Earthquakes
RSOE EDIS
| Date/Time (UTC) | Magnitude | Area | Country | State/Prov./Gov. | Location | Risk | Source | Details | ||
| 03.09.2012 08:30:36 | 2.6 | North America | United States | California | Anza |  |
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USGS-RSOE |  |
| 03.09.2012 08:15:25 | 3.2 | Europe | Greece | Peloponnese | Vlakhokerasea | |
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EMSC | |
| 03.09.2012 07:30:27 | 2.6 | Middle America | Mexico | Baja California | Delta |  |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 03.09.2012 07:15:20 | 2.4 | Europe | Italy | Calabria | Salerni | |
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EMSC | |
| 03.09.2012 06:50:36 | 3.4 | Caribbean | British Virgin Islands | Road Town | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
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| 03.09.2012 06:10:22 | 2.0 | Asia | Turkey | Hatay | Gurisik | |
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EMSC | |
| 03.09.2012 06:10:48 | 5.0 | Pacific Ocean – West | Philippines | Caraga | Libas | |
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EMSC | |
| 03.09.2012 05:30:37 | 4.9 | Pacific Ocean – West | Philippines | Caraga | Libas | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 03.09.2012 08:15:54 | 2.2 | Europe | Greece | Crete | Arvi | |
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EMSC | |
| 03.09.2012 06:11:13 | 4.6 | Middle-East | Iran | Hormozg?n | Minab | |
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EMSC | |
| 03.09.2012 06:30:31 | 4.7 | Middle East | Iran | Kerm?n | Bam | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 03.09.2012 04:30:46 | 5.0 | Pacific Ocean – West | Philippines | Caraga | Libas | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 03.09.2012 05:10:23 | 5.2 | Pacific Ocean – West | Philippines | Caraga | Libas | |
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EMSC | |
| 03.09.2012 05:10:47 | 2.0 | Europe | Greece | South Aegean | Lindos | |
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EMSC | |
| 03.09.2012 04:45:53 | 3.1 | Caribbean | U.S. Virgin Islands | Saint Thomas Island | Charlotte Amalie | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 03.09.2012 03:50:28 | 2.9 | North America | United States | California | Round Valley | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 03.09.2012 04:10:20 | 4.9 | South Pole | Antarctica | McMurdo Station | |
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EMSC | |
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| 03.09.2012 03:55:29 | 4.9 | South Pole | Antarctica | McMurdo Station | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
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| 03.09.2012 03:10:20 | 2.0 | Montenegro | Donji Kokoti | |
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EMSC | |
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| 03.09.2012 08:16:19 | 3.7 | Europe | Russia | Tyva | Saryg-Sep | |
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EMSC | |
| 03.09.2012 03:10:44 | 3.1 | Asia | Turkey | Manisa | Golmarmara | |
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EMSC | |
| 03.09.2012 03:11:17 | 2.1 | Montenegro | Optina Podgorica | Podgorica | |
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EMSC | |
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| 03.09.2012 04:10:53 | 2.6 | Asia | Turkey | Mu?la | Bodrum | |
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EMSC | |
| 03.09.2012 02:11:29 | 2.1 | North America | United States | California | Scotia | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 03.09.2012 02:11:53 | 2.1 | North America | United States | Nevada | Silver Peak | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 03.09.2012 02:05:24 | 3.3 | North America | United States | Nevada | Silver Peak | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 03.09.2012 02:10:19 | 3.4 | Asia | Taiwan | Taiwan | Daxi | |
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EMSC | |
| 03.09.2012 02:10:41 | 2.7 | Asia | Turkey | Antalya | Avsallar | |
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EMSC | |
| 03.09.2012 01:55:28 | 4.7 | Pacific Ocean – West | Philippines | Eastern Visayas | Sulangan | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 03.09.2012 02:11:05 | 4.8 | Pacific Ocean – West | Philippines | Eastern Visayas | Sulangan | |
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EMSC | |
| 03.09.2012 01:10:20 | 2.8 | Europe | Italy | Emilia-Romagna | Bagno di Romagna | |
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EMSC | |
| 03.09.2012 00:35:30 | 2.2 | North America | United States | California | Brawley | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 03.09.2012 01:10:43 | 2.6 | Asia | Turkey | Mu?la | Dalyan | |
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EMSC | |
| 03.09.2012 00:01:31 | 4.8 | North America | United States | Alaska | Adak | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 03.09.2012 00:05:19 | 4.8 | North-America | United States | Alaska | Adak | |
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EMSC | |
| 02.09.2012 23:05:32 | 2.3 | Europe | Italy | Calabria | Salerni | |
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EMSC | |
| 02.09.2012 23:06:06 | 3.3 | Asia | Turkey | ?zmir | Seferihisar | |
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EMSC | |
| 02.09.2012 23:06:30 | 2.0 | Europe | Italy | Piedmont | Prazzo | |
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EMSC | |
| 02.09.2012 21:35:45 | 3.0 | Caribbean | Puerto Rico | Cabo Rojo | Boqueron | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 02.09.2012 22:00:27 | 4.8 | Pacific Ocean – West | Philippines | Caraga | Union | |
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EMSC | |
| 02.09.2012 21:46:01 | 4.7 | Pacific Ocean – West | Philippines | Eastern Visayas | Sulangan | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 02.09.2012 21:00:23 | 2.1 | Asia | Turkey | Van | Yuvacik | |
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EMSC | |
| 02.09.2012 21:46:25 | 4.8 | Pacific Ocean – West | Philippines | Caraga | Union | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 02.09.2012 21:01:32 | 4.9 | Pacific Ocean – West | Philippines | Eastern Visayas | Sulangan | |
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EMSC | |
| 02.09.2012 21:01:52 | 2.8 | Europe | Italy | Calabria | Siderno Superiore | |
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EMSC | |
| 02.09.2012 21:02:12 | 4.9 | Pacific Ocean – West | Philippines | Eastern Visayas | Sulangan | |
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EMSC | |
| 02.09.2012 20:20:28 | 4.9 | Pacific Ocean – West | Philippines | Eastern Visayas | Sulangan | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 02.09.2012 19:35:26 | 3.4 | Middle America | Mexico | Baja California | Alberto Oviedo Mota | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 02.09.2012 19:20:45 | 2.1 | North America | United States | California | Tres Pinos | |
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USGS-RSOE | |
| 02.09.2012 21:02:35 | 2.2 | Europe | Greece | North Aegean | Agios Dimitrios | |
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EMSC | |
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Japan estimates monster quake could kill 320.000
by Staff Writers
Tokyo (AFP)
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Japan’s government on Wednesday unveiled a worst case disaster scenario that warned a monster earthquake in the Pacific Ocean could kill over 320,000 people, dwarfing last year’s quake-tsunami disaster.
Tokyo’s casualty toll estimate was based on a catastrophic scenario in which a powerful undersea quake of about 9.0 magnitude sparked a giant tsunami that swamps Japan’s coastline south of Tokyo
The Cabinet Office’s hypothetical disaster would see the quake strike at nighttime during the winter with strong winds helping unleash waves that reach 34-metre (110 feet), sweeping many victims away as they slept.
Many of the estimated 323,000 victims would be drowned by the tsunami, crushed under falling objects or in fires sparked by the disaster, it said.
On March 11 last year, a 9.0 magnitude quake struck seismically-active Japan in the early afternoon, triggering tsunami waves that reached 20 metres.
About 19,000 were killed or remain missing while the tsunami slammed into the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, sending reactors into meltdown and sparking the worst atomic crisis in a generation.
“As long as we live in Japan, we cannot deny the possibility of a huge earthquake and tsunami,” Masaharu Nakagawa, state minister for disaster management, told reporters Wednesday.
The report was designed to paint a worst-case scenario and help officials boost their disaster preparedness.
An estimate in 2003 assumed casualties of about 25,000 people, but that scenario envisioned a less powerful 8.4 magnitude quake striking a smaller area.
The deadliest quake in Japanese history struck the central Kanto region in 1923, killing at least 100,000 people.
Related Links
Bringing Order To A World Of Disasters
When the Earth Quakes
A world of storm and tempest
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Volcanic Activity
Bezymianni volcano (Kamchatka): large explosive eruption- ash to 34.000 ft (10 km) altitude
A larger explosive eruption occurred at Bezyianni volcano in Kamchatka yesterday evening (1 Sep) around 19h15 GMT. The explosion produced an ash cloud rising to about 10 km altitude (flight level 340) and was first detected by Tokyo VAAC who sent out an ash-cloud aviation warning (major intercontinental routes pass this area).
The ash plume is rapidly drifting west and has already reached hundreds of kilometer length.
As of today (2 Sep), the eruption of the volcano is gradually finishing, but ash plumes are extending more 370 mi (600 km) to the east-north-east of the volcano. Ongoing activity could affect international and low-flying aircraft.
According to seismic data by KB GS RAS, the eruption began at 19:16 UTC on September 01, 2012. According to visual data, ash plumes rose up to 32,800 – 39,400 ft (10-12 km) a.s.l. at 19:30 UTC on September 01. According to seismic data, an explosive phase of eruption continued till 19:45 UTC on September 01, and later there was a volcanic tremor was registered about 2 hours.
There is no ash near Bezymianny volcano now, but ash plumes are extending to the east-north-east of the volcano about 550-600 km of the volcano (MTSAT at 2132 UTC on September 01).
(Source: KVERT)
- All news about: Bezymianny volcano
- Information about: Bezymianny volcano
| 02.09.2012 | Volcano Eruption | Russia [Asia] | Kamchatka, [Bezymyanny volcano] |  |
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Volcano Eruption in Russia [Asia] on Sunday, 02 September, 2012 at 10:07 (10:07 AM) UTC.
| Description | |
| A larger explosive eruption occurred at Bezyianni volcano in Kamchatka yesterday evening (1 Sep) around 19h15 GMT. The explosion produced an ash cloud rising to about 10 km altitude (flight level 340) and was first detected by Tokyo VAAC who sent out an ash-cloud aviation warning (major intercontinental routes pass this area). The ash plume is rapidly drifting west and has already reached hundreds of kilometer length. As of today (2 Sep), the eruption of the volcano is gradually finishing, but ash plumes are extending more 370 mi (600 km) to the east-north-east of the volcano. Ongoing activity could affect international and low-flying aircraft. According to seismic data by KB GS RAS, the eruption began at 19:16 UTC on September 01, 2012. According to visual data, ash plumes rose up to 32,800 – 39,400 ft (10-12 km) a.s.l. at 19:30 UTC on September 01. According to seismic data, an explosive phase of eruption continued till 19:45 UTC on September 01, and later there was a volcanic tremor was registered about 2 hours. There is no ash near Bezymianny volcano now, but ash plumes are extending to the east-north-east of the volcano about 550-600 km of the volcano (MTSAT at 2132 UTC on September 01). |
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Extreme Temperatures/ Weather
| 03.09.2012 | Forest / Wild Fire | Spain | Andalusia, [Marbella Region] |  |
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Forest / Wild Fire in Spain on Friday, 31 August, 2012 at 10:16 (10:16 AM) UTC.
| Updated: | Saturday, 01 September, 2012 at 02:23 UTC |
| Description | |
| The fire devastating the province of Malaga in southern Spain has left one person dead and five injured while forcing 5,000 people from their homes in municipalities on the edge of the blaze, Andalusian authorities said Friday. The charred body of an elderly man was found by police in a toolshed in the Malaga municipality of Ojen, which has been evacuated and is being cleared of rubble since they have reason to believe that a second victim might be found there, the officers said. The fire department attempting to douse the flames in six Malaga municipalities is currently focusing its efforts on the Ojen area, since the flames leaped across the highway that connects that village with Marbella, one of the area’s biggest tourist attractions. The president of the autonomous community of Andalusia, Jose Antonio Griñan, spoke of “suspicions” that the fire in Malaga “could have been set intentionally, and if that is confirmed, authorities will be dealing with a “criminal act.” Griñán told the press that the mountainous terrain makes it difficult to extinguish the fire, though he expressed hope that the blaze will be stabilized at some point on Friday.The fire has already consumed approximately 1,000 hectares (2,500 acres) of woodland and is moving through a forest that could endanger the nearby Sierra Blanca mountains. Deployed in the area are more than 300 firefighters, personnel of 34 police patrols, five backup brigades and 10 fire engines, as well as a mobile meteorology unit for the analysis and tracking of forest fires. As for air support, 31 aircraft have now been activated, of which 20 are from the regional Andalusian government and the rest belong to the Agriculture, Food and Environment Ministry. Altogether there are six freight aircraft, five large-capacity helicopters, 13 helicopters for transport and fire extinction, and three coordination and surveillance aircraft fighting the fire, plus 200 troops of the UME military emergency management unit. The fire is affecting the Malaga municipal terminals of Monda, Mijas, Marbella, Alhaurin El Grande and Ojen, as well as Coin, where the fire broke out, but up to now the exact area burned has not been determined. The village of Ojen was evacuated completely as were several nearby housing developments. The Red Cross has established campsites and shelters on lands of the Monda, Mijas and Marbella municipalities.
With regard to the injured, a 58-year-old woman and a man of about the same age have suffered burns over 60 and 65 percent of their bodies, respectively. Meanwhile a mother, 40, and her two children ages 11 and 3 also received medical attention for contusions, and were given artificial respiration due to the effects of being enveloped in smoke after seeking refuge from the flames in a cave in Ojen. So far this year, 11 people have died in Spain as a consequence of forest fires, of which all but one were in the months of July and August. |
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Storms, Flooding
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| Name of storm system | Location | Formed | Last update | Last category | Course | Wind Speed | Gust | Wave | Source | Details |
| Ileana (EP09) | Pacific Ocean – East | 28.08.2012 | 02.09.2012 | Tropical Depression | 265 ° | 46 km/h | 65 km/h | 4.57 m | NOAA NHC | |
Tropical Storm data
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| Kirk (AL02) | Atlantic Ocean | 29.08.2012 | 02.09.2012 | Tropical Depression | 35 ° | 83 km/h | 102 km/h | 6.71 m | NOAA NHC | |
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| Leslie (AL12) | Atlantic Ocean | 30.08.2012 | 03.09.2012 | Tropical Depression | 325 ° | 93 km/h | 111 km/h | 5.79 m | NOAA NHC | |
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| EP10 | Pacific Ocean – East | 03.09.2012 | 03.09.2012 | Tropical Depression | 300 ° | 56 km/h | 74 km/h | 4.57 m | NOAA NHC | |
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| 01.09.2012 | Complex Emergency | North Korea | Multiple areas, [Westher and central regions] |  |
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Complex Emergency in North Korea on Saturday, 01 September, 2012 at 11:09 (11:09 AM) UTC.
| Description | |
| Twin typhoons renewed fears of a humanitarian crisis in North Korea, where poor drainage, widespread deforestation and crumbling infrastructure can turn even a routine rainstorm into a catastrophic flood. Typhoon Bolaven struck the North on Tuesday and Wednesday, submerging houses and roads, ruining thousands of acres of crops and triggering landslides that buried train tracks – scenes that are all too familiar in this disaster-prone nation. A second major storm, Typhoon Tembin, pounded the Korean Peninsula with more rains Thursday before dissipating. The storms came with North Korea still recovering from earlier floods that killed more than 170 people and destroyed thousands of homes. That in turn followed a springtime drought that was the worst in a century in some areas. The disaster relief group AmeriCares announced late Thursday that enough emergency antibiotics and medical supplies to treat 15,000 North Koreans would be airlifted to the country as early as this week in coordination with North Korean officials. Damage to 69 hospitals and clinics suffered during the earlier floods has left 700,000 North Koreans without access to health care at a time when scores are fighting off the threat of infection while living in temporary shelters, the group said in a statement.Other foreign aid groups said they were standing by in Pyongyang, but had not received new requests for help from the North Korean government. They had little information on the extent of damage and were relying on reports from state media. The country’s wariness toward the outside world, as well as a primitive rural road system, means aid may be slow arriving, if it is allowed to come at all. “These fresh storms, coming just a few weeks after the serious flooding – they do raise concerns because we see parts of the countryside battered again that have already been left in a vulnerable state,” said Francis Markus, spokesman for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in East Asia. Tembin’s strong winds and hard rain pounded South Korea on Thursday as residents of some cities waded through streets flooded with murky, knee-deep water. The storm moved off the peninsula’s east coast overnight. The national weather agency in Seoul predicted some cities in southern North Korea could see up to 80 mm (3.15 inches) of rain, but North Korea didn’t immediately release details on rainfall, deaths or damage from the latest storm. The earlier storm, Bolaven, left 20 people dead or missing in South Korea. It killed three people and left 3,300 people homeless in North Korea, the country’s official media reported. Downpours trigger landslides that barrel down the North’s deforested mountains. For years, rural people have felled trees to grow crops and for firewood, leaving the landscape barren and heavily eroded. Rivers overflow, submerging crops, inundating roads and engulfing hamlets.
Since June, thousands have been left without clean water, electricity and access to food and other supplies. That leads to a risk of water-borne and respiratory diseases and malnutrition, aid workers say. Because the North annually struggles to produce enough food from its rocky, mountainous landscape to feed its 24 million people, a poorly timed natural disaster can easily tip the country into crisis, like the famine in the 1990s that followed a similar succession of devastating storms. A North Korean land management official acknowledged in an interview with The Associated Press that widespread deforestation and a lack of basic infrastructure have made the country vulnerable to the typhoons and storms that batter the peninsula each year. “It’s important for the future of our children to make our country rich and beautiful,” Ri Song Il, director of external affairs for the Ministry of Land and Environmental Protection, said in June. He said a campaign is under way to replenish forests, build highways and construct proper irrigation at the order of North Korea’s new leader, Kim Jong Un. He held up a green pamphlet on land management that was the first official document Kim published after taking power from his father. But it may be too little, too late, for this year’s summer rains. In Pyongyang, North Korea’s showcase capital of grand monuments and broad boulevards, the rains have been little more than a nuisance for residents tromping about in rubber boots and umbrellas. Outside the capital, it’s a different story. In villages without the luxury of paved roads, summer downpours have sliced through roadways and washed away bridges, all but cutting off already isolated communities from supplies, food and help. Two weeks ago, AP journalists visited a flood-ravaged mining hamlet in South Phyongan province where gushing waters from an earlier storm swallowed a whole block of homes. The trip, a mere 40-mile (60-kilometer) drive northeast of Pyongyang, required a bumpy four-hour ride along rutted, muddy roads. Along the way, workers piled stones along the roadside as a bulwark against landslides, but they were no match for the water rushing down mountainsides. Villagers crouched in makeshift lean-tos and camped on the rubble where their houses once stood. They vowed to rebuild once the roads are restored and trucks can cart in cement. But there are concerns about how vulnerable their new homes would be if they rebuild at the foot of a mountain in the county of Songchon, which means “place where many waters come together.” North Korea has no clear long-term strategy to deal with disasters or climate change, the United Nations said in a report issued in June. This year, North Korea is at a particularly dangerous juncture, said the Red Cross’ Markus. Over the last two years, he said, “we’ve been seeing a gradual deterioration in the humanitarian situation.” The Red Cross works with villagers to prepare evacuation plans and other ways to protect themselves, their homes and their farmland in the event of a disaster, he said. But severe weather remains an omnipresent threat, and poor infrastructure and massive deforestation are “a major factor in exacerbating these weather events,” he said. “There’s no doubt that the vulnerabilities in the countryside are considerable.” |
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Radiation / Nuclear
Osaka City Police Forcibly Removing Citizens from Townhall Meeting on Disaster Debris Burning in Osaka City
EX-SKF
You don’t see this in any of the mainstream media.
The occasion was when the boy-wonder of Osaka City Toru Hashimoto held the one and only townhall meeting to explain things about disaster debris acceptance in Osaka City on August 30 (see my previous post).
This happened after the meeting, after the boy-wonder hastily departed, guarded by plain-clothes policemen. Many citizens remained in the hall, wanting to have the answers to their questions from the officials at the city’s bureau of environment. Instead of engaging the citizens, they started to remove them out of the hall, according to this blog who had the link to the IWJ video below.
People in Osaka City are trapped in Hashimoto’s psychosis.
New (2012) Crop of #Fukushima Rice that “Passed” the Test Is On Sale in Tokyo
EX-SKF
Sure it passed. The detection limit was 25 becquerels/kg, testing done in 5 to 10 seconds at most using brand-new detectors built specifically for the task of rapidly “measuring” the radioactive cesium in rice grown in Fukushima Prefecture.
Never mind the details like that. Shoppers in Edogawa-ku, Tokyo (itself in the more contaminated section of Tokyo) are happy to snap up this year’s fresh crop.
From Nikkei Shinbun quoting Kyodo News (9/1/2012; emphasis is mine):
福島産の新米、東京で販売開始 全袋検査に合格
New crop of Fukushima rice sale started in Tokyo, all bags passed the inspection [for radioactive materials]
福島県でことし収穫された新米の販売が１日、東京都江戸川区のアンテナショップ「ふくしま市場」で始まった。同県では８月から放射性物質の全袋検査を実施しており、合格したコメの県外販売は初めて。
New crop of rice harvested in Fukushima Prefecture this year started on September 1 at “Fukushima Market”, a shop to test selling the Fukushima produce in Edogawa-ku, Tokyo. Fukushima Prefecture has started testing all bags of rice for radioactive materials since August, and this was the first sale of the rice that passed the test outside Fukushima.
店頭には、検査で検出限界値（１キロ当たり25ベクレル）を下回った本宮市産「五百川」と会津坂下町産「瑞穂黄金」の早場米２品種が並べられた。設置された試食コーナーで買い物客が味を確かめ、名産の桃などと一緒に買っていた。
Bags of rice from Motomiya City and from Aizubange-machi, both of which tested below the detection limit (25 becquerels/kg) were put on sale. Shoppers were sampling at a sampling corner of the store, and seen purchasing [the rice] together with the peaches from Fukushima.
家族４人で訪れていた江戸川区の会社員岡本孝雄さん（45）は震災前からの福島米ファン。「ことしもおいしかった。検査もしているし、何も心配せずに買いました」と話していた。
Mr. Takao Okamoto (age 45), an office worker who lives in Edogawa-ku, was visiting the shop with his family of four. He [said] he had been a fan of Fukushima rice even before the March 11, 2011 disaster. He said, “[The rice] tastes great this year, too. They test the rice, so I bought without any worries at all.”
(Poor kids.)
Arnold Gundersen with another update on the unfolding effects of the Fukushima disaster
IF YOU LOVE THIS PLANET Dr Helen Caldicott
Listen Now Download the show by right-clicking the link.
Gundersen
This week, Dr. Caldicott brings on nuclear engineer Arnold Gundersen to update readers on the unfolding effects of the Fukushima meltdowns and what is happening with nuclear power in other parts of the world. Longer show description to follow. As background, listen to earlier conversations with Gundersen (starting with April 1, 2011), which can be found on the Archives page.
Read the August 2012 news articles Study: Fukushima Nuclear Disaster Caused Mutant Butterflies and Grassroots Power Pushing Japan Towards Nuclear-Free Future . And visit Fairewinds.org, the website of Gundersen’s organization, for more information.
Nuclear Physicist on Fukushima: I’m most concerned about a chain reaction happening — Rain leaking in from cracks after a new quake could act as a moderator, and a nuclear reactor will start again
Title: Interview with Nils Bøhmer, Bellona.org
Source: TRU News
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Friday August 10, 2012
Guest:Nils Bohmer
Topic:Radiation dangers from the Fukashima nuclear plant
Nuclear Physicist Nils Bøhmer: Should there be a new earthquake in the region, you could have a dramatic situation once again. You could have new cracks, water entering into reactor core, you could maybe have a nuclear chain reaction starting in the fuel, which means you could have a lot of radioactivity released again
[...]
I’m most concerned that a nuclear chain reaction could start in the fuel if you have a lot of water in there because that will be very difficult to control and that will have a lot of heat there that you don’t have control over
[...]
If there is a new earthquake, there is leakages, the rain, a lot of rain, that water will get in contact with the fuel and act as a moderator and you will have a nuclear reactor starting again without any control mechanism, and that will be very, very [inaudible] [...]
So that is the main thing now, to keep the water out, to keep the cooling running, and build the buildings around the reactors [...]
Tepco releases badly photoshopped image of Fukushima Unit 4
Photo set published August 30, 2012 only on Tepco’s Japanese-language website: http://photo.tepco.co.jp/date/2012/201208-j/120830-03j.html
Direct link to photo: http://photo.tepco.co.jp/library/20120830_03/120830_28.jpg
h/t Anonymous tip
Close-up of obscured area
Japan government officially making study on kids in Fukushima
Published on Aug 31, 2012 by aristoman007
As you can see the NHK drove down the article.
http://www3.nhk.or.jp/daily/english/20120831_14.html
So you can still see it on YOuTUBE under http://youtu.be/o3GYXG9XmYQ
NHK World News —- The Japanese government plans to study the possible effects of radiation on genes of people affected by the Fukushima nuclear accident. It will begin the tests in the next fiscal year.
Environment minister Goshi Hosono revealed the plan at a meeting in Fukushima City on Thursday.
Fukushima residents have been voicing concerns over possible genetic effects of radioactive substances emitted in the nuclear accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in March last year.
The ministry plans to conduct blood and other tests. The ministry says it will work with the Fukushima Medical University and research institutions. The first priority will be testing children.
Hosono said after the meeting that the health of Fukushima residents needs to be monitored for more than 50 years. He said understanding radiation influences on the genetic level could help these people in the future.
The ministry plans to request funding to carry out the study in its budget for the next fiscal year.
Aug. 31, 2012 – Updated 01:45 UTC (10:45 JST)
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Epidemic Hazards / Diseases
Legionnaires’ death toll rises to 11 in Quebec, total of 169 cases
Quebec health officials are trying to contain a deadly outbreak of legionnaires’ disease.
Legionnaires’ disease has claimed another life in Quebec, bringing the total number of deaths linked to the latest outbreak of the infection-causing bacteria to 11.
Since the outbreak began in mid-July, public health officials have confirmed 169 cases of legionnaires’, four of which were detected on Sunday.
However, officials believe the outbreak is now under control.
The most recent cases are thought to have developed over the last 10 to 15 days and the symptoms are only now surfacing.
The potentially deadly legionella bacteria grow in stagnant water and are often spread through infected droplets in air conditioning systems, swimming pools and other commercial or domestic water systems.
While not everyone who breathes in the infected droplets will become sick, some who do can develop severe pneumonia.
In Quebec, health authorities have narrowed in on the cooling systems of two building towers as potential sources of contamination, but tests to confirm the source could take weeks to complete.
Meanwhile, the systems in more than 100 buildings in the city have been disinfected as a precaution.
A news released issued by Quebec’s public health department on Sunday states the agency should be able to confirm the source of the bacteria by mid-September.
Meanwhile, health authorities in Chicago confirmed this weekend that a legionnaires’ outbreak was behind three recent deaths there.
The source of the bacteria was traced to a hotel water fountain.
With files from The Canadian Press
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Climate Change
Antarctica Was Once A Tropical Zone Covered In Trees
MessageToEagle.com – Once upon a time, Antarctica was a tropical zone covered in trees.
New research finds that the frozen continent was much warmer than originally thought. Some parts of Antarctica were almost lush forest zone with rich plant life located on its coasts.
If climate change continues, palm trees and other tropical vegetation – usually found in hot climatic conditions, – could grow in the Antarctic within a few hundred years, researchers said.
| Climate scientists are particularly interested in warm periods that occurred in the geological past. Knowledge of past episodes of global warmth can be used to better understand the relationship between climate change, variations in atmospheric carbon dioxide and the reaction of Earth’s biosphere.Scientists from the Goethe University and the Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre in Frankfurt, Germany have discovered evidence of similar plants 52 million years ago growing in drill cores obtained from the seafloor near Antarctica – a region that is especially important in climate research.
The findings, published in the journal Nature highlight the contrast between modern and past climatic conditions on Antarctica and the extent of global warmth during periods of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.
|
“If the current CO2 emissions continue unabated due to the burning of fossil fuels, CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere, as they existed in the distant past, are likely to be achieved within a few hundred years,” Prof Jorg Pross, a paleoclimatologist at the Goethe University said.
An impression of a tropical Antarctica. Image Credits: Robert Nicholls/paleocreations.com
The scientists analyzed 53 and 46 million years old rock samples to reconstruct the local vegetation on Antarctica back then, and interpret the presence of tropical and subtropical rainforests covering the coastal region 52 million years ago.
The evaluations show that the winter temperatures on the Wilkes Land coast of Antarctica were warmer than 10 degrees Celsius at that time, despite three months of polar night.
Predicting rise in global temperatures in the coming decades, climate scientists believe that future climate warming will be particularly greater near the poles, suitable for this kind of vegetation.
MessageToEagle.com
See also:
Something Mysteriously Warms Antarctica Ice
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Solar Activity
2MIN News Sept 1. 2012: Mega-Filament Eruption
Published on Sep 1, 2012 by Suspicious0bservers
TODAY’S LINKS
Tropical Glaciers? Melting?: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/view.php?id=79084
REPEAT LINKS
Spaceweather: http://spaceweather.com/ [Look on the left at the X-ray Flux and Solar Wind Speed/Density]
HAARP: http://www.haarp.alaska.edu/haarp/data.html [Click online data, and have a little fun]
SDO: http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/ [Place to find Solar Images and Videos - as seen from earth]
SOHO: http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/soho_movie_theater [SOHO; Lasco and EIT - as seen from earth]
Stereo: http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/images [Stereo; Cor, EUVI, HI - as seen from the side]
SunAEON:http://www.sunaeon.com/#/solarsystem/ [Just click it... trust me]
SOLARIMG: http://solarimg.org/artis/ [All purpose data viewing site]
iSWA: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov/iswa/iSWA.html [Free Application; for advanced sun watchers]
NASA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov:8080/IswaSystemWebApp/iSWACygnetStreamer?timestamp=…
NOAA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wsa-enlil/
NOAA Bouys: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/
NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory: http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov/Default.php
RSOE: http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php [That cool alert map I use]
JAPAN Radiation Map: http://jciv.iidj.net/map/
LISS: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/monitoring/operations/heliplots_gsn.php
Gamma Ray Bursts: http://grb.sonoma.edu/ [Really? You can't figure out what this one is for?]
BARTOL Cosmic Rays: http://neutronm.bartol.udel.edu//spaceweather/welcome.html [Top left box, look for BIG blue circles]
TORCON: http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-torcon-index [Tornado Forecast for the day]
GOES Weather: http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/ [Clouds over America]
RAIN RECORDS: http://www.cocorahs.org/ViewData/ListIntensePrecipReports.aspx
EL DORADO WORLD WEATHER MAP: http://www.eldoradocountyweather.com/satellite/ssec/world/world-composite-ir-…
PRESSURE MAP: http://www.woweather.com/cgi-bin/expertcharts?LANG=us&MENU=0000000000&…
HURRICANE TRACKER: http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/tracker
INTELLICAST: http://www.intellicast.com/ [Weather site used by many youtubers]
NASA News: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/
PHYSORG: http://phys.org/ [GREAT News Site!]
2MIN News Sept 2. 2012: More Weather Records
Published on Sep 2, 2012 by Suspicious0bservers
TODAY’S LINKS
August Records: http://www.weather.com/news/weather-forecast/august-summer-records-20120901
Drought After Isaac: http://www.weather.com/news/miss-river-drought-shipping-20120901
Rain Records: http://www.cocorahs.org/ViewData/ListIntensePrecipReports.aspx
Whale Deaths: http://web.orange.co.uk/article/news/pilot_whale_pod_dies_after_florida_stran…
REPEAT LINKS
Spaceweather: http://spaceweather.com/ [Look on the left at the X-ray Flux and Solar Wind Speed/Density]
HAARP: http://www.haarp.alaska.edu/haarp/data.html [Click online data, and have a little fun]
SDO: http://sdo.gsfc.nasa.gov/data/ [Place to find Solar Images and Videos - as seen from earth]
SOHO: http://sohodata.nascom.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/soho_movie_theater [SOHO; Lasco and EIT - as seen from earth]
Stereo: http://stereo.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/images [Stereo; Cor, EUVI, HI - as seen from the side]
SunAEON:http://www.sunaeon.com/#/solarsystem/ [Just click it... trust me]
SOLARIMG: http://solarimg.org/artis/ [All purpose data viewing site]
iSWA: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov/iswa/iSWA.html [Free Application; for advanced sun watchers]
NASA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://iswa.gsfc.nasa.gov:8080/IswaSystemWebApp/iSWACygnetStreamer?timestamp=…
NOAA ENLIL SPIRAL: http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/wsa-enlil/
NOAA Bouys: http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/
NOAA Environmental Visualization Laboratory: http://www.nnvl.noaa.gov/Default.php
RSOE: http://hisz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/index2.php [That cool alert map I use]
JAPAN Radiation Map: http://jciv.iidj.net/map/
LISS: http://earthquake.usgs.gov/monitoring/operations/heliplots_gsn.php
Gamma Ray Bursts: http://grb.sonoma.edu/ [Really? You can't figure out what this one is for?]
BARTOL Cosmic Rays: http://neutronm.bartol.udel.edu//spaceweather/welcome.html [Top left box, look for BIG blue circles]
TORCON: http://www.weather.com/news/tornado-torcon-index [Tornado Forecast for the day]
GOES Weather: http://rsd.gsfc.nasa.gov/goes/ [Clouds over America]
RAIN RECORDS: http://www.cocorahs.org/ViewData/ListIntensePrecipReports.aspx
EL DORADO WORLD WEATHER MAP: http://www.eldoradocountyweather.com/satellite/ssec/world/world-composite-ir-…
PRESSURE MAP: http://www.woweather.com/cgi-bin/expertcharts?LANG=us&MENU=0000000000&…
HURRICANE TRACKER: http://www.weather.com/weather/hurricanecentral/tracker
INTELLICAST: http://www.intellicast.com/ [Weather site used by many youtubers]
NASA News: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/
PHYSORG: http://phys.org/ [GREAT News Site!]
Solar storms can destabilize power grids at mid-latitudes
The Sun is capable of disrupting electrical systems on Earth in a variety of ways, from solar flares and coronal mass ejections to proton storms. Typically, it is only objects far above the Earth’s surface, or systems at high altitudes at polar latitudes, that are considered at risk except during the most powerful storms. Notable recent examples include solar activity during March 1989 and October 2003 (the “Halloween Storms”), which knocked out power in Quebec, Canada, and Sweden, respectively. Research by Marshall et al., however, finds that even a moderate event can have destructive effects far from the typical regions of concern.Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2012-08-solar-storms-destabilize-power-grids.html#jCp
CHANCE OF FLARES:
MAGNIFICENT ERUPTION:
A filament of magnetism curling around the sun’s southeastern limb erupted on August 31st, producing a coronal mass ejection (CME), a C8-class solar flare, and one of the most beautiful movies ever recorded by NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory:
The explosion hurled a CME away from the sun traveling faster than 500 km/s (1.1 million mph). The cloud, shown here, is not heading directly toward Earth, but it could deliver a glancing blow to our planet’s magnetic field on or about September 3rd. This date is preliminary and may be changed in response to more data from coronagraphs on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO). Stay tuned.
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Space
Earth approaching objects (objects that are known in the next 30 days) |
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| Object Name | Apporach Date | Left | AU Distance | LD Distance | Estimated Diameter* | Relative Velocity | |||
| (2012 HG31) | 03rd September 2012 | 0 day(s) | 0.0716 | 27.9 | 440 m – 990 m | 10.33 km/s | 37188 km/h | ||
| (2012 PX) | 04th September 2012 | 1 day(s) | 0.0452 | 17.6 | 61 m – 140 m | 9.94 km/s | 35784 km/h | ||
| (2012 EH5) | 05th September 2012 | 2 day(s) | 0.1613 | 62.8 | 38 m – 84 m | 9.75 km/s | 35100 km/h | ||
| (2011 EO11) | 05th September 2012 | 2 day(s) | 0.1034 | 40.2 | 9.0 m – 20 m | 8.81 km/s | 31716 km/h | ||
| (2007 PS25) | 06th September 2012 | 3 day(s) | 0.0497 | 19.3 | 23 m – 52 m | 8.50 km/s | 30600 km/h | ||
| 329520 (2002 SV) | 08th September 2012 | 5 day(s) | 0.1076 | 41.9 | 300 m – 670 m | 9.17 km/s | 33012 km/h | ||
| (2011 ES4) | 10th September 2012 | 7 day(s) | 0.1792 | 69.8 | 20 m – 44 m | 12.96 km/s | 46656 km/h | ||
| (2008 CO) | 11th September 2012 | 8 day(s) | 0.1847 | 71.9 | 74 m – 160 m | 4.10 km/s | 14760 km/h | ||
| (2007 PB8) | 14th September 2012 | 11 day(s) | 0.1682 | 65.5 | 150 m – 340 m | 14.51 km/s | 52236 km/h | ||
| 226514 (2003 UX34) | 14th September 2012 | 11 day(s) | 0.1882 | 73.2 | 260 m – 590 m | 25.74 km/s | 92664 km/h | ||
| (1998 QC1) | 14th September 2012 | 11 day(s) | 0.1642 | 63.9 | 310 m – 700 m | 17.11 km/s | 61596 km/h | ||
| (2002 EM6) | 15th September 2012 | 12 day(s) | 0.1833 | 71.3 | 270 m – 590 m | 18.56 km/s | 66816 km/h | ||
| (2002 RP137) | 16th September 2012 | 13 day(s) | 0.1624 | 63.2 | 67 m – 150 m | 7.31 km/s | 26316 km/h | ||
| (2009 RX4) | 16th September 2012 | 13 day(s) | 0.1701 | 66.2 | 15 m – 35 m | 8.35 km/s | 30060 km/h | ||
| (2005 UC) | 17th September 2012 | 14 day(s) | 0.1992 | 77.5 | 280 m – 640 m | 7.55 km/s | 27180 km/h | ||
| (2012 FC71) | 18th September 2012 | 15 day(s) | 0.1074 | 41.8 | 24 m – 53 m | 3.51 km/s | 12636 km/h | ||
| (1998 FF14) | 19th September 2012 | 16 day(s) | 0.0928 | 36.1 | 210 m – 480 m | 21.40 km/s | 77040 km/h | ||
| 331990 (2005 FD) | 19th September 2012 | 16 day(s) | 0.1914 | 74.5 | 320 m – 710 m | 15.92 km/s | 57312 km/h | ||
| (2009 SH2) | 24th September 2012 | 21 day(s) | 0.1462 | 56.9 | 28 m – 62 m | 7.52 km/s | 27072 km/h | ||
| 333578 (2006 KM103) | 25th September 2012 | 22 day(s) | 0.0626 | 24.4 | 250 m – 560 m | 8.54 km/s | 30744 km/h | ||
| (2002 EZ2) | 26th September 2012 | 23 day(s) | 0.1922 | 74.8 | 270 m – 610 m | 6.76 km/s | 24336 km/h | ||
| (2009 SB170) | 29th September 2012 | 26 day(s) | 0.1789 | 69.6 | 200 m – 440 m | 32.39 km/s | 116604 km/h | ||
| (2011 OJ45) | 29th September 2012 | 26 day(s) | 0.1339 | 52.1 | 18 m – 39 m | 4.24 km/s | 15264 km/h | ||
| (2012 JS11) | 30th September 2012 | 27 day(s) | 0.0712 | 27.7 | 270 m – 600 m | 12.60 km/s | 45360 km/h | ||
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Milky Way Locked In A Complex Cosmic Dance With Its Twin Galaxies -
New Rare Discovery
MessageToEagle.com – A group of astronomers made a rare and fascinating discovery, searching for groups of galaxies similar to ours in the most detailed map of the local Universe yet.
The Milky Way is a fairly typical galaxy on its own, but when paired with its close neighbours – the Magellanic Clouds – it is very rare, and could have been one of a kind, until a survey of our local Universe found another two examples just like us.
| “We’ve never found another galaxy system like the Milky Way before, which is not surprising considering how hard they are to spot! It’s only recently become possible to do the type of analysis that lets us find similar groups,” says Dr Aaron Robotham, University of Western Australia who worked along with colleagues from International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) and the University of St Andrews in Scotland“Everything had to come together at once: we needed telescopes good enough to detect not just galaxies but their faint companions, we needed to look at large sections of the sky, and most of all we needed to make sure no galaxies were missed in the survey”
Sophisticated simulations of how galaxies form don’t produce many examples similar to the Milky Way and its surrounds, predicting them to be quite a rare occurrence.
|
Astronomers haven’t been able to tell just how rare until now, with the discovery of not just one but two exact matches amongst the hundreds of thousands of galaxies surveyed.
An artist’s concept of how the Milky Way is stripping gas from the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. Credit: Dallas Parr (CSIRO)
“We found about 3% of galaxies similar to the Milky Way have companion galaxies like the Magellanic Clouds, which is very rare indeed. In total we found 14 galaxy systems that are similar to ours, with two of those being an almost exact match,” says Dr Robotham.
The Milky Way is locked in a complex cosmic dance with its close companions the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds, which are clearly visible in the southern hemisphere night sky. Many galaxies have smaller galaxies in orbit around them, but few have two that are as large as the Magellanic Clouds.
This image shows one of the two ‘exact matches’ to the Milky Way system found in the survey. The larger galaxy, denoted GAMA202627, which is similar to the Milky Way clearly has two large companions off to the bottom left of the image. In this image bluer colours indicate hotter, younger, stars like many of those that are found in our galaxy. Image Credit: Dr Aaron Robotham, ICRAR/St Andrews using GAMA data.
Dr Robotham’s work also found that although companions like the Magellanic Clouds are rare, when they are found they’re usually near a galaxy very like the Milky Way, meaning we’re in just the right place at the right time to have such a great view in our night sky.
The 3.9 meter Anglo-Australian Telescope is collecting optical galaxy data for the GAMA survey. Credits: Barnaby Morris
“The galaxy we live in is perfectly typical, but the nearby Magellenic Clouds are a rare, and possibly short-lived, occurrence. We should enjoy them whilst we can, they’ll only be around for a few billion more years,” adds Dr Robotham.
Dr Robotham and colleagues have been awarded further time on telescopes in New South Wales and Chile to study these Milky Way twin systems now that they’ve been found.
The Galaxy and Mass Assembly (GAMA) survey is an international collaboration led from ICRAR and the Australian Astronomical Observatory to map our local Universe in closer detail.
Research has been presented at the International Astronomical Union General Assembly in Beijing.
© MessageToEagle.com
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Biological Hazards / Wildlife
US experts probe beaching that killed 17 whales
Only five of the 22 pilot whales survived after beaching themselves Saturday morning at Avalon Beach State Park Enlarge US scientists are to investigate what led 22 whales to beach themselves in Florida—killing 17 of them—one of three such incidents in North America over the weekend. US scientists are to investigate what led 22 whales to beach themselves in Florida—killing 17 of them—one of three such incidents in North America over the weekend. Ads by Google Criminal Justice – Discover South University’s Strong Academic Heritage. Apply Today! – http://www.SouthUniversity.edu The dead whales will be “dispersed at different labs across Florida for necropsy,” or animal autopsies, Blair Mase, regional stranding coordinator for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, told AFP on Sunday. Only five of the 22 pilot whales survived after beaching themselves Saturday morning at Avalon Beach State Park, on the east coast of Florida, despite efforts by volunteers and experts to save the group. So far, it is unclear why the whales swam ashore. Mase said experts would collect data to try to find out why the whales stranded themselves. The survivors, four juveniles and one calf, are “stable” and “swimming on their own,” Mase said. They are currently at the Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute and will likely be transported later to SeaWorld in Orlando. However, two other groups of whales swam onto beaches in North America—one in Cape Cod on Saturday and another in Canada on Sunday—an occurrence that Mase said merited further investigation. “It’s very interesting that we’re seeing all these mass strandings occur in North America right now,” she added. Pilot whales are tightly knit and sometimes swim on to beaches as a group when one of them is ill. In those cases, Mase told local media, it does not help to push the whales back into the water, because they tend to quickly swim back to shore again.
| 02.09.2012 | Biological Hazard | United Kingdom | Scotland, Saint-Andrews | |
|
Biological Hazard in United Kingdom on Sunday, 02 September, 2012 at 19:19 (07:19 PM) UTC.
| Description | |
| Sixteen pilot whales have died after beaching themselves on the east coast of Scotland, officials said on Sunday. Another 10 whales from the same pod also stranded themselves at Pittenweem, near St Andrews, but were refloated after being kept alive by vets from British Divers and Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) with help from the local fire and police services. Another 24 whales from the same pod were swimming in the shallows three miles along the coast, and experts were fearful that they could also be beached by the rising tide. The local coastguard was notified of the mass beaching at 07:00 am (0600 GMT) and there were soon 30 medics and 25 support crew from the emergency services on hand to try and save the six-metre (20 feet) long mammals. In the United States, 17 pilot whales died after beaching themselves Saturday morning at Avalon Beach State Park, on the east coast of Florida, despite efforts by volunteers and experts to save them. Two other groups of whales swam onto beaches in North America — one in Cape Cod on Saturday and another in Canada on Sunday. The causes of the events remained unclear. | |
| Biohazard name: | Whales on the ground – beached whales |
| Biohazard level: | 0/4 — |
| Biohazard desc.: | This does not included biological hazard category. |
| Symptoms: | |
| Status: | confirmed |
| 02.09.2012 | Biological Hazard | USA | State of California, Sacramento [Sutter Memorial Hospital] | |
|
Biological Hazard in USA on Sunday, 02 September, 2012 at 14:54 (02:54 PM) UTC.
| Description | |
| Two Sacramento families are filing legal action against Sutter Memorial Hospital after their infants tested positive for a bacteria spread by skin contact (MRSA) while in the hospital’s care. Moseley Collins, who is the attorney representing the families, alleges hospital staff failed to wash their hands while treating two children in the neonatal intensive care unit. One mother, Stacey Heard, gave birth to her son Aug. 15 at Sutter Memorial Hospital. The other mother, Lashanda Bey, gave birth to her daughter July 7. Both infants tested negative at birth when they were screened for MRSA but later tested positive, according to Collins. MRSA, or methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is resistant to many antibiotics. According to Sutter Memorial staff, 23 babies tested positive for MRSA at the time of discharge during the last two weeks. Dr. Stephen Butler, who is the NICU medical director, said the hospital routinely screens patients when they are discharged. He said this is the first time the hospital has seen a cluster of patients that screened positive for MRSA but he doesn’t know what caused the outbreak. Butler said MRSA has not caused any serious infections in the patients that went home or that are currently in the NICU. However, one baby required a topical antibiotic for what may have been a minor infection, according to Butler. Hospital staff isolated the positive patients to decrease the chances of transferring the bacteria to other babies who have not been colonized in the NICU. Collins alleges a physician touched a door knob then handled an infant after birth. Collins said the infant’s father was videotaping the birth and caught the incident on camera. Sutter Memorial Hospital will have 90 days to respond to the claim. | |
| Biohazard name: | MRSA |
| Biohazard level: | 3/4 Hight |
| Biohazard desc.: | Bacteria and viruses that can cause severe to fatal disease in humans, but for which vaccines or other treatments exist, such as anthrax, West Nile virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, SARS virus, variola virus (smallpox), tuberculosis, typhus, Rift Valley fever, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, yellow fever, and malaria. Among parasites Plasmodium falciparum, which causes Malaria, and Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes trypanosomiasis, also come under this level. |
| Symptoms: | |
| Status: | confirmed |
| 02.09.2012 | Biological Hazard | USA | State of Illinois, [Cook and Kane Counties] | |
Biological Hazard in USA on Sunday, 02 September, 2012 at 09:56 (09:56 AM) UTC.
| Description | |
| Hundreds of deer in the Chicago area have been killed by a virus previously unknown in the area. Roughly 200 deer in Cook County have died. Six suspected cases have been reported in Kane County. The disease is known as EHD, or epizootic hemorrhagic disease. It’s a virus that kills deer in about a week and is spread among them by bites from flies known as midges. The disease cannot be passed to humans or pets. He suspects the mild winter and hot summer helped it spread to northern Illinois. The first case was two weeks ago. | |
| Biohazard name: | EHD (epizootic hemorrhagic disease) |
| Biohazard level: | 1/4 Low |
| Biohazard desc.: | Bacteria and viruses including Bacillus subtilis, canine hepatitis, Escherichia coli, varicella (chicken pox), as well as some cell cultures and non-infectious bacteria. At this level precautions against the biohazardous materials in question are minimal, most likely involving gloves and some sort of facial protection. Usually, contaminated materials are left in open (but separately indicated) waste receptacles. Decontamination procedures for this level are similar in most respects to modern precautions against everyday viruses (i.e.: washing one’s hands with anti-bacterial soap, washing all exposed surfaces of the lab with disinfectants, etc). In a lab environment, all materials used for cell and/or bacteria cultures are decontaminated via autoclave. |
| Symptoms: | |
| Status: | confirmed |
| 01.09.2012 | Biological Hazard | Vietnam | Province of Quang Ngai, [Quang Ngai-wide] | |
|
Biological Hazard in Vietnam on Saturday, 01 September, 2012 at 11:11 (11:11 AM) UTC.
| Description | |
| The Quang Ngai provincial People’s Committee declared on August 31 that a bird flu epidemic has swept through 23 hamlets in 17 communes of five districts across the province. All of the nearly 80 blood samples sent from these localities tested positive for the A/H5N1 virus, prompting local authorities have culled 58,000 infected fowl. The provincto e is implementing strict measures to control the illegal slaughter and transport of poultry to prevent the disease spreading wider. The provincial Department of Animal Health has provided one million doses of vaccine to protect poultry in seven neighbouring districts and towns. | |
| Biohazard name: | Highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (H5N1) |
| Biohazard level: | 4/4 Hazardous |
| Biohazard desc.: | Viruses and bacteria that cause severe to fatal disease in humans, and for which vaccines or other treatments are not available, such as Bolivian and Argentine hemorrhagic fevers, H5N1(bird flu), Dengue hemorrhagic fever, Marburg virus, Ebola virus, hantaviruses, Lassa fever, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever, and other hemorrhagic or unidentified diseases. When dealing with biological hazards at this level the use of a Hazmat suit and a self-contained oxygen supply is mandatory. The entrance and exit of a Level Four biolab will contain multiple showers, a vacuum room, an ultraviolet light room, autonomous detection system, and other safety precautions designed to destroy all traces of the biohazard. Multiple airlocks are employed and are electronically secured to prevent both doors opening at the same time. All air and water service going to and coming from a Biosafety Level 4 (P4) lab will undergo similar decontamination procedures to eliminate the possibility of an accidental release. |
| Symptoms: | |
| Status: | confirmed |
|
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[In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit, for research and/or educational purposes. This constitutes 'FAIR USE' of any such copyrighted material.]
Courtesy Photo | Derek DennisWaterspouts formed over Lake Michigan near Holland on July 27. Similar phenomena were spotted on Saturday morning off South Haven.
Sue Ogrocki / AP
Reuters
Sarah Phipps / AP
The March 2011 earthquake and tsunami contributed to pushing life expectancy figures down
Fatima Domingpe applies sunscreen to her face near the Mosaic Fountain in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland, on Saturday, July 7. A record heat wave has been in the area for more than a week.
