal warnings, there was intense frustration. They had useful information; they were trained to get word out; but they were stymied by limitations, including a lack of telephone numbers for counterparts in other countries.
For Colleen McGinn, a disaster relief worker in Melbourne, Australia, the developing crisis would send her off on an aid mission that she could not have comprehended and that United Nations officials have projected to be the greatest relief effort ever mounted.
For others like Phil Cummins, an Australian seismologist, what was happening made all too much sense. He had grasped the dangers a year earlier, and in 2004 had delivered a Powerpoint presentation to tsunami experts in Japan and Hawaii.
"It really seems strange now to see the title," Dr. Cummins recalled yesterday. "Tsunami in the Indian Ocean - Why should we care?"
Hawaii: Helpless Warners
He wore two beepers, in case one failed. Both chirped.
It was a languorous Christmas afternoon, with his girlfriend away and nothing to do, and Barry Hirshorn, 48, was asleep. As a geophysicist, he was used to having his rest interrupted. Almost daily, earthquakes announced themselves somewhere, usually modest nuisances, and off went his pagers.
It was just after 3 p.m. in Honolulu, nearly halfway around the globe from where the earth was trembling. Mr. Hirshorn worked at the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, a stubby cinderblock structure set in a weedy plain in Ewa Beach. He was one of five staff scientists entrusted with the big task of alerting Pacific countries and the United States military to deadly tsunamis.
"I knew it wasn't tiny," he said. "Probably over a 6." The messages on his beepers indicated alerts from two far-apart seismic monitoring stations, meaning the quake had power.
Shrugging into a shirt, he hopped onto his "duty bike," and pedaled the several hundred yards to the center, operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Stuart Weinstein, 43, was already at a terminal in the windowless operations room, staring at the thick blue seismic lines that signaled an "event." "This is a big earthquake," he recalled thinking. "Maybe a 7."
Dr. Weinstein began pinpointing the location. Sliding into the seat beside him, Mr. Hirshorn waited to calculate the magnitude. Within minutes, they concluded it was a quake of 8.0 magnitude.
More data arrived, and they reworked their calculations. But they stayed with 8.0.
At 3:14 p.m., 15 minutes after the earthquake struck, they issued a routine bulletin announcing an event off Sumatra with a magnitude of 8.0. It added, "There is no tsunami warning or watch in effect." This referred to the Pacific.
The bulletin alerted perhaps 26 countries, including Indonesia and Thailand, though it did not go to other coastal areas of the Indian Ocean, for they were not part of any warning system.
Next, the men tackled a slower but more precise means to measure an earthquake, using waves that pierce the earth's mantle rather than simply the initial waves. They got an 8.5, a marked difference in possible threat. "Uh oh," Dr. Weinstein said. Read More....
The New York Times > International > International Special > Gauging Disaster: How Scientists and Victims Watched Helplessly
From All Corners, a Rush to Get Clean Drinking Water to Survivors in Stricken Areas
The important of safe drinking water cannot be felt till situation like these. While in America, although we are not affected by these, but the heart pains is felt.
Maintening the safety of Drinking water cannot be overlook even during the normal days of life.
From All Corners, a Rush to Get Clean Drinking Water to Survivors in Stricken Areas
By DENISE GRADY and LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN
Tanker trucks, bottled water, pumps, disinfecting kits and clean jugs are being rushed to regions struck by the tsunami in hopes of providing what survivors most urgently need: safe drinking water.
Severe shortages exist in all the affected regions, but reports from health officials suggest that the situation may be the most dire in Indonesia and the Maldives.
"Nobody was prepared for a disaster of this magnitude," said Vanessa Tobin, chief of water and sanitation for Unicef.
She said millions of water-purification tablets were being sent to the affected countries.
Unicef already had large storage tanks for water in India and has moved some of them to affected areas in the south and east, said a Unicef spokesman, Alfred Ironside. The tanks can be set up in communities and then refilled by tanker trucks, he said. Families are then given clean jerry cans to carry their own supplies.
"In the early days, a family may have to walk a mile or two inland to where water systems were not affected by flood waters," Mr. Ironside said. "The jerry cans are good for that." But he added that the system was in place mainly in India and in Sri Lanka, not in Indonesia, the scene of much of the worst devastation.
Conditions vary, he said. In parts of Indonesia, for instance, the floodwaters surged as far as two miles inland. In Sri Lanka, the waves came inland between a few hundred yards and half a mile or so.
"Not much further inland, everything is functioning," he said. That means clean water is available nearby, but must be transported to the people who need it.
"A lot of homegrown solutions are happening," Mr. Ironside said. "Private donors of all kinds are driving in with bottled water, especially in Sri Lanka and India."
A team from an independent disaster-aid group, Medair, is expected to arrive today in the Ampara district in eastern Sri Lanka, across the island from the capital city, Colombo, said Robert Schofield, a spokesman for the group. The team was bringing medical supplies, chemicals for water purification, a doctor and a water and sanitation engineer.
"Around Ampara is one of the worst-affected areas," Mr. Schofield said in a telephone interview from the group's headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. He added that 177,000 people, displaced by destruction along the coast, had fled about 12 miles inland and set up camps around Ampara, because it is the largest town in the vicinity. Medair reports that 120 camps have cropped up; the World Health Organization estimates the number at 500.
"We hope also to be able to chlorinate wells that have been contaminated," Mr. Schofield said.
One problem in Sri Lanka is that many wells - 1,000, according to Unicef - have been contaminated by salt water, which must be pumped out to let fresh water in.
"We're bringing in pumps to clean out the wells," Mr. Ironside said. He said that the government in Sri Lanka had requested several dozen pumps and that Unicef was shipping the dozen or so it already had on hand.
Mr. Schofield said Medair hoped to drill new wells, with a new technique that uses tubing and a high-pressure jet of water as the drill bit, to penetrate about 20 feet into the earth to find clean water. The technique works only in soft or sandy soil, not rock, and has worked well in Madagascar and Darfur.
"We hope we can hit a part of the water table that hasn't been affected by salt water," he said.
Contaminated water or sea water can be used for the drilling, and the same tubing that pumped it in can then be used to pump out the clean water.
"It's a simple technology," Mr. Schofield said. "It requires just simple tubes and a generator."
Portable desalting machines may also be used where salt water has contaminated wells, Mr. Ironside said. The machines are small enough to fit in the cargo holds of an airplane and to be transported by truck. The Maldives may need them most, he said.
"I think they have the most difficulty with fresh water sources to begin with," Mr. Ironside said. "They're small islands, in these atolls, and the wells are not so replenishable if they get salt water in them.
"The information is still somewhat anecdotal, but it appears that on 17 or 18 islands in the Maldives, there is literally no water at all. They are having to bring it in by ship." Read More...
The New York Times > International > International Special > From All Corners, a Rush to Get Clean Drinking Water to Survivors in Stricken Areas
Maintening the safety of Drinking water cannot be overlook even during the normal days of life.
From All Corners, a Rush to Get Clean Drinking Water to Survivors in Stricken Areas
By DENISE GRADY and LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN
Tanker trucks, bottled water, pumps, disinfecting kits and clean jugs are being rushed to regions struck by the tsunami in hopes of providing what survivors most urgently need: safe drinking water.
Severe shortages exist in all the affected regions, but reports from health officials suggest that the situation may be the most dire in Indonesia and the Maldives.
"Nobody was prepared for a disaster of this magnitude," said Vanessa Tobin, chief of water and sanitation for Unicef.
She said millions of water-purification tablets were being sent to the affected countries.
Unicef already had large storage tanks for water in India and has moved some of them to affected areas in the south and east, said a Unicef spokesman, Alfred Ironside. The tanks can be set up in communities and then refilled by tanker trucks, he said. Families are then given clean jerry cans to carry their own supplies.
"In the early days, a family may have to walk a mile or two inland to where water systems were not affected by flood waters," Mr. Ironside said. "The jerry cans are good for that." But he added that the system was in place mainly in India and in Sri Lanka, not in Indonesia, the scene of much of the worst devastation.
Conditions vary, he said. In parts of Indonesia, for instance, the floodwaters surged as far as two miles inland. In Sri Lanka, the waves came inland between a few hundred yards and half a mile or so.
"Not much further inland, everything is functioning," he said. That means clean water is available nearby, but must be transported to the people who need it.
"A lot of homegrown solutions are happening," Mr. Ironside said. "Private donors of all kinds are driving in with bottled water, especially in Sri Lanka and India."
A team from an independent disaster-aid group, Medair, is expected to arrive today in the Ampara district in eastern Sri Lanka, across the island from the capital city, Colombo, said Robert Schofield, a spokesman for the group. The team was bringing medical supplies, chemicals for water purification, a doctor and a water and sanitation engineer.
"Around Ampara is one of the worst-affected areas," Mr. Schofield said in a telephone interview from the group's headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland. He added that 177,000 people, displaced by destruction along the coast, had fled about 12 miles inland and set up camps around Ampara, because it is the largest town in the vicinity. Medair reports that 120 camps have cropped up; the World Health Organization estimates the number at 500.
"We hope also to be able to chlorinate wells that have been contaminated," Mr. Schofield said.
One problem in Sri Lanka is that many wells - 1,000, according to Unicef - have been contaminated by salt water, which must be pumped out to let fresh water in.
"We're bringing in pumps to clean out the wells," Mr. Ironside said. He said that the government in Sri Lanka had requested several dozen pumps and that Unicef was shipping the dozen or so it already had on hand.
Mr. Schofield said Medair hoped to drill new wells, with a new technique that uses tubing and a high-pressure jet of water as the drill bit, to penetrate about 20 feet into the earth to find clean water. The technique works only in soft or sandy soil, not rock, and has worked well in Madagascar and Darfur.
"We hope we can hit a part of the water table that hasn't been affected by salt water," he said.
Contaminated water or sea water can be used for the drilling, and the same tubing that pumped it in can then be used to pump out the clean water.
"It's a simple technology," Mr. Schofield said. "It requires just simple tubes and a generator."
Portable desalting machines may also be used where salt water has contaminated wells, Mr. Ironside said. The machines are small enough to fit in the cargo holds of an airplane and to be transported by truck. The Maldives may need them most, he said.
"I think they have the most difficulty with fresh water sources to begin with," Mr. Ironside said. "They're small islands, in these atolls, and the wells are not so replenishable if they get salt water in them.
"The information is still somewhat anecdotal, but it appears that on 17 or 18 islands in the Maldives, there is literally no water at all. They are having to bring it in by ship." Read More...
The New York Times > International > International Special > From All Corners, a Rush to Get Clean Drinking Water to Survivors in Stricken Areas
Thursday, December 30, 2004
Health: Water Is Key to Averting Epidemics Along Coasts
Witnessing the after effects of Tsunami. People should be more comprehensive to the importance of Water & health. We are fortunate that we are not affected.
But this incident should call for the review of the forecast of the pre-warning & the supply of safe drinking water after the incident as well.
Water Is Key to Averting Epidemics Along Coasts
By LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN and DENISE GRADY
Tens of thousands of tsunami survivors are at risk from diseases spread by dirty water, mosquitoes and crowding, and the best medicine is large quantities of clean water, officials of the World Health Organization said yesterday.
While no epidemics have been confirmed in the vast coastal areas devastated by the tsunamis on Sunday, the officials said they were most worried about diarrheal diseases - cholera, typhoid fever and shigellosis - as well as liver diseases like hepatitis A and E. Those diseases are caused by bacteria or viruses in contaminated drinking water or food, in sewage and among people who lack clean water to wash their hands.
Health organizations like the W.H.O. and Unicef recommend that each person be given about five gallons of clean water a day. Dr. David Nabarro, the director of crisis operations for the W.H.O., said in a telephone interview from its headquarters in Geneva that water shortages had already occurred in the Maldives and Sri Lanka, and that tanker trucks would be needed to provide clean water.
In addition, water-purifying tablets are being rushed into the affected countries, along with medicines to treat the dehydration that can result from diarrhea.
Another hazard to drinking water is contamination of wells by salt water from the tsunamis. Martin Dawes, a regional spokesman for Unicef in Colombo, Sri Lanka, estimated that 1,000 drinking-water wells in the country's hard-hit eastern region had been contaminated and would have to be pumped out.
"At the moment," he said, "the water people don't have the right kind of pumps to rescue the wells." He added that his agency was seeking pumps or money to buy them.
Mr. Dawes said Unicef had also bought about 20 million gallons of drinking water in 1,500-gallon barrels, enough for 100,000 people, and was expecting them to be delivered to the affected areas on Thursday.
Dr. Nabarro also said there had been unconfirmed reports of measles in Sri Lanka. "That does give me cause for concern, because we would have expected a pretty high level of coverage by immunization in Sri Lanka," he said. The disease is caused by a virus that spreads through the air when patients cough, particularly in overcrowded conditions like shelters set up for people whose homes were destroyed.
Although influenza can also spread rapidly in such conditions, the areas hit by the tsunamis have not reported flu outbreaks, and are unlikely to experience them, officials said.
Among the diarrheal diseases, cholera, typhoid and shigellosis are caused by bacteria. In cholera, the bacterium produces a toxin that causes severe fluid loss and can kill quickly, and the key to treating it is to replace fluids. Typhoid can also be fatal and requires antibiotic treatment. Shigellosis causes severe dysentery but usually goes away in about a week.
Dr. Nabarro said relief workers would provide antibiotics to treat these infections, but he said the health organization recommended against using the drugs prophylactically, to prevent illness. Widespread use of the drugs in healthy people would contribute to the emergence of bacteria resistant to antibiotics. Read More....
The New York Times > International > International Special > Health: Water Is Key to Averting Epidemics Along Coasts
But this incident should call for the review of the forecast of the pre-warning & the supply of safe drinking water after the incident as well.
Water Is Key to Averting Epidemics Along Coasts
By LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN and DENISE GRADY
Tens of thousands of tsunami survivors are at risk from diseases spread by dirty water, mosquitoes and crowding, and the best medicine is large quantities of clean water, officials of the World Health Organization said yesterday.
While no epidemics have been confirmed in the vast coastal areas devastated by the tsunamis on Sunday, the officials said they were most worried about diarrheal diseases - cholera, typhoid fever and shigellosis - as well as liver diseases like hepatitis A and E. Those diseases are caused by bacteria or viruses in contaminated drinking water or food, in sewage and among people who lack clean water to wash their hands.
Health organizations like the W.H.O. and Unicef recommend that each person be given about five gallons of clean water a day. Dr. David Nabarro, the director of crisis operations for the W.H.O., said in a telephone interview from its headquarters in Geneva that water shortages had already occurred in the Maldives and Sri Lanka, and that tanker trucks would be needed to provide clean water.
In addition, water-purifying tablets are being rushed into the affected countries, along with medicines to treat the dehydration that can result from diarrhea.
Another hazard to drinking water is contamination of wells by salt water from the tsunamis. Martin Dawes, a regional spokesman for Unicef in Colombo, Sri Lanka, estimated that 1,000 drinking-water wells in the country's hard-hit eastern region had been contaminated and would have to be pumped out.
"At the moment," he said, "the water people don't have the right kind of pumps to rescue the wells." He added that his agency was seeking pumps or money to buy them.
Mr. Dawes said Unicef had also bought about 20 million gallons of drinking water in 1,500-gallon barrels, enough for 100,000 people, and was expecting them to be delivered to the affected areas on Thursday.
Dr. Nabarro also said there had been unconfirmed reports of measles in Sri Lanka. "That does give me cause for concern, because we would have expected a pretty high level of coverage by immunization in Sri Lanka," he said. The disease is caused by a virus that spreads through the air when patients cough, particularly in overcrowded conditions like shelters set up for people whose homes were destroyed.
Although influenza can also spread rapidly in such conditions, the areas hit by the tsunamis have not reported flu outbreaks, and are unlikely to experience them, officials said.
Among the diarrheal diseases, cholera, typhoid and shigellosis are caused by bacteria. In cholera, the bacterium produces a toxin that causes severe fluid loss and can kill quickly, and the key to treating it is to replace fluids. Typhoid can also be fatal and requires antibiotic treatment. Shigellosis causes severe dysentery but usually goes away in about a week.
Dr. Nabarro said relief workers would provide antibiotics to treat these infections, but he said the health organization recommended against using the drugs prophylactically, to prevent illness. Widespread use of the drugs in healthy people would contribute to the emergence of bacteria resistant to antibiotics. Read More....
The New York Times > International > International Special > Health: Water Is Key to Averting Epidemics Along Coasts
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Three Michigan dairy farms dump waste in water, EPA says
I am sure if one see the problem of contaminations, one must understand that is not due to the over night, it is always due to the acunulated effect for generation.
The escalations of pollutions & contaminations on earth is mainly due to the industrializations. As well as the demand for the beef ..consumptions.
All waste that contaminate our environment must be check constantly. Especially for the drinking water standard must be maintain at high standard for our safety & great health.
Three Michigan dairy farms dump waste in water, EPA says
December 28, 2004, 12:02 AM
ELKTON, Mich. (AP) -- Three Michigan dairy farms, two in Huron County near the tip of the Thumb, have been cited by the Environmental Protection Agency on accusations of violating federal water quality laws by dumping animal waste in waterways.
The EPA says it found the violations during November inspections.
Zwemmer Dairy, with 2,400 cattle in Elkton, and TeVoortwis Dairy, with 1,250 cattle in Bad Axe, were cited in Huron County, EPA spokeswoman Phillippa Cannon told the Huron Daily Tribune of Bad Axe for a story Monday.
"The dairy operations, both classified as concentrated animal feeding operations, have to correct violations of the Clean Water Act by improving their facilities and management practices," Cannon said. "We have the option to fine them, but the first priority is to just get them into compliance, and it appears that both farms are doing so."
Zwemmer Dairy owner Jake Zwemmer has made some improvements since the inspection. He said it would cost about $10,000 to contain pollutants at his farm and keep them from entering the Pinnebog River. The newspaper said it was unable to reach TeVoortwis Dairy for comment.
The EPA said it also cited a farm in St. Louis in Gratiot County in the central LOwer Peninsula, as well as 13 farms in Indiana and Ohio in order to prevent them from allowing discharge from their farms into streams and creeks.
All 16 farms cited by the EPA were built by Vreba-Hoff Dairy Development of Wauseon, Ohio.
Ann Woiwode, director of the Sierra Club in Michigan, has said that concentrated animal feeding operations pose a serious threat to human health and the environment.
According to the official documents from the EPA, the citations report that both the TeVoortwis and Zwemmer dairy farms "have discharged or have the potential to discharge pollutants to ditches that drain to the Pinnebog River, which empties into Lake Huron."
"Manure and silage leachate are problems because they contain bacteria and nutrients that can lead to excessive algae growth, kill fish and cause infectious diseases in people," Cannon said. Read More....
Three Michigan dairy farms dump waste in water, EPA says
The escalations of pollutions & contaminations on earth is mainly due to the industrializations. As well as the demand for the beef ..consumptions.
All waste that contaminate our environment must be check constantly. Especially for the drinking water standard must be maintain at high standard for our safety & great health.
Three Michigan dairy farms dump waste in water, EPA says
December 28, 2004, 12:02 AM
ELKTON, Mich. (AP) -- Three Michigan dairy farms, two in Huron County near the tip of the Thumb, have been cited by the Environmental Protection Agency on accusations of violating federal water quality laws by dumping animal waste in waterways.
The EPA says it found the violations during November inspections.
Zwemmer Dairy, with 2,400 cattle in Elkton, and TeVoortwis Dairy, with 1,250 cattle in Bad Axe, were cited in Huron County, EPA spokeswoman Phillippa Cannon told the Huron Daily Tribune of Bad Axe for a story Monday.
"The dairy operations, both classified as concentrated animal feeding operations, have to correct violations of the Clean Water Act by improving their facilities and management practices," Cannon said. "We have the option to fine them, but the first priority is to just get them into compliance, and it appears that both farms are doing so."
Zwemmer Dairy owner Jake Zwemmer has made some improvements since the inspection. He said it would cost about $10,000 to contain pollutants at his farm and keep them from entering the Pinnebog River. The newspaper said it was unable to reach TeVoortwis Dairy for comment.
The EPA said it also cited a farm in St. Louis in Gratiot County in the central LOwer Peninsula, as well as 13 farms in Indiana and Ohio in order to prevent them from allowing discharge from their farms into streams and creeks.
All 16 farms cited by the EPA were built by Vreba-Hoff Dairy Development of Wauseon, Ohio.
Ann Woiwode, director of the Sierra Club in Michigan, has said that concentrated animal feeding operations pose a serious threat to human health and the environment.
According to the official documents from the EPA, the citations report that both the TeVoortwis and Zwemmer dairy farms "have discharged or have the potential to discharge pollutants to ditches that drain to the Pinnebog River, which empties into Lake Huron."
"Manure and silage leachate are problems because they contain bacteria and nutrients that can lead to excessive algae growth, kill fish and cause infectious diseases in people," Cannon said. Read More....
Three Michigan dairy farms dump waste in water, EPA says
Boil your water, supplier advises
My late mom teach us that water must be boil before you drink. Then later, I have research into the effect of "Chi" & our body. It is said that the inner temperature of our body is normally higher than external.
Just like the earth surface is alway cooler than the centre of the inner earth. So, you see if the temperature of inner temperature is having conflict with the cold water that one consumed, then that would cause illness by the "Cold & Hot Chi".
In my opinion, the best thing to do to prevent illness is to boil water before drink & only drink warm water.
Boil your water, supplier advises
'Precaution' affects about 30,000 Salinas customers
By ZACHARY STAHL The Salinas Californian
SAFETY TIPS
The California Water Service Co. warns all customers in the area north of West Market Street, south of Augusta Drive (by the Salinas Golf and Country Club), and west of Hemingway Drive (by Everett Alvarez High School) to disinfect any tap water used for drinking or cooking until water quality tests are completed on Wednesday.
TO ASSURE DISINFECTED WATER:
# Bring tap water to a rolling boil for at least one minute.
# Residents who don't have power available to boil water should use fresh liquid household bleach (unscented). Add 8 drops (or / teaspoon) of bleach per gallon of clear water, or 16 drops (Þ teaspoon) per gallon of cloudy water, mix thoroughly, and allow to stand for 30 minutes before using. A chlorine-like taste and odor will result from this procedure, and is an indication that adequate disinfection has taken place.
# Water purification tablets may also be used by following the manufacturer's instructions.
# Customers who choose to buy bottled water during the period the advisory is in force may save their receipts and will be reimbursed by California Water Service Co.
# INFORMATION: 757-3644 or visit www.calwater.com for updates.
California Water Service Co. on Monday advised all customers in central and north Salinas to boil their water before use until water quality tests are completed Wednesday.
The order affects approximately 30,000 customers in the area north of West Market Street, south of Augusta Drive (by the Salinas Golf and Country Club) and west of Hemingway Drive (by Everett Alvarez High School).
Morning power outages in Salinas caused the water system's pressure to drop, and the company won't know whether water quality was affected until tests are completed.
Results are expected to be available by Wednesday, the company said.
Until the results are in, the company recommends that all tap water used for drinking or cooking be brought to a rolling boil for at least one minute before use or purified with chlorine bleach.
"It's just precautionary," Mike Jones, district manager for California Water Service said of the order.
Tap water is still safe for showering and other non-consumption purposes, Jones said.
He said restaurants and doctors' offices were given formal notification of the "boil water order," while households were informed through the media.
Outback Steakhouse at 1401 N. Davis Road boiled all water used in cooking and bought ice to use in beverages, said manager Carlos Morlet.
"I basically (had) to buy water," Morlet said.
California Water Service will reimburse customers for bottled water purchases during the advisory if they keep their receipts.
Ken Koontz, general manager of Hometown Buffet at 840 Northridge Shopping Center, said his restaurant stopped serving water and fountain soda Monday afternoon as a precaution.
"Basically, all we have is milk and coffee," Koontz said. Read More...
Boil your water, supplier advises - Local News - thecalifornian.com
Just like the earth surface is alway cooler than the centre of the inner earth. So, you see if the temperature of inner temperature is having conflict with the cold water that one consumed, then that would cause illness by the "Cold & Hot Chi".
In my opinion, the best thing to do to prevent illness is to boil water before drink & only drink warm water.
Boil your water, supplier advises
'Precaution' affects about 30,000 Salinas customers
By ZACHARY STAHL The Salinas Californian
SAFETY TIPS
The California Water Service Co. warns all customers in the area north of West Market Street, south of Augusta Drive (by the Salinas Golf and Country Club), and west of Hemingway Drive (by Everett Alvarez High School) to disinfect any tap water used for drinking or cooking until water quality tests are completed on Wednesday.
TO ASSURE DISINFECTED WATER:
# Bring tap water to a rolling boil for at least one minute.
# Residents who don't have power available to boil water should use fresh liquid household bleach (unscented). Add 8 drops (or / teaspoon) of bleach per gallon of clear water, or 16 drops (Þ teaspoon) per gallon of cloudy water, mix thoroughly, and allow to stand for 30 minutes before using. A chlorine-like taste and odor will result from this procedure, and is an indication that adequate disinfection has taken place.
# Water purification tablets may also be used by following the manufacturer's instructions.
# Customers who choose to buy bottled water during the period the advisory is in force may save their receipts and will be reimbursed by California Water Service Co.
# INFORMATION: 757-3644 or visit www.calwater.com for updates.
California Water Service Co. on Monday advised all customers in central and north Salinas to boil their water before use until water quality tests are completed Wednesday.
The order affects approximately 30,000 customers in the area north of West Market Street, south of Augusta Drive (by the Salinas Golf and Country Club) and west of Hemingway Drive (by Everett Alvarez High School).
Morning power outages in Salinas caused the water system's pressure to drop, and the company won't know whether water quality was affected until tests are completed.
Results are expected to be available by Wednesday, the company said.
Until the results are in, the company recommends that all tap water used for drinking or cooking be brought to a rolling boil for at least one minute before use or purified with chlorine bleach.
"It's just precautionary," Mike Jones, district manager for California Water Service said of the order.
Tap water is still safe for showering and other non-consumption purposes, Jones said.
He said restaurants and doctors' offices were given formal notification of the "boil water order," while households were informed through the media.
Outback Steakhouse at 1401 N. Davis Road boiled all water used in cooking and bought ice to use in beverages, said manager Carlos Morlet.
"I basically (had) to buy water," Morlet said.
California Water Service will reimburse customers for bottled water purchases during the advisory if they keep their receipts.
Ken Koontz, general manager of Hometown Buffet at 840 Northridge Shopping Center, said his restaurant stopped serving water and fountain soda Monday afternoon as a precaution.
"Basically, all we have is milk and coffee," Koontz said. Read More...
Boil your water, supplier advises - Local News - thecalifornian.com
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
Melatonin - Study Casts Doubt On Its Effectiveness
My late Mom is fortunate to lear from her dad about the use of herbs for great health. I begin to research into the self help with herbs for great health when I am 32.
I have post my comments on the subject matter in my other sites
foodforgreathealth.blogspot.com
drinksforgreathealth.blogspot.com
in respect of the food & drinks that do & don't.
here, I would like to share that the best thing to do is during 8 glass of Water a day, drink filtered water - warm not cold water to prevent the conflict of "Chi"
An hour before goes to bed you should stop drinking too much water.
Study Casts Doubt On Its Effectiveness
Remember back in the late 1990s, all the publicity about this new "wonder drug" called melatonin? It all started with the book "The Melatonin Miracle" by William Regelson, MD, and Walter Pierpaoli, MD.
At that time the claims were for everything from age reduction to increasing sexual prowess. It was said to be a sure cure for anything sleep related.
The truth? first, melatonin isn't a drug at all. It's a naturally occurring hormone produced by the pineal gland, a gland situated somewhere near the center of the brain. It does, to some extent, control our sleep patterns and there is a theory that it is related to anti-aging. Maybe because we age less if we're getting the proper rest. Sexual prowess? Very doubtful, unless it prevents us from dropping off to sleep at the wrong moment.
Melatonin can be purchased as a food supplement, and there is some evidence that it does help with certain sleep problems. However, according to a study test conducted by a University of Alberta research group, melatonin may not be as effective as once thought.
It may help people with primary sleep problems fall asleep a bit easier. This would include some types of insomnia. However, for secondary sleep disorders - those linked to underlying mental problems including psychoses, dementia, Parkinson's disease, etc., melatonin is of little or no help. Melatonin seemed to have little effect on those suffering from jet lag or on shift workers who had trouble sleeping.
Dr. Terry Klassen, who headed up the research group, said that further study would be needed to determine the effectiveness and safety of melatonin. Little is known about long serm side effects. However, he suggested, it might be more worthwhile to keep looking for other alternatives to treat sleep disorders. Read More...
Melatonin - Printer Friendly
I have post my comments on the subject matter in my other sites
foodforgreathealth.blogspot.com
drinksforgreathealth.blogspot.com
in respect of the food & drinks that do & don't.
here, I would like to share that the best thing to do is during 8 glass of Water a day, drink filtered water - warm not cold water to prevent the conflict of "Chi"
An hour before goes to bed you should stop drinking too much water.
Study Casts Doubt On Its Effectiveness
Remember back in the late 1990s, all the publicity about this new "wonder drug" called melatonin? It all started with the book "The Melatonin Miracle" by William Regelson, MD, and Walter Pierpaoli, MD.
At that time the claims were for everything from age reduction to increasing sexual prowess. It was said to be a sure cure for anything sleep related.
The truth? first, melatonin isn't a drug at all. It's a naturally occurring hormone produced by the pineal gland, a gland situated somewhere near the center of the brain. It does, to some extent, control our sleep patterns and there is a theory that it is related to anti-aging. Maybe because we age less if we're getting the proper rest. Sexual prowess? Very doubtful, unless it prevents us from dropping off to sleep at the wrong moment.
Melatonin can be purchased as a food supplement, and there is some evidence that it does help with certain sleep problems. However, according to a study test conducted by a University of Alberta research group, melatonin may not be as effective as once thought.
It may help people with primary sleep problems fall asleep a bit easier. This would include some types of insomnia. However, for secondary sleep disorders - those linked to underlying mental problems including psychoses, dementia, Parkinson's disease, etc., melatonin is of little or no help. Melatonin seemed to have little effect on those suffering from jet lag or on shift workers who had trouble sleeping.
Dr. Terry Klassen, who headed up the research group, said that further study would be needed to determine the effectiveness and safety of melatonin. Little is known about long serm side effects. However, he suggested, it might be more worthwhile to keep looking for other alternatives to treat sleep disorders. Read More...
Melatonin - Printer Friendly
Monday, December 27, 2004
Canadian mining company finds way to reduce arsenic waste
Although the news is about contamination of Arsenic in Canada. I still like to share these with all that concern. California especially the north have been populated with goldmines.
perhaps the cities water district should constanly monitoring those ex-site on the level of contamination, & make sure that it is safe for the resident's on their drinking water on arsenic & other contaminations.
Canadian mining company finds way to reduce arsenic waste
Last Updated Fri, 24 Dec 2004 13:05:07 EST
RED LAKE, ONT. - A Canadian mining company has developed a simple technique to prevent poisonous arsenic waste produced by gold mining from entering drinking water.
To produce gold, rock must be mined and chemically refined, a process that often leaves a toxic stew full of arsenic in tailing ponds.
Each bar of gold boullion is worth about $2.5 million US
The arsenic can devastate virtually everything living in waterways near the mines and contaminate the source of drinking water.
Now Canadian mining company Goldcorp has pioneered a new way to handle and reduce the arsenic in tailing ponds.
The simple process takes places in a bio-reactor facility at Red Lake, about 150 kilometres from Kenora in northern Ontario.
Millions of bacteria feed on molasses, become energized, and give off a gas which binds to the arsenic in the contaminated water. The arsenic then separates out.
"It was just simply an idea," said Randy Wepruk, an environmental manager at Goldcorp. "Taking the idea out of the lab and putting it into an industrial-size application ... that was the challenge."
Randy Wepruk
The process doesn't solve the larger arsenic problem in mining since it doesn't eliminate arsenic altogether. Still, it is a step in the right direction, according to one environmentalist.
"There's a real problem with arsenic in the water effluents," said Joan Kuyek of Mining Watch Canada. "So we can treat small amounts of those and probably more in the future." Read More...
CBC News - CBC News: Canadian mining company finds way to reduce arsenic waste
perhaps the cities water district should constanly monitoring those ex-site on the level of contamination, & make sure that it is safe for the resident's on their drinking water on arsenic & other contaminations.
Canadian mining company finds way to reduce arsenic waste
Last Updated Fri, 24 Dec 2004 13:05:07 EST
RED LAKE, ONT. - A Canadian mining company has developed a simple technique to prevent poisonous arsenic waste produced by gold mining from entering drinking water.
To produce gold, rock must be mined and chemically refined, a process that often leaves a toxic stew full of arsenic in tailing ponds.
Each bar of gold boullion is worth about $2.5 million US
The arsenic can devastate virtually everything living in waterways near the mines and contaminate the source of drinking water.
Now Canadian mining company Goldcorp has pioneered a new way to handle and reduce the arsenic in tailing ponds.
The simple process takes places in a bio-reactor facility at Red Lake, about 150 kilometres from Kenora in northern Ontario.
Millions of bacteria feed on molasses, become energized, and give off a gas which binds to the arsenic in the contaminated water. The arsenic then separates out.
"It was just simply an idea," said Randy Wepruk, an environmental manager at Goldcorp. "Taking the idea out of the lab and putting it into an industrial-size application ... that was the challenge."
Randy Wepruk
The process doesn't solve the larger arsenic problem in mining since it doesn't eliminate arsenic altogether. Still, it is a step in the right direction, according to one environmentalist.
"There's a real problem with arsenic in the water effluents," said Joan Kuyek of Mining Watch Canada. "So we can treat small amounts of those and probably more in the future." Read More...
CBC News - CBC News: Canadian mining company finds way to reduce arsenic waste
Polluted water, rotting bodies raise health fears
I was raised in Asia. I have experience those malaria & cholera in the late 50's & the 60's. I also witness many kids at my age have developed skin problem after that.
Then the health authority always use the DDT to spray on the drain & rivers, there is not any water filter system available then. Hence theose baby bloomers like me are the 1st line of experiencing the Drinking Water pollutions.
I am glad that, today there is so many organizations can be available to help in view of recent event. I am sure such kind of collabrations is a significant contributions to the suffering people.
Polluted water, rotting bodies raise health fears
The UN warned of epidemics within days unless health systems in southern Asia can cope after more than 14 000 people were killed and hundreds of thousands left homeless by a tsunami.
"This may be the worst national disaster in recent history because it is affecting so many heavily populated coastal areas ... so many vulnerable communities," the UN's Emergency Relief Co-ordinator Jan Egeland said.
"The longer term effects may be as devastating as the tsunami itself ... Many more people are now affected by polluted drinking water. We could have epidemics within a few days unless we get health systems up and running."
Experts said the top five issues to be addressed were water, sanitation, food, shelter and health.
"We've had reports already from the south of India of bodies rotting where they have fallen and that will immediately affect the water supply especially for the most impoverished people," said Christian Aid emergency officer Dominic Nutt.
Some affected areas have had communications cut. Others are so remote it is impossible to know the extent of the damage.
The Geneva-based International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it was seeking an immediate $6.5 million for emergency aid funding.
"This is a preliminary appeal. It will be revised after exact needs are evaluated," said Simon Missiri, head of the federation's Asia Pacific department.
Earlier, the federation released $870 000 from its disaster relief emergency fund to get assistance moving to the region. read More...
Cape Argus - Polluted water, rotting bodies raise health fears
Then the health authority always use the DDT to spray on the drain & rivers, there is not any water filter system available then. Hence theose baby bloomers like me are the 1st line of experiencing the Drinking Water pollutions.
I am glad that, today there is so many organizations can be available to help in view of recent event. I am sure such kind of collabrations is a significant contributions to the suffering people.
Polluted water, rotting bodies raise health fears
The UN warned of epidemics within days unless health systems in southern Asia can cope after more than 14 000 people were killed and hundreds of thousands left homeless by a tsunami.
"This may be the worst national disaster in recent history because it is affecting so many heavily populated coastal areas ... so many vulnerable communities," the UN's Emergency Relief Co-ordinator Jan Egeland said.
"The longer term effects may be as devastating as the tsunami itself ... Many more people are now affected by polluted drinking water. We could have epidemics within a few days unless we get health systems up and running."
Experts said the top five issues to be addressed were water, sanitation, food, shelter and health.
"We've had reports already from the south of India of bodies rotting where they have fallen and that will immediately affect the water supply especially for the most impoverished people," said Christian Aid emergency officer Dominic Nutt.
Some affected areas have had communications cut. Others are so remote it is impossible to know the extent of the damage.
The Geneva-based International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said it was seeking an immediate $6.5 million for emergency aid funding.
"This is a preliminary appeal. It will be revised after exact needs are evaluated," said Simon Missiri, head of the federation's Asia Pacific department.
Earlier, the federation released $870 000 from its disaster relief emergency fund to get assistance moving to the region. read More...
Cape Argus - Polluted water, rotting bodies raise health fears
Diet Soda Could Soon Outsell Regular
During my childhood, I am always looking forward to season's holidays, especially New Year days. Where there would be Soda, Cola..serve to the friends. Off course we would drinks as well.
then my late mom always, stop us from drinking these bottled drinks. she said these high sugar or artificial sugar contents & gassy drinks is not good for one health.
Throughout years of research & now at 50, I found that her advise is out of love for her kids. You see there are so many Diabetics, pains...for the baby bloomer & X generations today. I urge you to Drink more filtered water instead for your great health.
Diet Soda Could Soon Outsell Regular
Tue Dec 21,10:40 PM ET
By J.M. HIRSCH, Associated Press Writer
Still think the cola wars are about Coke vs. Pepsi? These days the carbonated beverage battleground is diet vs. regular, and it's looking increasingly as though the lightweight could flatten its full-calorie cousin.
Though the highly competitive $64 billion soft drink industry still is dominated by regular soda, sales of diet are surging and some industry analysts say low-cal eventually could take the lead.
That's because while regular soda sales have sagged, diet's share of the market has grown steadily since the mid-1990s. Bottled water, tea, sports and fruits drinks also are up, further siphoning regular soda sales.
In an obese nation obsessed with calories and carbs, it probably shouldn't come as a surprise that people are switching to diet, and beverage companies are rushing to give them more choices.
In many ways the soft drink industry is better prepared than most others to capitalize on America's perpetual diet.
"There's no such thing as a no-calorie hamburger. There's no such thing as a no-calorie doughnut," said John Sicher, editor of Beverage Digest. "But the soft drink industry already has these huge powerful brands" of diet drinks.
Last year, regular soda accounted for nearly 73 percent of sales, but that was down nearly 2 percent from the year before, Sicher said. Meanwhile, diet was up more than 6 percent from 2002.
Sicher thinks that trend will continue and even accelerate enough that in a decade diet could outsell regular. He also thinks diet sales will spur overall growth in the soda industry, which slumped at less than 1 percent last year.
In fact, John Craven, editor of online beverage industry newsletter Bevnet.com, says soft drink consumption was down nearly 3 percent last year. If not for the growth in diet soda, that would have been closer to 10 percent.
Coca-Cola Co. spokesman Scott Williamson said Sicher makes sense assuming sales trends continue as they have. And last week Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc., the world's largest bottler, told analysts that the diet category is one of the company's best chances for growth.
So what's behind diet's strong performance?
Calorie consciousness is a huge — and obvious — part of it. Prompted by a growing awareness of their growing waistlines, more people want low- and no-calorie soft drinks, said Sicher, who has followed the industry for 10 years.
That awareness also extends to retailers, who hope to attract dieters' business by giving more — and more prominent — space to low-cal beverages, said Dan Dillon, vice president of marketing for Coke's diet sodas.
Innovation has helped, too. Soda companies are churning out a stunning variety of new diet flavors. PepsiCo Inc. alone offers nearly a dozen low-calorie sodas, which account for more than a quarter of the company's business.
New sweeteners also have broadened the appeal — and definition — of diet sodas. Coke and Pepsi now offer soft drinks with a blend of sugar and no-calorie sweetener, claiming the taste is similar to regular but with half the calories.
Growth and greater appeal or not, not everyone is convinced diets will surpass regular. Harry Balzer of consumer research firm NPD Group says the numbers simply don't support that sort of abrupt turnaround.
Craven was uncertain, but noted that, "At the end of the day, the recession (of regular soda) can only go so far."
But even if the growth of diet soda doesn't go as far as Sicher predicts, at the moment it's the only segment of the soda industry that is growing, and that has forced companies to rethink how they handle it.
At Coke, Dillon says it has meant treating the diet varieties as separate entities. Gone is the model of diet beverages as knockoffs of regular flavors. Care for a Diet Coke with Lime? That's fine, but don't look for a regular version.
And consumers can expect plenty of new choices in the coming year, including the arrival of more reduced-calorie sugar-sweetener blend beverages, such as Coke's C2 and Pepsi Edge, Craven said.
For nutritionists, who continue to issue dire warnings about the obesity epidemic, a diet soda surge is good news. Though the soda industry discounts the link, a growing body of studies suggests soft drinks promote weight gain.
Last year, Americans drank 837 servings of soda, up from 645 in 1985, Sicher said. And those drinks account for 7 percent of their daily calories, said Barry Popkin, a nutrition professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
What difference can diet make? Terrill Bravender, director of adolescent medicine at Duke University Medical Center, says a person who drinks two regular sodas a day could lose about a pound of fat in two weeks just by switching to diet.
The shift to diet is being felt across the industry, including by the many small regional soda companies. But even those that don't offer diet varieties expect to benefit from the segment's growth. Read More....
Yahoo! News - Diet Soda Could Soon Outsell Regular
then my late mom always, stop us from drinking these bottled drinks. she said these high sugar or artificial sugar contents & gassy drinks is not good for one health.
Throughout years of research & now at 50, I found that her advise is out of love for her kids. You see there are so many Diabetics, pains...for the baby bloomer & X generations today. I urge you to Drink more filtered water instead for your great health.
Diet Soda Could Soon Outsell Regular
Tue Dec 21,10:40 PM ET
By J.M. HIRSCH, Associated Press Writer
Still think the cola wars are about Coke vs. Pepsi? These days the carbonated beverage battleground is diet vs. regular, and it's looking increasingly as though the lightweight could flatten its full-calorie cousin.
Though the highly competitive $64 billion soft drink industry still is dominated by regular soda, sales of diet are surging and some industry analysts say low-cal eventually could take the lead.
That's because while regular soda sales have sagged, diet's share of the market has grown steadily since the mid-1990s. Bottled water, tea, sports and fruits drinks also are up, further siphoning regular soda sales.
In an obese nation obsessed with calories and carbs, it probably shouldn't come as a surprise that people are switching to diet, and beverage companies are rushing to give them more choices.
In many ways the soft drink industry is better prepared than most others to capitalize on America's perpetual diet.
"There's no such thing as a no-calorie hamburger. There's no such thing as a no-calorie doughnut," said John Sicher, editor of Beverage Digest. "But the soft drink industry already has these huge powerful brands" of diet drinks.
Last year, regular soda accounted for nearly 73 percent of sales, but that was down nearly 2 percent from the year before, Sicher said. Meanwhile, diet was up more than 6 percent from 2002.
Sicher thinks that trend will continue and even accelerate enough that in a decade diet could outsell regular. He also thinks diet sales will spur overall growth in the soda industry, which slumped at less than 1 percent last year.
In fact, John Craven, editor of online beverage industry newsletter Bevnet.com, says soft drink consumption was down nearly 3 percent last year. If not for the growth in diet soda, that would have been closer to 10 percent.
Coca-Cola Co. spokesman Scott Williamson said Sicher makes sense assuming sales trends continue as they have. And last week Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc., the world's largest bottler, told analysts that the diet category is one of the company's best chances for growth.
So what's behind diet's strong performance?
Calorie consciousness is a huge — and obvious — part of it. Prompted by a growing awareness of their growing waistlines, more people want low- and no-calorie soft drinks, said Sicher, who has followed the industry for 10 years.
That awareness also extends to retailers, who hope to attract dieters' business by giving more — and more prominent — space to low-cal beverages, said Dan Dillon, vice president of marketing for Coke's diet sodas.
Innovation has helped, too. Soda companies are churning out a stunning variety of new diet flavors. PepsiCo Inc. alone offers nearly a dozen low-calorie sodas, which account for more than a quarter of the company's business.
New sweeteners also have broadened the appeal — and definition — of diet sodas. Coke and Pepsi now offer soft drinks with a blend of sugar and no-calorie sweetener, claiming the taste is similar to regular but with half the calories.
Growth and greater appeal or not, not everyone is convinced diets will surpass regular. Harry Balzer of consumer research firm NPD Group says the numbers simply don't support that sort of abrupt turnaround.
Craven was uncertain, but noted that, "At the end of the day, the recession (of regular soda) can only go so far."
But even if the growth of diet soda doesn't go as far as Sicher predicts, at the moment it's the only segment of the soda industry that is growing, and that has forced companies to rethink how they handle it.
At Coke, Dillon says it has meant treating the diet varieties as separate entities. Gone is the model of diet beverages as knockoffs of regular flavors. Care for a Diet Coke with Lime? That's fine, but don't look for a regular version.
And consumers can expect plenty of new choices in the coming year, including the arrival of more reduced-calorie sugar-sweetener blend beverages, such as Coke's C2 and Pepsi Edge, Craven said.
For nutritionists, who continue to issue dire warnings about the obesity epidemic, a diet soda surge is good news. Though the soda industry discounts the link, a growing body of studies suggests soft drinks promote weight gain.
Last year, Americans drank 837 servings of soda, up from 645 in 1985, Sicher said. And those drinks account for 7 percent of their daily calories, said Barry Popkin, a nutrition professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
What difference can diet make? Terrill Bravender, director of adolescent medicine at Duke University Medical Center, says a person who drinks two regular sodas a day could lose about a pound of fat in two weeks just by switching to diet.
The shift to diet is being felt across the industry, including by the many small regional soda companies. But even those that don't offer diet varieties expect to benefit from the segment's growth. Read More....
Yahoo! News - Diet Soda Could Soon Outsell Regular
Sunday, December 26, 2004
Holidays spark heartburn and heart attacks
The main cause of Heart Burn & heart attacks is due to one is not mindful of the Food & Drinks that we take.
From the day we are born, we are actually living toward death, those days that we stay in the mother womb, the waters & nutrient are filtered by the mother. therefore, the water & nutrients are the most pure one.
In both foodforgreathealth.blogspot.com & drinksforgreathealth.blogspot.com, I have cover the relationship between the stomach & heart on these subject.
My advise is that don't drink high sugar contain drinks & high sodium soup as well as Alcohols & Wine...
Here, I would like to call upon you to drink more filtered water for your great health.
Holidays spark heartburn and heart attacks
The Associated Press
For the tens of millions of heartburn sufferers, navigating the gluttonous dinner table during the holiday season can be especially tricky.
Heartburn tends to occur more frequently during the holidays because people feast more than they normally would. And the types of food they eat are decked with more calories and fat, which can slow digestion.
Take eggnog, the rich, creamy, liquor-laced drink that is often a staple at every family gathering and office party. Couple it with well-marbled meats, side dishes drizzling with rich sauces and lots of alcohol and you have the recipe for heartburn.
That doesn't mean you should swear off your favorite foods on Christmas Eve.
"You can make trade-offs that let you have the best of both worlds," said Pat Baird, a registered dietitian in Greenwich, Conn.
If you know ahead of time the party you're attending will feature heartburn-triggering foods, snack beforehand and graze at the party, but avoid the fat platters. If there is a dessert buffet, choose a sliver of something sweet instead of trying them all.
Alcohol tends to worsen heartburn, so if you must drink, think about diluting your wine or beer with water or club soda, Baird said.
More than 60 million American adults suffer from heartburn at least once a month. An irritating chest pain that starts at the breastbone and charges up the throat, heartburn can cause people to accidentally inhale regurgitated stomach acid.
Severe heartburn symptoms are sometimes confused with heart attacks, another holiday risk.
A study published in the journal Circulation earlier this month found that heart attacks and heart disease-related deaths tend to peak on Christmas, the day after, and New Year's Day. Researchers at the University of California at San Diego attributed the increase of cardiac deaths to people delaying medical treatment during the holidays.
People should make sure they know the difference between heartburn and heart attack symptoms and not automatically assume their chest pain is from overindulgence from food, said Dr. David Peura, chairman of the National Heartburn Alliance, who was not connected with the study.
Heartburn usually occurs after a meal. A heart attack is often activity-related. But if patients are unsure and their chest pain lasts for more than a few minutes, they should seek immediate medical attention.
The most common heartburn treatments are over-the-counter and prescription heartburn drugs. Pharmacies report a spike in the number of customers buying acid-blocking medications around the holidays, according to the National Community Pharmacists Association, which represents 25,000 independent pharmacies.
Brian Pinga, a 22-year-old student at the University of Buffalo, has been suffering frequent heartburn for two years. His normal diet is "bland" — meaning no spicy foods and little alcohol, coffee or chocolate.
But Pinga admits it is tough staying true to his diet over the holidays when he is surrounded by family and friends indulging in all sorts of sinful foods. Last New Year's Eve, Pinga got carried away, drank too much and felt a "stabbing" feeling in his chest from heartburn.
"What people do during the holidays is a perfect set-up to provoking heartburn," said Dr. Mel Wilcox, a spokesman for the American Gastroenterological Association. Read More...
USATODAY.com - Holidays spark heartburn and heart attacks
From the day we are born, we are actually living toward death, those days that we stay in the mother womb, the waters & nutrient are filtered by the mother. therefore, the water & nutrients are the most pure one.
In both foodforgreathealth.blogspot.com & drinksforgreathealth.blogspot.com, I have cover the relationship between the stomach & heart on these subject.
My advise is that don't drink high sugar contain drinks & high sodium soup as well as Alcohols & Wine...
Here, I would like to call upon you to drink more filtered water for your great health.
Holidays spark heartburn and heart attacks
The Associated Press
For the tens of millions of heartburn sufferers, navigating the gluttonous dinner table during the holiday season can be especially tricky.
Heartburn tends to occur more frequently during the holidays because people feast more than they normally would. And the types of food they eat are decked with more calories and fat, which can slow digestion.
Take eggnog, the rich, creamy, liquor-laced drink that is often a staple at every family gathering and office party. Couple it with well-marbled meats, side dishes drizzling with rich sauces and lots of alcohol and you have the recipe for heartburn.
That doesn't mean you should swear off your favorite foods on Christmas Eve.
"You can make trade-offs that let you have the best of both worlds," said Pat Baird, a registered dietitian in Greenwich, Conn.
If you know ahead of time the party you're attending will feature heartburn-triggering foods, snack beforehand and graze at the party, but avoid the fat platters. If there is a dessert buffet, choose a sliver of something sweet instead of trying them all.
Alcohol tends to worsen heartburn, so if you must drink, think about diluting your wine or beer with water or club soda, Baird said.
More than 60 million American adults suffer from heartburn at least once a month. An irritating chest pain that starts at the breastbone and charges up the throat, heartburn can cause people to accidentally inhale regurgitated stomach acid.
Severe heartburn symptoms are sometimes confused with heart attacks, another holiday risk.
A study published in the journal Circulation earlier this month found that heart attacks and heart disease-related deaths tend to peak on Christmas, the day after, and New Year's Day. Researchers at the University of California at San Diego attributed the increase of cardiac deaths to people delaying medical treatment during the holidays.
People should make sure they know the difference between heartburn and heart attack symptoms and not automatically assume their chest pain is from overindulgence from food, said Dr. David Peura, chairman of the National Heartburn Alliance, who was not connected with the study.
Heartburn usually occurs after a meal. A heart attack is often activity-related. But if patients are unsure and their chest pain lasts for more than a few minutes, they should seek immediate medical attention.
The most common heartburn treatments are over-the-counter and prescription heartburn drugs. Pharmacies report a spike in the number of customers buying acid-blocking medications around the holidays, according to the National Community Pharmacists Association, which represents 25,000 independent pharmacies.
Brian Pinga, a 22-year-old student at the University of Buffalo, has been suffering frequent heartburn for two years. His normal diet is "bland" — meaning no spicy foods and little alcohol, coffee or chocolate.
But Pinga admits it is tough staying true to his diet over the holidays when he is surrounded by family and friends indulging in all sorts of sinful foods. Last New Year's Eve, Pinga got carried away, drank too much and felt a "stabbing" feeling in his chest from heartburn.
"What people do during the holidays is a perfect set-up to provoking heartburn," said Dr. Mel Wilcox, a spokesman for the American Gastroenterological Association. Read More...
USATODAY.com - Holidays spark heartburn and heart attacks
Saturday, December 25, 2004
Hudson Valley News story
With the pollutions & contaminations on the air & earth, the sources of Drinking water shall be tested constantly to ensure that the safety standard is enforced.
Residential wells to be tested in Rockland County
Residential drinking wells will now have to be tested in Rockland County.
At recent legislative committee meetings, concerns were raised regarding the quality of water in the 6,000 to 8,000 private wells throughout the county and public awareness of the need to regularly test private wells.
“The purpose of this law is to protect public health and safety,” said the measure’s sponsor, county legislator Ellen Jaffee. “Well water is an extremely important, affordable and often preferred source of drinking water that needs to be better protected. As elected officials, we have the responsibility and mandate to make good policy to protect the health of children and families in our county. Protecting public health includes protecting its drinking water.”
Contamination of well water resulting from industrial activities, commercial activities, and pesticide application and other forms of groundwater contamination raises concerns that unsuspecting, innocent purchasers of residential homes and residents of rental apartments may be endangered unless a well water test is completed prior to acquisition of homes, on a regular and ongoing basis for rental properties and before new wells are used, Jaffee said.
Under the new law, when a sale contract is signed for any property served by a private water system within Rockland, the seller will be required to begin the process of testing the well water and obtain written certification from a New York State approved laboratory that their private water system, based on analysis of untreated or raw water, conforms to county water standards. Property sellers would be required to obtain a certified laboratory test of a wide range of contaminants, not just bacteria, and results shared by both parties. The property seller will be required to arrange for and pay the cost of this testing. Read More....
Hudson Valley News story
Residential wells to be tested in Rockland County
Residential drinking wells will now have to be tested in Rockland County.
At recent legislative committee meetings, concerns were raised regarding the quality of water in the 6,000 to 8,000 private wells throughout the county and public awareness of the need to regularly test private wells.
“The purpose of this law is to protect public health and safety,” said the measure’s sponsor, county legislator Ellen Jaffee. “Well water is an extremely important, affordable and often preferred source of drinking water that needs to be better protected. As elected officials, we have the responsibility and mandate to make good policy to protect the health of children and families in our county. Protecting public health includes protecting its drinking water.”
Contamination of well water resulting from industrial activities, commercial activities, and pesticide application and other forms of groundwater contamination raises concerns that unsuspecting, innocent purchasers of residential homes and residents of rental apartments may be endangered unless a well water test is completed prior to acquisition of homes, on a regular and ongoing basis for rental properties and before new wells are used, Jaffee said.
Under the new law, when a sale contract is signed for any property served by a private water system within Rockland, the seller will be required to begin the process of testing the well water and obtain written certification from a New York State approved laboratory that their private water system, based on analysis of untreated or raw water, conforms to county water standards. Property sellers would be required to obtain a certified laboratory test of a wide range of contaminants, not just bacteria, and results shared by both parties. The property seller will be required to arrange for and pay the cost of this testing. Read More....
Hudson Valley News story
Friday, December 24, 2004
State Partners with USDA for Republican River Water Savings
Converting Crop land to dry land may save the water usage. But is anyone looking into the issue of the dust & other pollutions that associate with the dry land applications?? I recommend that there always need to find a balnce , pollutions & contaminations are always co-exist.
State Partners with USDA for Republican River Water Savings
LINCOLN ---Irrigation farmers in 14 southwest Nebraska counties along the Republican River are being offered a one-time $100 per acre bonus payment to convert irrigated cropland to some other land use, according to state and federal officials here.
Steve Chick, NRCS State Conservationist, and Roger Patterson, Director of the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, are announcing one million dollars of state funds will be an added incentive to NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program funds to reduce irrigated cropland acres and water use.
Patterson said, �These funds are part of the action needed to reduce Nebraska�s water usage to comply with the Republican River Compact. We will add the incentive payment on up to 10,000 eligible acres.� Irrigated land within approximately two and one-half miles of the Republican River or its tributaries will be eligible.
Chick said, �These state funds will be committed with approved Environmental Quality Incentives Program applications now being accepted in local NRCS offices. An EQIP contract can pay between $50 and $100 per year for three years for irrigated land conversions.
In the EQIP program, converting from irrigated land to another land use has different amounts of payment. Converting irrigated land to dry land cropland has a $50 per acre payment; conversion to non-irrigated pasture and hay land has a $60 per acre payment; conversion to non-irrigated rangeland has $90 per acre payment; and conversion to non-irrigated wildlife habitat has a $100 per acre payment. The EQIP incentive payments are offered up to three years of a four year contract. The state payment is a one-time incentive payment of $100 per acre, no matter which option is selected.
The state incentive is offered only to producers who receive an approved EQIP contract on the qualifying acres. Eligible land must have been irrigated two of the previous five years. The maximum total area cannot exceed 160 acres. An entire field will generally rank higher in application scoring than partial fields. Irrigated land adjacent to a sprinkler system is not eligible unless the land under a sprinkler is also enrolled.
Contracts that convert land to dry land cropland can not be irrigated for the life of the contract. Contracts that convert land to grass cover must be maintained without irrigation for 10 years. Read More....
State Partners with USDA for Republican River Water Savings
State Partners with USDA for Republican River Water Savings
LINCOLN ---Irrigation farmers in 14 southwest Nebraska counties along the Republican River are being offered a one-time $100 per acre bonus payment to convert irrigated cropland to some other land use, according to state and federal officials here.
Steve Chick, NRCS State Conservationist, and Roger Patterson, Director of the Nebraska Department of Natural Resources, are announcing one million dollars of state funds will be an added incentive to NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program funds to reduce irrigated cropland acres and water use.
Patterson said, �These funds are part of the action needed to reduce Nebraska�s water usage to comply with the Republican River Compact. We will add the incentive payment on up to 10,000 eligible acres.� Irrigated land within approximately two and one-half miles of the Republican River or its tributaries will be eligible.
Chick said, �These state funds will be committed with approved Environmental Quality Incentives Program applications now being accepted in local NRCS offices. An EQIP contract can pay between $50 and $100 per year for three years for irrigated land conversions.
In the EQIP program, converting from irrigated land to another land use has different amounts of payment. Converting irrigated land to dry land cropland has a $50 per acre payment; conversion to non-irrigated pasture and hay land has a $60 per acre payment; conversion to non-irrigated rangeland has $90 per acre payment; and conversion to non-irrigated wildlife habitat has a $100 per acre payment. The EQIP incentive payments are offered up to three years of a four year contract. The state payment is a one-time incentive payment of $100 per acre, no matter which option is selected.
The state incentive is offered only to producers who receive an approved EQIP contract on the qualifying acres. Eligible land must have been irrigated two of the previous five years. The maximum total area cannot exceed 160 acres. An entire field will generally rank higher in application scoring than partial fields. Irrigated land adjacent to a sprinkler system is not eligible unless the land under a sprinkler is also enrolled.
Contracts that convert land to dry land cropland can not be irrigated for the life of the contract. Contracts that convert land to grass cover must be maintained without irrigation for 10 years. Read More....
State Partners with USDA for Republican River Water Savings
Sandia To Begin Testing Innovative Arsenic-removal Technologies In Socorro, N.M.
I am confident upon the completion of test & when it is commercialised, it shall bring significant benefits to mankind. I would provide more of my finding in the future article.
Sandia To Begin Testing Innovative Arsenic-removal Technologies In Socorro, N.M.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Over the next few weeks researchers at the National Nuclear Security Administration's Sandia National Laboratories will begin testing innovative ways to treat arsenic-contaminated water in an effort to reduce costs to municipalities of meeting the new arsenic standard issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The testing is sponsored by the Arsenic Water Technology Partnership (AWTP), a multiyear-program funded by a congressional appropriation through the U.S. Department of Energy.
"The goals of the program are to develop, demonstrate, and disseminate information about cost-effective water treatment technologies in order to help small communities in the Southwest and other parts of the country comply with the new EPA standard," says Malcolm Siegel, Sandia Arsenic Treatment Technology Demonstration Project Manager.
The tests will be conducted at a geothermal spring used to supply drinking water to Socorro, N.M., a town of about 9,000 residents located 80 miles south of Albuquerque. Installation of test equipment will be completed in December by Sandians Randy Everett and Brian Dwyer, and regular operations will begin before Christmas following a preliminary "shakedown" period. Another member of the team, Alicia Aragon, will present results of laboratory studies supporting the pilot tests at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Society in San Francisco next week.
AWTP members include Sandia, the Awwa Research Foundation (AwwaRF), and WERC, a Consortium for Environmental Education and Technology Development.
The Awwa Research Foundation is managing bench-scale research programs. Sandia will conduct the demonstration program, and WERC will evaluate the economic feasibility of the technologies investigated and conduct technology transfer activities.
Congressional support and design of the Arsenic Water Technology Partnership was developed under the leadership of U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., to help small communities comply with the new EPA drinking water standard for arsenic. The new regulation, which will go into effect in January 2006, reduces the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) from 50 micrograms per liter (�g/L) to 10 �g/L and is designed to reduce the incidence of bladder and lung cancers caused by exposure to arsenic.
Levels of naturally occurring arsenic in the Southwestern U.S. often exceed the new MCL. The new compliance requirements will impact small communities in the country that lack the appropriate treatment infrastructure and funding to reduce arsenic to such levels.
The pilot test in Socorro will compare five innovative technologies developed by universities, small businesses, and large well-established water treatment companies and should last about nine months. These treatment processes were chosen from more than 20 candidate technologies that were reviewed by teams of technical experts at Arsenic Treatment Technology Vendor Forums organized by Sandia and held at the 2003 and 2004 New Mexico Environmental Health Conferences.
Sandia is developing plans for future tests in rural and Native American communities in New Mexico and other parts of the country. These additional sites will be chosen through consultation with a number of agencies including the New Mexico Environment Department, the EPA, the Indian Health Service, the Navajo Nation EPA, and the Interstate Technology Regulatory Council. In addition, the AWTP will post a website application where interested communities can ask to be considered for a pilot. Read More....
Sandia To Begin Testing Innovative Arsenic-removal Technologies In Socorro, N.M.
Sandia To Begin Testing Innovative Arsenic-removal Technologies In Socorro, N.M.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - Over the next few weeks researchers at the National Nuclear Security Administration's Sandia National Laboratories will begin testing innovative ways to treat arsenic-contaminated water in an effort to reduce costs to municipalities of meeting the new arsenic standard issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
The testing is sponsored by the Arsenic Water Technology Partnership (AWTP), a multiyear-program funded by a congressional appropriation through the U.S. Department of Energy.
"The goals of the program are to develop, demonstrate, and disseminate information about cost-effective water treatment technologies in order to help small communities in the Southwest and other parts of the country comply with the new EPA standard," says Malcolm Siegel, Sandia Arsenic Treatment Technology Demonstration Project Manager.
The tests will be conducted at a geothermal spring used to supply drinking water to Socorro, N.M., a town of about 9,000 residents located 80 miles south of Albuquerque. Installation of test equipment will be completed in December by Sandians Randy Everett and Brian Dwyer, and regular operations will begin before Christmas following a preliminary "shakedown" period. Another member of the team, Alicia Aragon, will present results of laboratory studies supporting the pilot tests at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Society in San Francisco next week.
AWTP members include Sandia, the Awwa Research Foundation (AwwaRF), and WERC, a Consortium for Environmental Education and Technology Development.
The Awwa Research Foundation is managing bench-scale research programs. Sandia will conduct the demonstration program, and WERC will evaluate the economic feasibility of the technologies investigated and conduct technology transfer activities.
Congressional support and design of the Arsenic Water Technology Partnership was developed under the leadership of U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, R-N.M., to help small communities comply with the new EPA drinking water standard for arsenic. The new regulation, which will go into effect in January 2006, reduces the Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) from 50 micrograms per liter (�g/L) to 10 �g/L and is designed to reduce the incidence of bladder and lung cancers caused by exposure to arsenic.
Levels of naturally occurring arsenic in the Southwestern U.S. often exceed the new MCL. The new compliance requirements will impact small communities in the country that lack the appropriate treatment infrastructure and funding to reduce arsenic to such levels.
The pilot test in Socorro will compare five innovative technologies developed by universities, small businesses, and large well-established water treatment companies and should last about nine months. These treatment processes were chosen from more than 20 candidate technologies that were reviewed by teams of technical experts at Arsenic Treatment Technology Vendor Forums organized by Sandia and held at the 2003 and 2004 New Mexico Environmental Health Conferences.
Sandia is developing plans for future tests in rural and Native American communities in New Mexico and other parts of the country. These additional sites will be chosen through consultation with a number of agencies including the New Mexico Environment Department, the EPA, the Indian Health Service, the Navajo Nation EPA, and the Interstate Technology Regulatory Council. In addition, the AWTP will post a website application where interested communities can ask to be considered for a pilot. Read More....
Sandia To Begin Testing Innovative Arsenic-removal Technologies In Socorro, N.M.
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
Why heart attacks run in families: Genetics
My late Mom have heart attack at 45, my youngest sister have heart attack at 30. Yes, according to my research, heart disease have something to do with Genes or DNA.
Before Nano-Tech can found a solution to it, the best things to do is to prevent it from happening.
The Most important things is Drink 8 glasses of filters water a day atleast.
Why heart attacks run in families: Genetics
By Steve Sternberg, USA TODAY
For years, the Steffensen family of Buffalo Center, Iowa, blamed heaping helpings of what they call "good old Iowa farm cooking" for a more distressing family tradition: heart attacks.
Don Steffensen's heart nearly quit while he was duck hunting with friends when he was 62. When his doctors learned that he and eight of his 11 siblings had heart problems, they recruited the family for a landmark genetic analysis. Their two-year study shifted some of the blame for the family's misfortune from meat, potatoes and gravy to a faulty gene.
"They're hard-wired to have a heart attack," says Eric Topol of the Cleveland Clinic, who led the team that identified the abnormality.
The good news is that more healthful living can literally change a person's genetic destiny by staving off a gene's ill effects for years, maybe even decades.
"Everyone right now is pretty doggone glad we did it, I can tell you," Steffensen says of the family's participation in the research. "It enlightened us. It wasn't just the food."
The Cleveland Clinic study is just one of several worldwide devoted to teasing out why heart attacks run in families and how to prevent them. Geneticists at the Icelandic company deCode, for instance, have identified a different genetic cause of heart attacks that may be remedied with a drug now in human trials.
Unlike the Steffensen study, which aimed to identify a gene in one family that may be implicated in heart attacks in the general population, Icelandic researchers carried out a painstaking genetic analysis of a large population. They used hundreds of heart attack patients and family members in Iceland to look for any genes that might be related to heart attacks.
The analysis, made possible by the company's countrywide access to genetic information, identified the FLAP gene, which appears to double a person's heart disease risk.
"The genetic factors we're working on are dramatically different than the ones Eric Topol is working on," says deCode CEO Kari Stefansson. "We're working on heart attacks as a public health problem."
It would be a mistake to pin all the blame for heart disease on genetics, Topol cautions.
Unlike so-called single-gene disorders such as cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anemia, heart attacks result from a mix of genetic factors and behaviors. No medicine can counter the long-term cumulative effects of a sedentary lifestyle, smoking and a high-salt, high-fat diet. That's why doctors place so much emphasis on eliminating risk factors and controlling diabetes.
For the Steffensens and others like them, the benefit of knowing that they are vulnerable to heart attacks comes not from having a medicine that can lower their risk, but from a test result that permits them to be proactive and live a heart-healthy life.
"We might not be able to eliminate the risk, but we should be able to forestall it," Topol says. "We can change natural history."
For Steffensen's son, Mark, 38, who has a high-pressure job in New York's financial district and is the father of two young children, it's a comforting notion. He eats healthful food and exercises.
Knowing that his two children, Zoe, 4, and Ian, 1½, may share Dad's genetic susceptibility, Steffensen has all but eliminated visits to McDonald's —"Sure, we go once in a while. It's a treat for the kids" — and has begun to think about prevention.
"Will I have my kids tested?" he says. "The answer to that is yes."
Steffensens' genes studied
The Cleveland Clinic's foray into the heart disease genetics, a project called Gene Quest, began in the mid-'90s. Don Steffensen volunteered in 2002. During one of his routine visits for advanced cardiac care, his wife overheard doctors talking about their genetic research. "My wife said, 'You'd better talk to them about getting into this thing,' " Steffensen says. Read More...
USATODAY.com - Why heart attacks run in families: Genetics
Before Nano-Tech can found a solution to it, the best things to do is to prevent it from happening.
The Most important things is Drink 8 glasses of filters water a day atleast.
Why heart attacks run in families: Genetics
By Steve Sternberg, USA TODAY
For years, the Steffensen family of Buffalo Center, Iowa, blamed heaping helpings of what they call "good old Iowa farm cooking" for a more distressing family tradition: heart attacks.
Don Steffensen's heart nearly quit while he was duck hunting with friends when he was 62. When his doctors learned that he and eight of his 11 siblings had heart problems, they recruited the family for a landmark genetic analysis. Their two-year study shifted some of the blame for the family's misfortune from meat, potatoes and gravy to a faulty gene.
"They're hard-wired to have a heart attack," says Eric Topol of the Cleveland Clinic, who led the team that identified the abnormality.
The good news is that more healthful living can literally change a person's genetic destiny by staving off a gene's ill effects for years, maybe even decades.
"Everyone right now is pretty doggone glad we did it, I can tell you," Steffensen says of the family's participation in the research. "It enlightened us. It wasn't just the food."
The Cleveland Clinic study is just one of several worldwide devoted to teasing out why heart attacks run in families and how to prevent them. Geneticists at the Icelandic company deCode, for instance, have identified a different genetic cause of heart attacks that may be remedied with a drug now in human trials.
Unlike the Steffensen study, which aimed to identify a gene in one family that may be implicated in heart attacks in the general population, Icelandic researchers carried out a painstaking genetic analysis of a large population. They used hundreds of heart attack patients and family members in Iceland to look for any genes that might be related to heart attacks.
The analysis, made possible by the company's countrywide access to genetic information, identified the FLAP gene, which appears to double a person's heart disease risk.
"The genetic factors we're working on are dramatically different than the ones Eric Topol is working on," says deCode CEO Kari Stefansson. "We're working on heart attacks as a public health problem."
It would be a mistake to pin all the blame for heart disease on genetics, Topol cautions.
Unlike so-called single-gene disorders such as cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anemia, heart attacks result from a mix of genetic factors and behaviors. No medicine can counter the long-term cumulative effects of a sedentary lifestyle, smoking and a high-salt, high-fat diet. That's why doctors place so much emphasis on eliminating risk factors and controlling diabetes.
For the Steffensens and others like them, the benefit of knowing that they are vulnerable to heart attacks comes not from having a medicine that can lower their risk, but from a test result that permits them to be proactive and live a heart-healthy life.
"We might not be able to eliminate the risk, but we should be able to forestall it," Topol says. "We can change natural history."
For Steffensen's son, Mark, 38, who has a high-pressure job in New York's financial district and is the father of two young children, it's a comforting notion. He eats healthful food and exercises.
Knowing that his two children, Zoe, 4, and Ian, 1½, may share Dad's genetic susceptibility, Steffensen has all but eliminated visits to McDonald's —"Sure, we go once in a while. It's a treat for the kids" — and has begun to think about prevention.
"Will I have my kids tested?" he says. "The answer to that is yes."
Steffensens' genes studied
The Cleveland Clinic's foray into the heart disease genetics, a project called Gene Quest, began in the mid-'90s. Don Steffensen volunteered in 2002. During one of his routine visits for advanced cardiac care, his wife overheard doctors talking about their genetic research. "My wife said, 'You'd better talk to them about getting into this thing,' " Steffensen says. Read More...
USATODAY.com - Why heart attacks run in families: Genetics
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
Cities reach deal on drinking water
Cewrtainly this is a wise things to do between cities or peaceful solutions.
In Asia, Malaysia & Singapore frequently gone into problem on the Water supply issue, although it was 1st sealed by the British Government in 1960.
Since then very frequent the two nations have been going over & again on the water issues very frequently. There must be more hearts for their people from both national authority. Whatever their differences, their citizen suffers.
Cities reach deal on drinking water
S.F., Daly City will work together to store reserves.
By Ethan Fletcher | Staff Writer
Published on Monday, December 20, 2004
URL: http://www.examiner.com/article/index.cfm/i/122004n_water
DALY CITY -- The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission has entered into an agreement with Daly City to collect and store reserve groundwater to hedge against future possible droughts.
The SFPUC called the cooperative-use agreement for the Westside Groundwater Basin, which the Daly City council approved on Dec. 13, a landmark accord that marked the first time two users of the Hetch Hetchy water system joined in an effort to store groundwater.
"This historic agreement will help protect San Francisco and the Peninsula against future droughts and water-supply shortages," said Susan Leal, general manager of the SFPUC, in a prepared statement.
Under the agreement, Daly City would essentially have more of its water piped in from Hetch Hetchy in Yosemite during normal or wet years when surface water is plentiful. Normally, the city pumps most of its drinking water from the Westside Basin, a strategy northern Peninsula cities historically use to augment their Hetch Hetchy supply.
By relying more on Hetch Hetchy water, the Westside Basin would be able to naturally replenish its supply and be available during droughts or emergencies. Read more....
San Francisco Examiner: Cities reach deal on drinking water
In Asia, Malaysia & Singapore frequently gone into problem on the Water supply issue, although it was 1st sealed by the British Government in 1960.
Since then very frequent the two nations have been going over & again on the water issues very frequently. There must be more hearts for their people from both national authority. Whatever their differences, their citizen suffers.
Cities reach deal on drinking water
S.F., Daly City will work together to store reserves.
By Ethan Fletcher | Staff Writer
Published on Monday, December 20, 2004
URL: http://www.examiner.com/article/index.cfm/i/122004n_water
DALY CITY -- The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission has entered into an agreement with Daly City to collect and store reserve groundwater to hedge against future possible droughts.
The SFPUC called the cooperative-use agreement for the Westside Groundwater Basin, which the Daly City council approved on Dec. 13, a landmark accord that marked the first time two users of the Hetch Hetchy water system joined in an effort to store groundwater.
"This historic agreement will help protect San Francisco and the Peninsula against future droughts and water-supply shortages," said Susan Leal, general manager of the SFPUC, in a prepared statement.
Under the agreement, Daly City would essentially have more of its water piped in from Hetch Hetchy in Yosemite during normal or wet years when surface water is plentiful. Normally, the city pumps most of its drinking water from the Westside Basin, a strategy northern Peninsula cities historically use to augment their Hetch Hetchy supply.
By relying more on Hetch Hetchy water, the Westside Basin would be able to naturally replenish its supply and be available during droughts or emergencies. Read more....
San Francisco Examiner: Cities reach deal on drinking water
EPA OKs removal of Montana dam and toxic sediments it holds back
With the research finding shown that the water dam in fact have more negative factors for our environment & mother earth. There would be more & more dams & rivers would be restore to the original nature.
It is important that authority should cut down the time in making the decision, so that objectives & tax payor's money can be channel to the good use of clearing up contaminations.
EPA OKs removal of Montana dam and toxic sediments it holds back
By Bob Anez ASSOCIATED PRESS
1:18 p.m. December 20, 2004
HELENA, Mont. – The Environmental Protection Agency approved a plan Monday for removing the Milltown Dam in Montana and cleaning up mine tailings tainted with arsenic, copper, lead and zinc that have accumulated for decades behind the aging structure.
Issuing the record of decision for the project clears the way for construction of a bypass channel in the Clark Fork River to begin next year and removal of the dam itself in 2006. The EPA has estimated the work, including channel stabilization and revegetation, is expected to take six or seven years and cost about $106 million.
The dam, built in 1907 mostly out of timber and stone, sits at the confluence of the Blackfoot and Clark Fork rivers just upstream from Missoula, Montana's second largest city.
It holds back millions of cubic yards of contaminated sediment that washed down the Clark Fork River from decades of mining and smelting operations upstream in Butte and Anaconda.
City and county leaders in Missoula have supported removing the dam, saying they fear the structure is unsafe. They cite reports of large internal voids found between the bottom of the dam's concrete spillway and its earthen foundation.
The EPA's decision Monday authorizes a cleanup that calls for about 2.6 million cubic yards of the polluted sediment to be hauled away to a Superfund site in Anaconda for disposal.
Two months ago, NorthWestern Corp., whose subsidiary owns the dam after the purchase from the Montana Power Co., asked the federal government for permission to lower the water behind it by 10 feet this winter in preparation for the cleanup.
The cleanup will be paid for by NorthWestern and by Atlantic Richfield Co., which bought the mines and smelters upstream from the Anaconda Co. years ago.
In announcing its final decision, the EPA said the plan will provide environmental protection, restore the Milltown drinking water supply, alleviate concern about a possible dam failure and use existing waste management systems for disposal of the sediment. Read More....
SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Nation -- EPA OKs removal of Montana dam and toxic sediments it holds back
It is important that authority should cut down the time in making the decision, so that objectives & tax payor's money can be channel to the good use of clearing up contaminations.
EPA OKs removal of Montana dam and toxic sediments it holds back
By Bob Anez ASSOCIATED PRESS
1:18 p.m. December 20, 2004
HELENA, Mont. – The Environmental Protection Agency approved a plan Monday for removing the Milltown Dam in Montana and cleaning up mine tailings tainted with arsenic, copper, lead and zinc that have accumulated for decades behind the aging structure.
Issuing the record of decision for the project clears the way for construction of a bypass channel in the Clark Fork River to begin next year and removal of the dam itself in 2006. The EPA has estimated the work, including channel stabilization and revegetation, is expected to take six or seven years and cost about $106 million.
The dam, built in 1907 mostly out of timber and stone, sits at the confluence of the Blackfoot and Clark Fork rivers just upstream from Missoula, Montana's second largest city.
It holds back millions of cubic yards of contaminated sediment that washed down the Clark Fork River from decades of mining and smelting operations upstream in Butte and Anaconda.
City and county leaders in Missoula have supported removing the dam, saying they fear the structure is unsafe. They cite reports of large internal voids found between the bottom of the dam's concrete spillway and its earthen foundation.
The EPA's decision Monday authorizes a cleanup that calls for about 2.6 million cubic yards of the polluted sediment to be hauled away to a Superfund site in Anaconda for disposal.
Two months ago, NorthWestern Corp., whose subsidiary owns the dam after the purchase from the Montana Power Co., asked the federal government for permission to lower the water behind it by 10 feet this winter in preparation for the cleanup.
The cleanup will be paid for by NorthWestern and by Atlantic Richfield Co., which bought the mines and smelters upstream from the Anaconda Co. years ago.
In announcing its final decision, the EPA said the plan will provide environmental protection, restore the Milltown drinking water supply, alleviate concern about a possible dam failure and use existing waste management systems for disposal of the sediment. Read More....
SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Nation -- EPA OKs removal of Montana dam and toxic sediments it holds back
Male Fish Growing Eggs Found in Potomac
According to the Chinese legend (Journey To The West), somewhere in Yunan & Tibet border, there is a country primary populations are girls 99%, they conceived babies by drinking the water of their birth river.
With reference to the news reported last month, the colorado river have found that male fishs are growing eggs. Now is the Potomac river in West Virginia.
So this is alarming about the contaminations done to the Sex change, If these would happen to we human being , these is going to be having a big mess up about the ethics & culture of our civilizations.
Male Fish Growing Eggs Found in Potomac
Male Fish That Are Growing Eggs Found in the Potomac River, Suggesting Pollution Is Spreading
The Associated Press
Dec. 21, 2004 - Male fish that are growing eggs have been found in the Potomac River near Sharpsburg, a sign that a little-understood type of pollution is spreading downstream from West Virginia, a federal scientist says.
The so-called intersex abnormality may be caused by pollutants from sewage plants, feedlots and factories that can interfere with animals' hormone systems, The Washington Post reported Sunday.
Nine male smallmouth bass taken from the Potomac near Sharpsburg, about 60 miles upstream from Washington, were found to have developed eggs inside their sex organs, said Vicki S. Blazer, a scientist overseeing the research for the U.S. Geological Survey.
Authorities say the problems are likely related to a class of pollutants called endocrine disruptors, which short-circuit animals' natural systems of hormone chemical messages.
Officials are awaiting the results of water-quality testing that might point to a specific chemical behind the fish problems, Blazer said.
"It certainly indicates something's going on," Blazer said of the new findings in Maryland. "But what, we don't know."
The Potomac River is the main source of drinking water for the Washington metropolitan area and many upstream communities. It provides about 75 percent of the water supply to the 3.6 million residents of Washington and its Maryland and Virginia suburbs.
Blazer, who works at a federal fish lab in Leetown, W.Va., said she found the latest abnormalities last week while examining tissues from fish taken from the river near Sharpsburg.
The same symptoms had previously been found about 170 miles upstream, in the South Branch of the Potomac in Hardy County, W.Va. Blazer and other scientists discovered the problem there last year while investigating a rash of mass fish deaths.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service researchers are seeking money for a much larger study across the Potomac watershed.
Endocrine disruptors comprise a vast universe of pollutants capable of driving a hormone system haywire. Some are hormones themselves such as human estrogen from women taking birth-control pills or animal hormones washed downstream with manure that can pass through sewage plants untouched.
In Hardy County, officials were especially concerned about chicken waste from poultry farms.
Other endocrine disruptors are hormone "mimics" industrial chemicals or factory byproducts which confuse the body because they are chemically similar to natural hormones.
These pollutants are often found in very low concentrations, so until recently no equipment could detect them. But the first nationwide survey, in 1999 and 2000, found hormones in about 37 percent of streams tested. Read More.....
ABC News: Male Fish Growing Eggs Found in Potomac
With reference to the news reported last month, the colorado river have found that male fishs are growing eggs. Now is the Potomac river in West Virginia.
So this is alarming about the contaminations done to the Sex change, If these would happen to we human being , these is going to be having a big mess up about the ethics & culture of our civilizations.
Male Fish Growing Eggs Found in Potomac
Male Fish That Are Growing Eggs Found in the Potomac River, Suggesting Pollution Is Spreading
The Associated Press
Dec. 21, 2004 - Male fish that are growing eggs have been found in the Potomac River near Sharpsburg, a sign that a little-understood type of pollution is spreading downstream from West Virginia, a federal scientist says.
The so-called intersex abnormality may be caused by pollutants from sewage plants, feedlots and factories that can interfere with animals' hormone systems, The Washington Post reported Sunday.
Nine male smallmouth bass taken from the Potomac near Sharpsburg, about 60 miles upstream from Washington, were found to have developed eggs inside their sex organs, said Vicki S. Blazer, a scientist overseeing the research for the U.S. Geological Survey.
Authorities say the problems are likely related to a class of pollutants called endocrine disruptors, which short-circuit animals' natural systems of hormone chemical messages.
Officials are awaiting the results of water-quality testing that might point to a specific chemical behind the fish problems, Blazer said.
"It certainly indicates something's going on," Blazer said of the new findings in Maryland. "But what, we don't know."
The Potomac River is the main source of drinking water for the Washington metropolitan area and many upstream communities. It provides about 75 percent of the water supply to the 3.6 million residents of Washington and its Maryland and Virginia suburbs.
Blazer, who works at a federal fish lab in Leetown, W.Va., said she found the latest abnormalities last week while examining tissues from fish taken from the river near Sharpsburg.
The same symptoms had previously been found about 170 miles upstream, in the South Branch of the Potomac in Hardy County, W.Va. Blazer and other scientists discovered the problem there last year while investigating a rash of mass fish deaths.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service researchers are seeking money for a much larger study across the Potomac watershed.
Endocrine disruptors comprise a vast universe of pollutants capable of driving a hormone system haywire. Some are hormones themselves such as human estrogen from women taking birth-control pills or animal hormones washed downstream with manure that can pass through sewage plants untouched.
In Hardy County, officials were especially concerned about chicken waste from poultry farms.
Other endocrine disruptors are hormone "mimics" industrial chemicals or factory byproducts which confuse the body because they are chemically similar to natural hormones.
These pollutants are often found in very low concentrations, so until recently no equipment could detect them. But the first nationwide survey, in 1999 and 2000, found hormones in about 37 percent of streams tested. Read More.....
ABC News: Male Fish Growing Eggs Found in Potomac
Monday, December 20, 2004
Clean tech for clean water project in Maldives
I was in Sri-Lanka & Maldive in 1982-83. Maldives is a beautiful islands nation with many small island. They lack of natural river & mountain.
With the Solar technology to purified the sea water, i am sure this would solve the problem of the drinking water issue greatly.
Perhaps country like Singapore, Australia should learn from their experience after Maldives experience.
Clean tech for clean water project in Maldives
Published on 17-Dec-2004
URL: http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?id=9352
A unique solar-powered, off-grid, water purification project will begin in the Maldives in January 2005, providing local bottled drinking water to be sold to the local community on the island of Kulhudhuffushi.
The project, two years in development, is a joint venture between Solar Energy Systems Infrastructure (SESI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Solco, and a local Maldives company, CDE Pvt Ltd.
Once it is up and running, the project's financier, Solar Investment Fund managed by the Netherlands-based ethical bank Triodos, is considering additional funding for further island water-purification projects throughout the Maldives. The Maldives Foreign Investment Services Bureau has identified twenty islands as having suitable water supplies and a sustainable population base for the units.
The units use solar power to draw the water up from brackish sources below the surface and pass it through a system of reverse osmosis units to remove all pathogens, metals and dissolved solids, using just 20% of the power of a standard reverse osmosis unit.
Each unit can produce 500 litres of water per day from a single 100 Watt (1 square metre) solar panel.
Anthony Maslin, co-founder of Solco Ltd and Executive Director of Solar Energy Systems Infrastructure Ltd, said: "There are other water purification technologies using the same process of reverse osmosis that Solarflow uses, but they are mostly powered by diesel. Solarflow will be cheaper on a price per litre basis and of course have none of diesel's impact on air pollution, climate change or difficulties with maintenance and remote access." Read More...
With the Solar technology to purified the sea water, i am sure this would solve the problem of the drinking water issue greatly.
Perhaps country like Singapore, Australia should learn from their experience after Maldives experience.
Clean tech for clean water project in Maldives
Published on 17-Dec-2004
URL: http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?id=9352
A unique solar-powered, off-grid, water purification project will begin in the Maldives in January 2005, providing local bottled drinking water to be sold to the local community on the island of Kulhudhuffushi.
The project, two years in development, is a joint venture between Solar Energy Systems Infrastructure (SESI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Solco, and a local Maldives company, CDE Pvt Ltd.
Once it is up and running, the project's financier, Solar Investment Fund managed by the Netherlands-based ethical bank Triodos, is considering additional funding for further island water-purification projects throughout the Maldives. The Maldives Foreign Investment Services Bureau has identified twenty islands as having suitable water supplies and a sustainable population base for the units.
The units use solar power to draw the water up from brackish sources below the surface and pass it through a system of reverse osmosis units to remove all pathogens, metals and dissolved solids, using just 20% of the power of a standard reverse osmosis unit.
Each unit can produce 500 litres of water per day from a single 100 Watt (1 square metre) solar panel.
Anthony Maslin, co-founder of Solco Ltd and Executive Director of Solar Energy Systems Infrastructure Ltd, said: "There are other water purification technologies using the same process of reverse osmosis that Solarflow uses, but they are mostly powered by diesel. Solarflow will be cheaper on a price per litre basis and of course have none of diesel's impact on air pollution, climate change or difficulties with maintenance and remote access." Read More...
Trace amounts of pesticides found in Sask. water
When I am little, I live in Asia. everytime after rainning days, insects & mosquitos all over, then the health Department would start to spray insecticides or pesticides.
Thinks like DDT, once get into the food & vege would get into our body, it cannot be taken out there after, then that is how the toxin built up in us.
Here in US, the control is more promptly . But there still a need to constantly check on these contaminations & people education.
Trace amounts of pesticides found in Sask. water
Last Updated: Dec 17 2004 12:22 PM CST
REGINA - Pesticides have been discovered in the drinking water of six Saskatchewan communities, the Saskatchewan Environment Department says.
However, the department says only "very low" levels of pesticides, mainly herbicides, have been detected and the amounts don't pose a health hazard.
According to the department, the six communities are Assiniboia, Avonlea, Birch Hills, Ceylon, Fleming and Laird.
The department said Friday it has notified all the communities and will be working with them to fix the problem. Carbon filtration and other technologies can be used to reduce or remove pesticides from water supplies.
The six are among 15 prairie communities Environment Canada tested between May 2003 and July 2004.
Sam Ferris, the director of Saskatchewan Environment's water quality branch, said all the levels found are lower than the national drinking water quality guidelines.
The department hasn't said how the water supplies in the six communities became contaminated. It notes that the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority is currently involved in a program that monitors herbicide residue.
Health Canada spokesperson Aarin Bronson said people in the affected communities have no reason to be afraid.
"We're really talking about trace amounts of pesticides here," she said. Read More...
Trace amounts of pesticides found in Sask. water
Thinks like DDT, once get into the food & vege would get into our body, it cannot be taken out there after, then that is how the toxin built up in us.
Here in US, the control is more promptly . But there still a need to constantly check on these contaminations & people education.
Trace amounts of pesticides found in Sask. water
Last Updated: Dec 17 2004 12:22 PM CST
REGINA - Pesticides have been discovered in the drinking water of six Saskatchewan communities, the Saskatchewan Environment Department says.
However, the department says only "very low" levels of pesticides, mainly herbicides, have been detected and the amounts don't pose a health hazard.
According to the department, the six communities are Assiniboia, Avonlea, Birch Hills, Ceylon, Fleming and Laird.
The department said Friday it has notified all the communities and will be working with them to fix the problem. Carbon filtration and other technologies can be used to reduce or remove pesticides from water supplies.
The six are among 15 prairie communities Environment Canada tested between May 2003 and July 2004.
Sam Ferris, the director of Saskatchewan Environment's water quality branch, said all the levels found are lower than the national drinking water quality guidelines.
The department hasn't said how the water supplies in the six communities became contaminated. It notes that the Saskatchewan Watershed Authority is currently involved in a program that monitors herbicide residue.
Health Canada spokesperson Aarin Bronson said people in the affected communities have no reason to be afraid.
"We're really talking about trace amounts of pesticides here," she said. Read More...
Trace amounts of pesticides found in Sask. water
Exercise boosts benefits of plant sterol products Plus 8 Glass of Water
Yes, Exercise & consuming plant sterols do help to bring the Cholesterol levels down.
Most important thing is to drink more purifier or filtered water per day to flush out the toxin in the body, 8 glass of water per day min.
Exercise boosts benefits of plant sterol products
20/12/2004 - Consuming products with plant sterols as well as exercising may offer additional benefits for those at risk of coronary heart disease, say Canadian researchers.
Both consuming plant sterols and exercising have been shown to affect blood cholesterol levels on their own, they note in last month’s issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
"Our research is the first to look at the complementary combined effects of these therapies," said senior author Peter Jones.
The researchers from McGill university recruited 74 non-active individuals between the ages of 40 and 70 and divided them into four different groups: combination (consumed margarine containing plant sterols and exercised), exercise (consumed plant-sterol -free margarine and exercised), sterol only (consumed margarine containing plant sterols and did not exercise) and control (consumed plant-sterol free margarine and did not exercise).
Exercise involved using stair-stepping machines and stationary bicycles three times a week. The subjects were asked to consume margarine four times a day for eight weeks. The researchers analysed blood samples and lipids.
"In comparison with plant sterols or exercise alone, the combination of plant sterols and exercise yielded the most beneficial change in the volunteer's cholesterol and lipid levels," said lead author and McGill doctoral student, Krista Varady. Read More....
Exercise boosts benefits of plant sterol products
Most important thing is to drink more purifier or filtered water per day to flush out the toxin in the body, 8 glass of water per day min.
Exercise boosts benefits of plant sterol products
20/12/2004 - Consuming products with plant sterols as well as exercising may offer additional benefits for those at risk of coronary heart disease, say Canadian researchers.
Both consuming plant sterols and exercising have been shown to affect blood cholesterol levels on their own, they note in last month’s issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
"Our research is the first to look at the complementary combined effects of these therapies," said senior author Peter Jones.
The researchers from McGill university recruited 74 non-active individuals between the ages of 40 and 70 and divided them into four different groups: combination (consumed margarine containing plant sterols and exercised), exercise (consumed plant-sterol -free margarine and exercised), sterol only (consumed margarine containing plant sterols and did not exercise) and control (consumed plant-sterol free margarine and did not exercise).
Exercise involved using stair-stepping machines and stationary bicycles three times a week. The subjects were asked to consume margarine four times a day for eight weeks. The researchers analysed blood samples and lipids.
"In comparison with plant sterols or exercise alone, the combination of plant sterols and exercise yielded the most beneficial change in the volunteer's cholesterol and lipid levels," said lead author and McGill doctoral student, Krista Varady. Read More....
Exercise boosts benefits of plant sterol products
Saturday, December 18, 2004
Fluoride debate renewed in Central Oregon - OregonLive.com's
I am sure most of the people would be like me seeing the advs on the tooth paste that fluoriod is good for our teeth... But the following news said that there might be a negative effects on fluoridated Water. It is for sure any chemical would have the side effect. The best way out is get the research organization's to do a research immediately & find out the details & keep people informed & call for the remedy actions.
Fluoride debate renewed in Central Oregon
The Associated Press 12/16/2004, 12:25 a.m. PT
REDMOND, Ore. (AP) — Dentist Mark Jensen of Bend can always tell when someone is not from these parts. It's all in the smile.
"When people move here, you can look at their teeth and tell that they've come from fluoridated areas," said Jensen of Bend, the past president of the Oregon Dental Association. "It's incredible."
Less than a quarter of Oregonians drink fluoridated water. Residents in the many areas without it have been skeptical, deciding that messing with the water supply is not a wise trade off for good-looking teeth.
The Deschutes County Public Health Community Advisory Board recently voted to support fluoridation, renewing a debate that has flickered in Central Oregon since the 1950s.
"I really think its time has come," said Dan Peddycord, director of the county's health department. "The dental health care of Oregon's children is going in a backwards direction."
The advisory board vote is a preliminary step that carries no legal weight. Only the agencies that regulate water systems, such as the Bend and Redmond city councils, have the authority to fluoridate water, said Tom Charbonneau, a regional engineer with the Oregon Department of Human Services.
"Generally what happens is they end up voting on it," Charbonneau said.
Bend city officials approved a fluoridation ordinance in 1952, after a group of women expressed concern about tooth decay.
Anti-fluoridation residents succeeded in getting the measure on a citywide ballot, and voters backed fluoridation. But opponents forced another vote and voters approved an ordinance prohibiting fluoridation of Bend's water supply in 1956.
Another attempt to add fluoride to the Bend water supply failed in 2000.
Opponents of fluoridation see the chemical as an unregulated industrial waste product that could cause negative health effects. Moreover, they say there's no definitive proof that fluoridated water prevents tooth decay. Read More...
Fluoride debate renewed in Central Oregon - OregonLive.com's
Fluoride debate renewed in Central Oregon
The Associated Press 12/16/2004, 12:25 a.m. PT
REDMOND, Ore. (AP) — Dentist Mark Jensen of Bend can always tell when someone is not from these parts. It's all in the smile.
"When people move here, you can look at their teeth and tell that they've come from fluoridated areas," said Jensen of Bend, the past president of the Oregon Dental Association. "It's incredible."
Less than a quarter of Oregonians drink fluoridated water. Residents in the many areas without it have been skeptical, deciding that messing with the water supply is not a wise trade off for good-looking teeth.
The Deschutes County Public Health Community Advisory Board recently voted to support fluoridation, renewing a debate that has flickered in Central Oregon since the 1950s.
"I really think its time has come," said Dan Peddycord, director of the county's health department. "The dental health care of Oregon's children is going in a backwards direction."
The advisory board vote is a preliminary step that carries no legal weight. Only the agencies that regulate water systems, such as the Bend and Redmond city councils, have the authority to fluoridate water, said Tom Charbonneau, a regional engineer with the Oregon Department of Human Services.
"Generally what happens is they end up voting on it," Charbonneau said.
Bend city officials approved a fluoridation ordinance in 1952, after a group of women expressed concern about tooth decay.
Anti-fluoridation residents succeeded in getting the measure on a citywide ballot, and voters backed fluoridation. But opponents forced another vote and voters approved an ordinance prohibiting fluoridation of Bend's water supply in 1956.
Another attempt to add fluoride to the Bend water supply failed in 2000.
Opponents of fluoridation see the chemical as an unregulated industrial waste product that could cause negative health effects. Moreover, they say there's no definitive proof that fluoridated water prevents tooth decay. Read More...
Fluoride debate renewed in Central Oregon - OregonLive.com's
Friday, December 17, 2004
The use of carbon for removing radon from drinking water - Specialized News and How To Tips
In fact according to my research, most of the water filter on sales in the market are active carbon filter. With the current price & water shortage using of 50-100 gallons per person per day is consider on the high side.
The use of carbon for removing radon from drinking water
By Dr. Paul D. Robillard, Dr. William E. Sharpe, Bryan R. Swistock
Radon has become a highly publicized health threat, as the naturally occurring radioactive gas has seeped out of the earth�s crust and into the basements of homes across the nation.
Waterborne radon usually originates in deep wells that tap radon-contaminated groundwater, although community water supplies with surface reservoirs may also have a problem with radon.
EPA estimates that 2-5 percent of airborne radon comes from household water, but there are ways to solve the problem.
Detection and testing
Testing for radon in water requires special sampling and laboratory analysis techniques that measure its presence before it escapes from the sample; direct water sampling is by far the most accurate method.
Point-of-entry treatment
Another method for removing radon from water is a granular activated carbon (GAC) unit.
GACs are constructed of a fiberglass tank containing granular activated carbon � a fine material that traps and holds the radon.
GAC filters will remove radon indefinitely providing that sediments or organic pollutants have not clogged the filter, but a major drawback is that if radon is present, the filter becomes radioactive as it picks up the gas.
Proper maintenance and handling of the GAC unit can minimize exposure risks. Redevelopment of the well intake or a sediment filter is vital to protecting the fine carbon from fouling and clogging.
Elimination of the sediment source or a sediment filter placed ahead of the GAC tank is the best protection against clogging.Read More...
Specialized News and How To Tips
The use of carbon for removing radon from drinking water
By Dr. Paul D. Robillard, Dr. William E. Sharpe, Bryan R. Swistock
Radon has become a highly publicized health threat, as the naturally occurring radioactive gas has seeped out of the earth�s crust and into the basements of homes across the nation.
Waterborne radon usually originates in deep wells that tap radon-contaminated groundwater, although community water supplies with surface reservoirs may also have a problem with radon.
EPA estimates that 2-5 percent of airborne radon comes from household water, but there are ways to solve the problem.
Detection and testing
Testing for radon in water requires special sampling and laboratory analysis techniques that measure its presence before it escapes from the sample; direct water sampling is by far the most accurate method.
Point-of-entry treatment
Another method for removing radon from water is a granular activated carbon (GAC) unit.
GACs are constructed of a fiberglass tank containing granular activated carbon � a fine material that traps and holds the radon.
GAC filters will remove radon indefinitely providing that sediments or organic pollutants have not clogged the filter, but a major drawback is that if radon is present, the filter becomes radioactive as it picks up the gas.
Proper maintenance and handling of the GAC unit can minimize exposure risks. Redevelopment of the well intake or a sediment filter is vital to protecting the fine carbon from fouling and clogging.
Elimination of the sediment source or a sediment filter placed ahead of the GAC tank is the best protection against clogging.Read More...
Specialized News and How To Tips
Thursday, December 16, 2004
Ancient Chinese Consumed Fermented Drinks
It is interesting to know that Chinese Fermented drinks date back to 7,000 to 9,000 years B.C.. I know that the inventor of Wine is "Du Kang". In the old days the brewer's always worship him as the God of Wine, Li Pai of Tang Dynasty is know as the Saint of Wine.
Ancient Chinese Consumed Fermented Drinks
Tue Dec 7,11:51 AM ET
By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - The Chinese were consuming fermented beverages — possibly wine — as long as 9,000 years ago, according to scientists who used modern techniques to peer back through the mists of time.
Early evidence of beer and wine had been traced to the ancient Middle East. But the new discovery indicates that the Chinese may have been making their drinks even earlier.
"Fermented beverages are central to a lot of our religions, social relations, medicine, in many cultures around the world," said Patrick E. McGovern of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.
These drinks "have played key roles in the development of human culture and technology, contributing to the advance and intensification of agriculture, horticulture and food-processing technologies," he reported.
The discovery, by a team of researchers led by McGovern, is being published online in this week's early edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
McGovern's team collected pieces of 16 pottery vessels at Jiahu, an early new stone age village in China's Henan province. This is the same site where archaeologists have found the earliest evidence of musical instruments, including an ancient flute.
The ceramics were dated to about 7,000 B.C. — 9,000 years ago — and the scientists analyzed residue that had collected inside the pots.
The results showed chemicals that matched residues from modern rice and rice wine, grape wine, grape tannins and ancient and modern herbs. There were also indications of hawthorn fruit.
It is interesting to know that Chinese Wine is 7000-9000 years B.C. From the history , I was told that "Du Kang" is the inventor of Wine of China. Every brewer's worship him in their home or factory. I would keep you all posted once I find more information..
"The most straightforward interpretation of these data is that the Jiahu vessels contained a consistently processed beverage made from rice, honey and a fruit," the team concluded.
The team also reported on an analysis of 3,000-year-old liquid found in sealed bronze vessels from the Chinese city of Anyang.
These vessels contained rice and millet wines, they found, flavored with herbs and flowers. Read More...
Yahoo! News - Ancient Chinese Consumed Fermented Drinks
Ancient Chinese Consumed Fermented Drinks
Tue Dec 7,11:51 AM ET
By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - The Chinese were consuming fermented beverages — possibly wine — as long as 9,000 years ago, according to scientists who used modern techniques to peer back through the mists of time.
Early evidence of beer and wine had been traced to the ancient Middle East. But the new discovery indicates that the Chinese may have been making their drinks even earlier.
"Fermented beverages are central to a lot of our religions, social relations, medicine, in many cultures around the world," said Patrick E. McGovern of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.
These drinks "have played key roles in the development of human culture and technology, contributing to the advance and intensification of agriculture, horticulture and food-processing technologies," he reported.
The discovery, by a team of researchers led by McGovern, is being published online in this week's early edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.
McGovern's team collected pieces of 16 pottery vessels at Jiahu, an early new stone age village in China's Henan province. This is the same site where archaeologists have found the earliest evidence of musical instruments, including an ancient flute.
The ceramics were dated to about 7,000 B.C. — 9,000 years ago — and the scientists analyzed residue that had collected inside the pots.
The results showed chemicals that matched residues from modern rice and rice wine, grape wine, grape tannins and ancient and modern herbs. There were also indications of hawthorn fruit.
It is interesting to know that Chinese Wine is 7000-9000 years B.C. From the history , I was told that "Du Kang" is the inventor of Wine of China. Every brewer's worship him in their home or factory. I would keep you all posted once I find more information..
"The most straightforward interpretation of these data is that the Jiahu vessels contained a consistently processed beverage made from rice, honey and a fruit," the team concluded.
The team also reported on an analysis of 3,000-year-old liquid found in sealed bronze vessels from the Chinese city of Anyang.
These vessels contained rice and millet wines, they found, flavored with herbs and flowers. Read More...
Yahoo! News - Ancient Chinese Consumed Fermented Drinks
Perchlorate, Just The Tip of The Iceberg
This report is I found on Clean Water Actions site. Is very informative on the subject of Perchlorate... Do care to download below
Perchlorate, Just The Tip of The Iceberg:
Emerging Drinking Water Contaminants.
just-the-tip.pdf (application/pdf Object)
Perchlorate, Just The Tip of The Iceberg:
Emerging Drinking Water Contaminants.
just-the-tip.pdf (application/pdf Object)
Drinking Water Right To Know Reports
This is the useful information you need to know what the Drinking Water Right To Know Report. I encourage you to read these & work together to safe guard life's & Water for Great Health..
Drinking Water Right To Know Reports
It's that time of year again! Keep an eye out for your 2004 Right to Know Report, also commonly referred to as “Consumer Confidence” or “Water Quality” reports. This report will provide you with information about the source of your drinking water, contaminants that were detected in the water during the 2003 calendar year, the likely source of the contamination, important health information--especially for people who are more likely to be harmed by common drinking water contaminants, and information on how you can get involved in protecting your drinking water. Under the 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act all water suppliers are required to produce an annual report informing their customers about the source and quality of their drinking water.
Water Suppliers are required to mail this information to all bill paying customers by July 1st. If you have not received a copy of this report or you live in an apartment and do not pay for your water, contact your local water utility to request a copy. To find out more information about how to contact your water supplier or to access the report on line visit EPA�s drinking water web site.
For more information on Right to Know Reports, including what information is required to be included in the reports, view our Making Sense brochure below. Read More...
CSADW: Drinking Water Right To Know Reports
Drinking Water Right To Know Reports
It's that time of year again! Keep an eye out for your 2004 Right to Know Report, also commonly referred to as “Consumer Confidence” or “Water Quality” reports. This report will provide you with information about the source of your drinking water, contaminants that were detected in the water during the 2003 calendar year, the likely source of the contamination, important health information--especially for people who are more likely to be harmed by common drinking water contaminants, and information on how you can get involved in protecting your drinking water. Under the 1996 Amendments to the Safe Drinking Water Act all water suppliers are required to produce an annual report informing their customers about the source and quality of their drinking water.
Water Suppliers are required to mail this information to all bill paying customers by July 1st. If you have not received a copy of this report or you live in an apartment and do not pay for your water, contact your local water utility to request a copy. To find out more information about how to contact your water supplier or to access the report on line visit EPA�s drinking water web site.
For more information on Right to Know Reports, including what information is required to be included in the reports, view our Making Sense brochure below. Read More...
CSADW: Drinking Water Right To Know Reports
EPA CELEBRATES SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY
United State is one of the Safest Drinking Water Supplies Nation of the world. American Drink average of One Billiuons Glass of Water perday. While we congratulate the achievement, but we still need to do much more in view of increasing issues in Water Contaminations & pollutions in this world...
EPA CELEBRATES SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY AND NEBRASKA’S PROTECTION OF PUBLIC HEALTH
EPA Region 7 will celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act on December 16, and salutes the Nebraskans who work hard everyday to ensure that their water is safe to drink.
“By working with our communities, we can all help protect public health by preventing pollution in the rivers, lakes, streams, and underground aquifers that are the sources of our drinking water,” said Region 7 Administrator Jim Gulliford.
The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), signed into law Dec. 16, 1974 and strengthened by amendments in 1986 and 1996, protects human health by regulating the nation’s public drinking water supply. The responsibility for ensuring safe drinking water is divided among EPA, states, tribes, water systems, and the public. Nearly all states and territories have received primacy for the drinking water program.
Nebraska’s drinking water program has 1,375 public water systems, serving most of its 1.7 million residents. Ground water is the source for most of Nebraska’s drinking water. Only five public water systems in the state get their drinking water from surface water sources.
The state issued about $17 million in loans to communities for infrastructure improvements from July 2003 to June 2004. Nebraska has received about $70 million since the inception of the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.
The SDWA requires EPA to set standards on drinking water contaminants that public water systems are required to meet, up from about 10 standards in the 1970s to more than 90 today. Compliance with standards among the nation’s more than 53,000 public water systems is improving nationally even as EPA adopts more standards.
The United States has one of the safest drinking water supplies in the world at an average cost of only 5 gallons for a penny. Americans drink an average of one billion glasses of tap water each day.Read More...
EPA Region 7 - Environmental News
EPA CELEBRATES SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT’S 30TH ANNIVERSARY AND NEBRASKA’S PROTECTION OF PUBLIC HEALTH
EPA Region 7 will celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Safe Drinking Water Act on December 16, and salutes the Nebraskans who work hard everyday to ensure that their water is safe to drink.
“By working with our communities, we can all help protect public health by preventing pollution in the rivers, lakes, streams, and underground aquifers that are the sources of our drinking water,” said Region 7 Administrator Jim Gulliford.
The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), signed into law Dec. 16, 1974 and strengthened by amendments in 1986 and 1996, protects human health by regulating the nation’s public drinking water supply. The responsibility for ensuring safe drinking water is divided among EPA, states, tribes, water systems, and the public. Nearly all states and territories have received primacy for the drinking water program.
Nebraska’s drinking water program has 1,375 public water systems, serving most of its 1.7 million residents. Ground water is the source for most of Nebraska’s drinking water. Only five public water systems in the state get their drinking water from surface water sources.
The state issued about $17 million in loans to communities for infrastructure improvements from July 2003 to June 2004. Nebraska has received about $70 million since the inception of the Drinking Water State Revolving Fund.
The SDWA requires EPA to set standards on drinking water contaminants that public water systems are required to meet, up from about 10 standards in the 1970s to more than 90 today. Compliance with standards among the nation’s more than 53,000 public water systems is improving nationally even as EPA adopts more standards.
The United States has one of the safest drinking water supplies in the world at an average cost of only 5 gallons for a penny. Americans drink an average of one billion glasses of tap water each day.Read More...
EPA Region 7 - Environmental News
Norland Ozone Systems-ozone generation
I found this article is very informative. Howevr, the research found that Ozone disinfection is much higher than the conventional Chlorine method that use today. If the datas is true then it shall be encourage for the Water District or authority to switch to Ozone process..
WHAT IS OZONE? WHY IS IT USED?
Ozone is an unstable, colorless gas, a powerful oxidizer and a potent germicide. It has a much higher disinfection potential than other disinfectants such as chlorine.
Ozone consists of three parts of oxygen. Once ozone is generated, it takes a short time for it to break apart and return to its natural form of oxygen. As this phenomenon occurs, the free atom of oxygen will seek out any foreign particles in the water and be attracted to them. This action creates an environment where bacteria or organic matter virtually disintegrate when they come in contact with this free oxygen molecule. This in turn protects water from waterborne, bacterial contamination. Ozone is used in the bottled water industry because it controls the growth of bacteria in water. It is desirable because it can do this without leaving a residual taste, such as you would find with chlorine.
The variables determining the effectiveness of ozone in killing bacteria are contact time and residual ozone concentration achieved in the product water. This ozone concentration residual is first dependent on how much ozone is injected into the product water and then the amount of ozone demand in the water. The lower the total dissolved solids level, the higher the solubility of the ozone.
Norland Ozone Systems-ozone generation:
WHAT IS OZONE? WHY IS IT USED?
Ozone is an unstable, colorless gas, a powerful oxidizer and a potent germicide. It has a much higher disinfection potential than other disinfectants such as chlorine.
Ozone consists of three parts of oxygen. Once ozone is generated, it takes a short time for it to break apart and return to its natural form of oxygen. As this phenomenon occurs, the free atom of oxygen will seek out any foreign particles in the water and be attracted to them. This action creates an environment where bacteria or organic matter virtually disintegrate when they come in contact with this free oxygen molecule. This in turn protects water from waterborne, bacterial contamination. Ozone is used in the bottled water industry because it controls the growth of bacteria in water. It is desirable because it can do this without leaving a residual taste, such as you would find with chlorine.
The variables determining the effectiveness of ozone in killing bacteria are contact time and residual ozone concentration achieved in the product water. This ozone concentration residual is first dependent on how much ozone is injected into the product water and then the amount of ozone demand in the water. The lower the total dissolved solids level, the higher the solubility of the ozone.
Norland Ozone Systems-ozone generation:
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Water woes a hard problem for Fillmore folks
I am not a fan of using Water Softener. I see that, it is immoral to discharge contaminants to the ground to contaminate our mother earth.
Water woes a hard problem for Fillmore folks
Some softeners must go or residents and city might face stiff fines
By Eric Leach
Staff Writer
Saturday, December 04, 2004 - FILLMORE -- Residents of Fillmore, who have some of the hardest water in Ventura County, may face heavy fines if they do not remove their beloved water softening devices that discharge chloride into the Santa Clara River.
By September 2008, the city could face fines up to $1.1 million a year if it does not comply with state water discharge requirements, officials said.
"Some people have said, why not just pay the fine and keep our water softeners, but that is not a viable alternative," said City Engineer Bert Rapp. "We could never consider violating the limits (state officials) have imposed."
One alternative for Fillmore's 4,200 households is to build a plant that would cost about $24 a month per household and soften water for the entire city without discharging prohibited levels of salt, Rapp said.
"If we can soften the city's drinking water (at this plant) it would remove 75 percent of the hardness in the water, which would make everybody's plumbing fixtures last longer, their water heaters would last longer, their clothes would wash better, their dishes would wash better. It would improve the quality of water for all of our customers."
Jonathan Bishop, executive officer of the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, the state agency that ordered Fillmore to clean up the problem, said the chloride is a threat to aquatic life in the river and agriculture in Ventura County.
Fines are possible in 2008 if Fillmore does not comply, but the amount of the fines would depend on the situation at that time, he said.
"This problem has been going on for 20 years. We've given Fillmore many chances to address this problem, and we support Fillmore's efforts to limit water softeners."
Fillmore is in a peculiar situation because of the hard water that comes from wells in the area and the ecological sensitivity of the Santa Clara River.
Dawn Ladny, a resident who supports building a plant to soften water for the entire city, said living in Fillmore without a water softener is not an option to many people.
"If I didn't have a water softener, I would be replacing my dishwasher every couple of years," she said.Read More...
Water woes a hard problem for Fillmore folks
Some softeners must go or residents and city might face stiff fines
By Eric Leach
Staff Writer
Saturday, December 04, 2004 - FILLMORE -- Residents of Fillmore, who have some of the hardest water in Ventura County, may face heavy fines if they do not remove their beloved water softening devices that discharge chloride into the Santa Clara River.
By September 2008, the city could face fines up to $1.1 million a year if it does not comply with state water discharge requirements, officials said.
"Some people have said, why not just pay the fine and keep our water softeners, but that is not a viable alternative," said City Engineer Bert Rapp. "We could never consider violating the limits (state officials) have imposed."
One alternative for Fillmore's 4,200 households is to build a plant that would cost about $24 a month per household and soften water for the entire city without discharging prohibited levels of salt, Rapp said.
"If we can soften the city's drinking water (at this plant) it would remove 75 percent of the hardness in the water, which would make everybody's plumbing fixtures last longer, their water heaters would last longer, their clothes would wash better, their dishes would wash better. It would improve the quality of water for all of our customers."
Jonathan Bishop, executive officer of the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board, the state agency that ordered Fillmore to clean up the problem, said the chloride is a threat to aquatic life in the river and agriculture in Ventura County.
Fines are possible in 2008 if Fillmore does not comply, but the amount of the fines would depend on the situation at that time, he said.
"This problem has been going on for 20 years. We've given Fillmore many chances to address this problem, and we support Fillmore's efforts to limit water softeners."
Fillmore is in a peculiar situation because of the hard water that comes from wells in the area and the ecological sensitivity of the Santa Clara River.
Dawn Ladny, a resident who supports building a plant to soften water for the entire city, said living in Fillmore without a water softener is not an option to many people.
"If I didn't have a water softener, I would be replacing my dishwasher every couple of years," she said.Read More...
Water Contract Renewals Stir Debate Between Environmentalists and Farmers in California
Any issues related to water is just totally uncalled for. Do more & Debate less, the more the debate the more would be time & money loss incurred.
Water Contract Renewals Stir Debate Between Environmentalists and Farmers in California
By DEAN E. MURPHY
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 14 - The time has come for thousands of farmers in California to renew their water contracts with the federally run Central Valley Project, the country's largest irrigation system and for many years a major source of friction between the state's powerful agricultural and environmental interests.
The farms served by the Central Valley Project cover nearly 4,700 square miles and get about 20 percent of California's water supply. That has made the new contracts, some for 25 years and some for 40 years with options to renew, the center of a debate over how much water in the state should be dedicated to growing crops and at what price.
When construction of the Central Water Project began in 1937, the idea was to protect the state's farmland from water shortages and floods and provide cheap water for family farmers. But as the state has grown in population, there has been a growing push by cities and environmentalists to break the farmers' grip on the water, or at least make them pay more for it.
A report to be released on Wednesday by the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy group that has tracked federal subsidies in agriculture, estimates that the subsidies in the Central Valley Project are worth up to $416 million a year at market rates for replacing the water. The calculation, based on data collected by the group over 16 months, shows that the median subsidy for a Central Valley farmer in 2002 was $7,076 a year and for the largest 10 percent of the farms, the average subsidy was worth up to $349,000 a year.
Five years ago, the United States Bureau of Reclamation, which runs the Central Valley Project, began negotiations on 223 water-supply contracts with individual farmers and big irrigation districts, serving farmers from Redding to Bakersfield. Those negotiations are expected to be wrapped up early next year, and many critics of the bureau, including the Environmental Working Group, are not happy that they will apparently continue supplies of federally subsidized water for farms.
"Reforms to make details of water subsidies public, limit the amount and value of water subsidies to large farms and encourage conservation by pricing water at rates closer to market value are needed to end the disaster for taxpayers and the environment wrought by the Central Valley Project," the Environmental Working Group report states.
Many farmers reject that analysis, including the president of Woolf Enterprises, a family-owned farming business based in Huron, near Fresno, which was identified by the group as the recipient of $4.2 million in subsidies. Woolf Enterprises grows almonds, cotton, tomatoes and other crops on about 20,000 acres in the area served by Central Valley Project. Read More...
The New York Times > National > Water Contract Renewals Stir Debate Between Environmentalists and Farmers in California
Water Contract Renewals Stir Debate Between Environmentalists and Farmers in California
By DEAN E. MURPHY
SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 14 - The time has come for thousands of farmers in California to renew their water contracts with the federally run Central Valley Project, the country's largest irrigation system and for many years a major source of friction between the state's powerful agricultural and environmental interests.
The farms served by the Central Valley Project cover nearly 4,700 square miles and get about 20 percent of California's water supply. That has made the new contracts, some for 25 years and some for 40 years with options to renew, the center of a debate over how much water in the state should be dedicated to growing crops and at what price.
When construction of the Central Water Project began in 1937, the idea was to protect the state's farmland from water shortages and floods and provide cheap water for family farmers. But as the state has grown in population, there has been a growing push by cities and environmentalists to break the farmers' grip on the water, or at least make them pay more for it.
A report to be released on Wednesday by the Environmental Working Group, an advocacy group that has tracked federal subsidies in agriculture, estimates that the subsidies in the Central Valley Project are worth up to $416 million a year at market rates for replacing the water. The calculation, based on data collected by the group over 16 months, shows that the median subsidy for a Central Valley farmer in 2002 was $7,076 a year and for the largest 10 percent of the farms, the average subsidy was worth up to $349,000 a year.
Five years ago, the United States Bureau of Reclamation, which runs the Central Valley Project, began negotiations on 223 water-supply contracts with individual farmers and big irrigation districts, serving farmers from Redding to Bakersfield. Those negotiations are expected to be wrapped up early next year, and many critics of the bureau, including the Environmental Working Group, are not happy that they will apparently continue supplies of federally subsidized water for farms.
"Reforms to make details of water subsidies public, limit the amount and value of water subsidies to large farms and encourage conservation by pricing water at rates closer to market value are needed to end the disaster for taxpayers and the environment wrought by the Central Valley Project," the Environmental Working Group report states.
Many farmers reject that analysis, including the president of Woolf Enterprises, a family-owned farming business based in Huron, near Fresno, which was identified by the group as the recipient of $4.2 million in subsidies. Woolf Enterprises grows almonds, cotton, tomatoes and other crops on about 20,000 acres in the area served by Central Valley Project. Read More...
The New York Times > National > Water Contract Renewals Stir Debate Between Environmentalists and Farmers in California
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
Port Barre makes do with bottled drinking water
In my childhood days, I have experience water rationing, I understand about the suffering that one have to goes through on the Water & especially drinking water problem. City need to ahve a back-up plan in case of the worst happening.
Port Barre makes do with bottled drinking water
By The Associated Press
T BARRE -- Town officials handed out thousands of gallons of drinking water to residents here over the weekend as crews worked to fix a break down at the water treatment plant.
On Friday, a chlorine injector broke down at the water plant, causing the municipal water supply to exceed the maximum contaminant level of fecal coliform bacteria, or E. coli, officials said.
Over the weekend, the Police Department and Mayor John Fontenot handed out water. Police Chief David Richard said the city purchased about 2,400 gallons of drinking water from Wal-Mart to supply residents.
"We are trying to help make it as comfortable as possible for the people during this emergency," he said.
The supply went quickly as residents lined up Saturday.
Paul Guilbeaux came on a bicycle to get water for a sick neighbor. "We all have to work together."
Because of the limited supply of water, only two gallons were issued to each family. Read More...
2theadvocate.com: News - Port Barre makes do with bottled drinking water 12/13/04
Port Barre makes do with bottled drinking water
By The Associated Press
T BARRE -- Town officials handed out thousands of gallons of drinking water to residents here over the weekend as crews worked to fix a break down at the water treatment plant.
On Friday, a chlorine injector broke down at the water plant, causing the municipal water supply to exceed the maximum contaminant level of fecal coliform bacteria, or E. coli, officials said.
Over the weekend, the Police Department and Mayor John Fontenot handed out water. Police Chief David Richard said the city purchased about 2,400 gallons of drinking water from Wal-Mart to supply residents.
"We are trying to help make it as comfortable as possible for the people during this emergency," he said.
The supply went quickly as residents lined up Saturday.
Paul Guilbeaux came on a bicycle to get water for a sick neighbor. "We all have to work together."
Because of the limited supply of water, only two gallons were issued to each family. Read More...
2theadvocate.com: News - Port Barre makes do with bottled drinking water 12/13/04
Oklahoma Water Contaminated By Animals Waste.
Perhaps the best ways is to get the farmer's to install the Waste Water treadments system to put these right, the local government shall get things in-check...
Poultry meetings to continue
By: Clayton Bellamy - Associated Press Writer
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - The attorney general and six poultry companies met again Friday amid complaints the negotiators were excluding family farmers from their talks over chicken waste in northeast Oklahoma.
Attorney General Drew Edmondson and representatives of the six companies met in an undisclosed location in Tulsa for the second straight day to discuss the effects chicken waste has on the region's watersheds.
Edmondson said his office and poultry producers will continue to meet in small groups through the end of the month and again formally after the first of the year.
If the negotiations fail, Edmondson says he will sue the poultry companies to get them to reduce the waste's impact.
The companies agreement last month to clean up waste in the region that can't safely be applied to land triggered the round of negotiations.
Waste from the many huge chicken farms in northeast Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas is rich in phosphorous, which promotes algae growth in rivers and lakes.
The blooms take oxygen from the water and choke aquatic life. They also can create taste and odor problems in drinking water.
Meanwhile, the Oklahoma Farm Bureau complained Thursday evening that it has not been included in the meetings even though its members - small farmers who raise chickens in contracts with the companies - will have to implement any agreement. Read More...
.: Print Version :.
Poultry meetings to continue
By: Clayton Bellamy - Associated Press Writer
TULSA, Okla. (AP) - The attorney general and six poultry companies met again Friday amid complaints the negotiators were excluding family farmers from their talks over chicken waste in northeast Oklahoma.
Attorney General Drew Edmondson and representatives of the six companies met in an undisclosed location in Tulsa for the second straight day to discuss the effects chicken waste has on the region's watersheds.
Edmondson said his office and poultry producers will continue to meet in small groups through the end of the month and again formally after the first of the year.
If the negotiations fail, Edmondson says he will sue the poultry companies to get them to reduce the waste's impact.
The companies agreement last month to clean up waste in the region that can't safely be applied to land triggered the round of negotiations.
Waste from the many huge chicken farms in northeast Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas is rich in phosphorous, which promotes algae growth in rivers and lakes.
The blooms take oxygen from the water and choke aquatic life. They also can create taste and odor problems in drinking water.
Meanwhile, the Oklahoma Farm Bureau complained Thursday evening that it has not been included in the meetings even though its members - small farmers who raise chickens in contracts with the companies - will have to implement any agreement. Read More...
.: Print Version :.
City leaders to decide to tap Hudson or Saratoga Lake
Decision must be make short & sharp, as water is always a cretical issue for we human being. Any delay would cause more looses...
Saratoga water source decision expected soon
City leaders to decide to tap Hudson or Saratoga Lake
SARATOGA SPRINGS, Dec. 13
By MARK MULHOLLAND Saratoga-North Country News Chief
Saratoga Springs has been talking about a new water source for more than a decade. Soon the talking will stop and city leaders will move forward with plans to tap either the Hudson River or Saratoga Lake.
It's water that made this city famous. And it's debate over water that has now become infamous.
State, federal and Saratoga County leaders have been urging Saratoga Springs to join forces with other communities to tap into the Hudson River. The county plan would cost nearly $80 million, though it's not clear what each community would have to pay.
Tuesday night the city will give the public a final chance to weigh in before the City Council votes next week on whether to go with the county's Hudson plan or tap into Saratoga Lake.
Mike Lenz, the city's part-time mayor, was unavailable for comment Monday, but has said previously the council will decide on a secondary water source by the end of the year." Read More...
WNYT...Live LOCAL Late-Breaking
Saratoga water source decision expected soon
City leaders to decide to tap Hudson or Saratoga Lake
SARATOGA SPRINGS, Dec. 13
By MARK MULHOLLAND Saratoga-North Country News Chief
Saratoga Springs has been talking about a new water source for more than a decade. Soon the talking will stop and city leaders will move forward with plans to tap either the Hudson River or Saratoga Lake.
It's water that made this city famous. And it's debate over water that has now become infamous.
State, federal and Saratoga County leaders have been urging Saratoga Springs to join forces with other communities to tap into the Hudson River. The county plan would cost nearly $80 million, though it's not clear what each community would have to pay.
Tuesday night the city will give the public a final chance to weigh in before the City Council votes next week on whether to go with the county's Hudson plan or tap into Saratoga Lake.
Mike Lenz, the city's part-time mayor, was unavailable for comment Monday, but has said previously the council will decide on a secondary water source by the end of the year." Read More...
WNYT...Live LOCAL Late-Breaking
Canadian Fed Invest & hires IBM to develop system to detect disease, bioterrorism-- National Post
As a Computer Technologist by qualification. I am sure that both computer hardware & software can aids to the Monitoring & control for the Drinking Water Safety.. However, the most important is still is the People Elements...
Health agency hires IBM to develop system to detect disease, bioterrorism
Steve Lambert Canadian Press
Monday, December 13, 2004
WINNIPEG (CP) - Federal health officials have turned to IBM to help develop a computerized early-warning system to detect outbreaks of infectious disease and bioterrorist attacks.
The Public Health Agency of Canada hopes the system, being developed as a pilot project in Winnipeg, will make it easier to contain outbreaks such as the one that left thousands of residents sick in North Battleford, Saskatchewan in 2001.
'This is really cutting-edge stuff,' Dr. Amin Kabani, a senior medical adviser with Health Canada, said in an interview with The Canadian Press.
'If we find that this is successful and it adds significant value, then our recommendation certainly would be (to make it) a Canadian-wide enterprise.'
IBM Canada Ltd will be paid $887,000 to develop a system that will instantly collect data from hospital emergency rooms, laboratories, pharmacies and other health-related facilities in Winnipeg.
The system would alert health officials to a sudden rise in the number of emergency room visitors who exhibit symptoms of a particular infectious disease.
It would also alert officials to any jump in the sale of particular types of over-the-counter medication that might be used to combat gastrointestinal or other diseases, said Kabani.
'If you remember the outbreak in No. ReadMore....
National Post
Health agency hires IBM to develop system to detect disease, bioterrorism
Steve Lambert Canadian Press
Monday, December 13, 2004
WINNIPEG (CP) - Federal health officials have turned to IBM to help develop a computerized early-warning system to detect outbreaks of infectious disease and bioterrorist attacks.
The Public Health Agency of Canada hopes the system, being developed as a pilot project in Winnipeg, will make it easier to contain outbreaks such as the one that left thousands of residents sick in North Battleford, Saskatchewan in 2001.
'This is really cutting-edge stuff,' Dr. Amin Kabani, a senior medical adviser with Health Canada, said in an interview with The Canadian Press.
'If we find that this is successful and it adds significant value, then our recommendation certainly would be (to make it) a Canadian-wide enterprise.'
IBM Canada Ltd will be paid $887,000 to develop a system that will instantly collect data from hospital emergency rooms, laboratories, pharmacies and other health-related facilities in Winnipeg.
The system would alert health officials to a sudden rise in the number of emergency room visitors who exhibit symptoms of a particular infectious disease.
It would also alert officials to any jump in the sale of particular types of over-the-counter medication that might be used to combat gastrointestinal or other diseases, said Kabani.
'If you remember the outbreak in No. ReadMore....
National Post
Monday, December 13, 2004
Chesapeake ran up $2.4 million bill to defend self in water suit
My late Parents said, in any legal situations involve Lawyer's, both side would be the looser's, except the Lawyer's would be the winner's, either you lose or win, they are getting paid for their work. In this case $300,000.oo shall be able to use for better purpose than just for the benefits of the so call "Individual Professional". As Lao Tze said If there are too many Laws then there would be too many frauds.
Chesapeake ran up $2.4 million bill to defend self in water suit
By the Associated Press
December 10 2004
CHESAPEAKE, Va. -- The city's successful defense of lawsuits accusing officials of failing to warn pregnant women about a harmful byproduct in Chesapeake tap water totaled $2.4 million, according to documents released by the city.
All but $300,000 went to pay two law firms: Williams Mullen, which has offices in Virginia Beach, and Breeden, Salb, Beasley & Duvall of Norfolk.
The firms began defending the city four years ago against hundreds of individual civil suits that collectively were seeking an estimated $1.8 billion from the city. The cases never made it to trial.
Last month, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that Chesapeake was immune from such lawsuits.
"It's an incredible amount of money," Mayor Dalton S. Edge told The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk. "It's unfortunate that we had to spend it, but I don't know if we had any choice."
The city is pursuing a claim against its insurance carrier to recoup all or a portion of the cost, City Attorney Ronald S. Hallman said.
The $2.4 million cost of the defense does not include the work done by government employees in the city attorney's office and elsewhere.
The Supreme Court ruling effectively nullified 212 lawsuits seeking nearly $2 billion--more than triple the city's annual $671 million budget.
The women alleged that city officials misled them about high levels of trihalomethanes, or THMs, in the city's drinking water. Some studies have linked THMs to increased health risks for pregnant women. Read More...
Chesapeake ran up $2.4 million bill to defend self in water suit
Chesapeake ran up $2.4 million bill to defend self in water suit
By the Associated Press
December 10 2004
CHESAPEAKE, Va. -- The city's successful defense of lawsuits accusing officials of failing to warn pregnant women about a harmful byproduct in Chesapeake tap water totaled $2.4 million, according to documents released by the city.
All but $300,000 went to pay two law firms: Williams Mullen, which has offices in Virginia Beach, and Breeden, Salb, Beasley & Duvall of Norfolk.
The firms began defending the city four years ago against hundreds of individual civil suits that collectively were seeking an estimated $1.8 billion from the city. The cases never made it to trial.
Last month, the Virginia Supreme Court ruled that Chesapeake was immune from such lawsuits.
"It's an incredible amount of money," Mayor Dalton S. Edge told The Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk. "It's unfortunate that we had to spend it, but I don't know if we had any choice."
The city is pursuing a claim against its insurance carrier to recoup all or a portion of the cost, City Attorney Ronald S. Hallman said.
The $2.4 million cost of the defense does not include the work done by government employees in the city attorney's office and elsewhere.
The Supreme Court ruling effectively nullified 212 lawsuits seeking nearly $2 billion--more than triple the city's annual $671 million budget.
The women alleged that city officials misled them about high levels of trihalomethanes, or THMs, in the city's drinking water. Some studies have linked THMs to increased health risks for pregnant women. Read More...
Chesapeake ran up $2.4 million bill to defend self in water suit
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