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Today's Topic: HAZMAT Preparedness - What is HAZMAT and what can you do to prepare for it.

Associated Press

Islamabad, Pakistan - A suicide attacker detonated explosives near a police station in Pakistan's capital on Sunday, killing more than 10 police officers, officials said.

The blast occurred in a kiosk in front of the police station, which is also near Islamabad's Melody Market, said Naeem Iqbal, a police spokesman. Television footage showed wounded security forces being taken away and ambulances rushing to the area.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,376851,00.html

AFP

Toyako, Japan - The United States and Japan called Sunday for urgent action on red-hot oil and food prices that could derail the global economy on the eve of a summit of the world's richest nations.

As US President George W. Bush arrived at this mountain resort, authorities sealed off Japan's northern island of Hokkaido, with demonstrations relegated to its largest city, Sapporo.

Group of Eight leaders will hold three days of talks in the resort town of Toyako that will be dominated by the fragile world economy, global warming and problems ranging from Zimbabwe to North Korea and Iran's nuclear ambitions.

In pre-summit talks, Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said he and Bush had agreed that urgent efforts are needed to tackle surging oil and food prices.

The dual crises "are having a negative impact on the world economy," Fukuda told a joint press conference. "We agreed there's a need for swift efforts on these fronts."

The leaders of the world's two largest economies also touched on climate change, North Korea's nuclear programme and aid to Africa.

The leaders of the G8 -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Italy, Russia and the United States -- will be joined by those of some 15 other countries including China, India, Brazil, Australia and eight African states for expanded sessions on global warming and poverty alleviation.

http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5inyZ8pEpiHMv89ctDOummBhHvhRw

Associated Press

London, England - Hundreds of endangered African monkeys are being taken from their natural habitat and sold for scientific experiments to “secretive” laboratories in countries such as Iran and China, London's Sunday Times reported.

In an undercover investigation by the Times, animal trader Nazir Manji said he sells some 4,000 vervet monkeys a year to laboratories all around the world for about $100 each.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,376692,00.html

Associated Press

Los Angeles, California - Firefighters got a gift of a mild, mostly windless night and a forecast for similar conditions Sunday as they attempted to protect thousands of Santa Barbara County homes from a huge wildfire, one of more than 300 taxing their energy and resources around the state.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,376802,00.html

Associated Press

Washington, DC - The government on Saturday increased the number of people reported being sickened in a record salmonella outbreak in which tomatoes are the leading suspect although investigators are testing other types of fresh produce.

There have been 943 reported cases nationwide, with at least 130 hospitalizations since mid-April after the first salmonella illnesses appeared, the Food and Drug Administration said Saturday. That compares with a total of 922 people about two days ago and 869 reported earlier in the past week.

The FDA also said it had begun looking at jalapeno peppers as a possible cause of the outbreak, as well as ingredients used to make salsa such as cilantro and Serrano peppers. Tomatoes continue to be investigated as well, spokeswoman Stephanie Kwisnek said.

On Tuesday, the government said it would test numerous other kinds of fresh produce commonly served with fresh tomatoes while insisting that tomatoes remained the leading culprit.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,376692,00.html

Washington Post

Washington, DC - With tomatoes getting all the attention--or should I say Mystery Produce--you may have missed the latest ground beef outbreak in the Midwest.

On Thursday, Nebraska Beef, an Omaha-based meat packer, said it was recalling 5.3 million pounds of hamburger meat that it produced since in mid-May after it was linked to an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in Ohio and Michigan. The Kroger grocery chain which bought from Nebraska Beef is pulling ground beef from stores across the country.

This was an expansion of a recall announced Monday of only a half a million pounds.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service explained the expanded recall thus:

In a press release issued before the expanded recall notice, the company said in its defense that it had "processed over 10 billion pounds of product without a confirmed customer illness."

There is a lot of back story to this recall.

In 2003, USDA went to court to try to shut down Nebraska Beef 's Omaha packing plant after citing it for numerous violations. The company, in turn, sued USDA and challenged its authority require food safety plans and even won a court injunction stopping USDA from closing it down. Nebraska Beef and USDA later settled the case.

Three years later, Minnesota public health and USDA officials linked an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in ground beef that killed a Minnesota woman to Nebraska Beef, although USDA never publicly named the company as the source. The woman who died ate meatballs at a church event. Her family sued Nebraska Beef and the company, in turn, sued the church saying the volunteers who prepared the food were at fault.

Most recently, in 2007, Nebraska Beef sued USDA again, saying its inspectors had unfairly targeted it. The suit was later dismissed.

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thecheckout/2008/07/in_other_news.html?nav=rss_blog

Associated Press

Miami, Florida - Tropical Storm Bertha is approaching warmer waters and is likely to strengthen during the coming days.

At 11 a.m. EDT Sunday, Bertha was centered about 1,185 miles east of the northern Leeward Islands in the Caribbean.

Maximum sustained winds are near 50 mph with some higher gusting. Forecasters say Bertha is expected to strengthen during the next few days and could become the Atlantic season's first hurricane.

The storm is moving toward the west at about 21 mph. It's still too early to say if or where Bertha will hit land.

The first named storm this year, Arthur, formed in the Atlantic the day before the season officially started June 1 and soaked the Yucatan Peninsula.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gVWjsPEiqe1tEu2mhBIRaxxGi8owD91OE3F01

AHN

London, England - Mercury, the nearest planet to the sun and the smallest in the solar system, is shrinking, scientists said Saturday.

Astronomers assured the public that the planet, named after the winged-footed Roman messenger of the gods, will not disappear very soon. It will not happen in the lifetime of those alive now, but billions of years later.

Scientists said that the cooling of the planet's core triggered a magnetic dynamo, which led to the contraction of the planet. The contraction is estimated at least one-third greater than what was previously expected.

http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7011518027

And now for today's topic: HAZMAT Preparedness - What is HAZMAT and what can you do to prepare for it.

What does Hazmat mean? Hazmat stands for "hazardous materials." which are chemicals which can cause harm to humans, animals or the environment.

The American Chemistry Council describes it as: “a substance or material that the Secretary of Transportation has determined is capable of posing an unreasonable risk to health, safety and property when transported in commerce and has been designated as hazardous under section 5103 [of the] Federal hazardous materials transportation law.“

Many products are listed individually, but DOT also defines nine classes of hazmat: 1. explosives; 2. flammable, non-flammable, or toxic gases; 3. flammable and combustible liquids; 4. solids that are flammable, spontaneously combustible, or dangerous when wet; 5. oxidizers and organic peroxides; 6. toxic and infectious substances; 7. radioactive materials; 8. corrosive materials and; 9. miscellaneous hazardous materials.

Additionally, hazardous products must be handled with respect! Read labels and follow directions carefully. Words to look for:

DANGER - WARNING - CAUTION

Poison: can injure or kill if absorbed through the skin, injested or inhaled.

Toxic: can cause injury or death if swallowed, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin.

Irritant: causes soreness or swelling of skin, eyes, mucous membranes, or respiratory system.

Flammable: easily catches fire and tends to burn rapidly.

Flammable Liquid: has a flash point below 140°F (100°F for US DOT purposes).

Combustible Liquid: has a flash point from 140°F (100°F for US DOT purposes) to 200°F

Corrosive: a chemical or its vapors that can cause a material or living tissue to be destroyed.

Some cities don’t want hazmat shipments within their jurisdiction. Why can’t they be allowed to decide this important question?

The U.S. Constitution is very clear – the federal government is directed to regulate interstate commerce, not the states or localities. Because certain hazardous materials are essential for producing crucial products or providing vital services such as water treatment, Congress directed the US Department of Transportation to create a rigorous, national system of hazmat transportation rules that allow these products to safely enter interstate commerce. DOT’s rules include civil fines and criminal penalties for failure to comply.

Local efforts to prevent or reroute hazmat movement violate the federal hazmat system and worse, may have unintended consequences: a patchwork of local hazmat rules and regulations will interfere and possibly damage the nation’s system of reliable hazmat transportation, and when hazmat is banned from one jurisdiction, it is inevitably sent to another, which may or may not be better prepared for hazmat contingencies.

Chemicals are found everywhere. They purify drinking water, increase crop production, and simplify household chores. But chemicals also can be hazardous to humans or the environment if used or released improperly. Hazards can occur during production, storage, transportation, use, or disposal. You and your community are at risk if a chemical is used unsafely or released in harmful amounts into the environment where you live, work, or play.

Hazardous materials in various forms can cause death, serious injury, long-lasting health effects, and damage to buildings, homes, and other property. Many products containing hazardous chemicals are used and stored in homes routinely. These products are also shipped daily on the nation's highways, railroads, waterways, and pipelines.

Chemical manufacturers are one source of hazardous materials, but there are many others, including service stations, hospitals, and hazardous materials waste sites.

Varying quantities of hazardous materials are manufactured, used, or stored at an estimated 4.5 million facilities in the United States--from major industrial plants to local dry cleaning establishments or gardening supply stores.

Hazardous materials come in the form of explosives, flammable and combustible substances, poisons, and radioactive materials. These substances are most often released as a result of transportation accidents or because of chemical accidents in plants.

How can I protect myself from a hazardous materials incident?

What to do Before a Hazardous Materials Incident

Many communities have Local Emergency Planning Committees (LEPCs) whose responsibilities include collecting information about hazardous materials in the community and making this information available to the public upon request. The LEPCs also are tasked with developing an emergency plan to prepare for and respond to chemical emergencies in the community. Ways the public will be notified and actions the public must take in the event of a release are part of the plan.

Contact the LEPCs to find out more about chemical hazards and what needs to be done to minimize the risk to individuals and the community from these materials. Your local emergency management office can provide contact information on the LEPCs. Find your state office or agency of emergency management