Victims of Fungal Meningitis Still Struggling

NPR reporter Nancy Shute interviewed Dr. Thomas Kerkering about patients recovery from the injections of fungal contaminated steroids from the NECC.

The numbers:

751 contracted fungal meningitis
64 died.

Symptoms: strokes, back pain, headaches fevers.

Read the full article in the New England Journal of Medicine: Fungal Infections Associated with Contaminated Methylprednisolone Injections  N. Engl. J. Med. 2013; 369:1598-1609 October 24, 2013.

Meningitis Outbreak in the US Nov 2012

IRSST Publication - Sampling Guide for Air Contaminants in the workplace 8th Edition

IRSST Publication - Sampling Guide for Air Contaminants in the workplace 8th Edition is available for free download. 

In the nonregulated ROHS section I have some concerns.

Be careful when using it to interpret standards.  The level listed for isoflurane is 80 mg/cubic meter based on a Swedish study.  More recent NIOSH recommendations are 2 ppm as either a STEL or an 8 hour TWA.

The spore limit is listed at 13 spores per cubic meter and there is no reference given for this number. 

Carbon Dioxide Plume Geothermal Technology or CPG

A Minnesota Daily article covers Heat Mining Company' purchase of the CPG technology from the University of Minnesota.

Carbon dioxide from coal fired or natural gas fired power plants is injected into a saline aquifer with a geothermal reservoir.  The heated carbon dioxide produces electricity through an expansion turbine.

I reported on this earlier in 2011.  Dr. Martin Sarr was using geothermal compressed carbon dioxide to produce electricity.

Storm related electrical grid interuptions increase by a factor of 10 from 1992 to 2008

Increasingly Vulnerable: the number of incidents caused by extreme weather has increased 10-fold since 1992. Weather-related events are more severe, with an average of 180,000 customers affected per event.

Source: Energy Information Administration, U.S. Global Change Research Program.

 http://www.startribune.com/blogs/226358811.html

Local AIHA Professional Development Conference November 21, 2013

The local AIHA annual professional development conference will be held on November 21, 2013 in Minneapolis, MN.

Early Bird member egistration price of $100 is available at the Upper Midwest AIHA website.    Limited space is also available for vendors.

One of the featured presentations will cover an update by G. Ramachandran, U of Minnesota, on the MN taconite Workers Study.

 

Tesla vehicle catches fire

http://green.autoblog.com/2013/10/02/tesla-model-s-fire/

On October 1, 2013 in Kent, Washington a Tesla vehicle caught fire after hitting an object in the road.  The driver pulled over and was able to escape the blaze unharmed.  The fire was confined to the front of the vehicle.  The flames were extinguished by a local fire department.

 

July, 2014 - In two separate accidents the Tesla drivers survived two dramatic crashes including one where the Tesla split in half.