Children attending the Chhangzhou Foreign Languages School north of Shanghai have been poisoned by a cocktail of toxic chemicals. Students and staff moved to a new campus in September 2015. Recently 641 of the students were examined by physicians. 493 were recommended for medical treatment. Some of the students were suffering from fairly mild ailments like eczema and bronchitis, but others were sick with lymphoma and leukemia. It has been established that the new campus was built on what is called a “brownfield” site, one that is known to have had some chemical pollution but is not heavily poisoned. The site was formerly occupied by three chemical factories, now closed. A former factory worker admitted that the factory that he worked at dumped toxic waste into the local river and buried other poisons. Investigations into the site have shown that chlorobenzene is present at a level about 100 000(yes it is one hundred thousand) times greater than what is considered safe. It is known to damage liver, kidney and nervous system. In addition it is a carcinogen. In addition, high levels of carbofurans, methomyl(pesticide), carbon tetrachloride, mercury, lead and cadmium have been found on the site. Professors specializing in environmental issues told CCTV the environmental assessment report that justified the construction of the new campus did not look for pesticides. And they said that builders had used heavily polluted groundwater during the construction process. China Daily Already it seems that the official news sites are downplaying the seriousness of the incident. A quick check of the Xinhhua news site yielded a “cannot connect” result. China is in trouble after years of flagrant pollution by factories. The Chinese environmental minister revealed last week that 80% of their ground water, including shallow and artesian wells, is unfit for human consumption. Sources: The Guardian China Daily
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Cattle raiders have crossed the Ethiopian border with South Sudan to kill and steal. On Friday last, armed men crossed into Ethiopia on a cattle raid. They have left 208 people dead at last count. In addition they have kidnapped over 100 children and stolen about 2000 head of livestock. While cattle raiding has taken place in the past, the scale of this raid and the brutality of it are unprecedented. Thousands of heavily armed men attacked 10 villages. While some authorities state that the S. Sudan rebels or military were not involved, it has been reported that most of the raiders were wearing military uniforms. A spokesman for the Ethiopian government has stated that the military has killed 60 of the raiders and has crossed the S. Sudan border in pursuit of the rustlers. The state communication minister stated that the group from S. Sudan was of one ethnic group and they were targeting a different group. You might ask why the raiders would burden themselves with children. The area has a long history of holding captives as slaves. People are bought to use as free labour. Many of the girls and women captures are also sexually abused. Cattle in the region are local currency. They indicate wealth and status. Since the particularly nasty civil war in S. Sudan began the raids have turned increasingly deadly as more and more lethal weapons have proliferated. Most of the raids are conducted between hostile ethnic groups. The theft of the children and the slaughter of the people have made the survival of those left even more tenuous than before. Ethiopia is facing famine because of the long lasting drought which has ruined most crops. It has been estimated that over 10 million people need food aid now. Sources: Al Jazeera The Guardian All Africa News Anti War. Com Japan was hit with two strong earthquakes this week. Thursday a 6.4 hit killing some and damaging many houses in the Kyushu District and it was hit early in the morning on Saturday with a 7.3 shaking. More buildings collapsed and extensive damage was done. The earthquakes were shallow which makes them very destructive. A tsunami warning was issued but later retracted. The 7.3 quake was the most destructive in Japan since 1995 which struck Kobe, killing 6ooo people. At least 41 people are confirmed dead. Thousands of people were injured seriously enough to need medical care and many people are believed trapped inside collapsed structures. Aid has rushed to the sites most severely affected. Both police and military have been dispatched. They are having to deal with nearly 100 000 displaced people, injured, fires, power outages, landslides and damaged roads. Even nature seems against them as stormy weather has moved in to soak those sleeping out doors. Coincidentally a nearby volcano had a small eruption Mount Aso. Part of the fault that slipped points toward it. Experts cannot as yet tell if they are connected. Initial reports regarding the Sendai nuclear plant have judged it undamaged. Japan is on the Pacific Ring of Fire which is a series of faults bordering the Pacific Plate which is moving. The movement causes volcanic eruptions and earthquakes. Experts in Japan predict that even greater quakes may hit the region. Nagoya professor Yashiro Suzuki spoke about the Futagawa-Hinagu fault line and is quoted below. “That fault is so big experts have said it could trigger a magnitude-8 earthquake,” Suzuki told The Japan Times Saturday. Also this week: Breaking news today, Sunday - Ecuador earthquake of 7.8 magnitude kills dozens Myanmar Earthquake: Several Houses Damaged, Over 30 Injured In Manipur Sources: BBC Japan Times France joins Spain and Italy in banning the importation of cherries that have been treated with dimethoate, an organophosphate insecticide. It is widely used in many countries to control insects, worms and mites. It is part of a huge family of poisons that target the nerve transmissions in insect pests and, unfortunately also can poison many unintended species. Dimethoate is very toxic to bees, birds, amphibians, fish and mammals(which includes humans). In humans, the pesticide may enter the body by skin contact, inhalation or ingestion. The organophosphates are efficient killers of insects and are routinely used on many food crops. Tiny amounts may be left as residues on fruits and vegetables destined for kitchens. The EPA lists pages of these efficient killers. Some have been banned for use in the USA. More have been banned in the EU and more countries are tightening the regulations regarding their use. Thirty-six of them are presently registered for use in the United States, and all can potentially cause acute and subacute toxicity. EPA While some health experts discount the health hazards of foods treated with dimethoate when applied according to recommended dosages, some food growing countries have developed reputations for ignoring safety cautions in order to increase production. When sprayed crops are cleaned, most dirt and pesticide residue is removed. Some remains and some fruits and vegetables retain more than others. An investigation was conducted by a team working for CNN found that the following list of produce seemed to retain a high level of crop spray. If you are concerned, you might consider choosing the organically grown versions of the following: Celery, peaches, strawberries, domestic blueberries, nectarines, sweet bell peppers, spinach, kale, collard greens, cherries, potatoes, imported grapes, lettuce. The banning of dimethoate treated cherries may be a movement by France, Spain and Italy to recognize the unintended bad consequences of the pesticide, or it may be a financial move aimed at protecting domestic cherry production. The three countries are the top producers of cherries in the EU. Sources: Wikimedia EPA CNN A violent incident occurred in Kenya when China accused some Taiwanese citizens in Kenya of a cyber-scam. They went to court in Kenya and were cleared of all charges. They were still held in jail. The Chinese government wanted a total of 23 people flown back to the PRC. The Taiwanese refused to go. The Kenyan police cooperated with the PRC officials to force the Taiwan citizens on planes to fly back to Beijing. A violent incident ensued involving tear gas and numerous police with automatic weapons. “They refused to cooperate with the deportation … so the police broke down the walls, using teargas, and then more than 10 police went in with assault rifles,” Chen told reporters in Taipei. The Guardian One of the persons deported carries an American passport. The USA and Taiwan have military agreements regarding the island's independence. A further 22 people have been detained in Kenya and may also be facing forcible removal to the PRC. This is not the only incident of forced extradition to China from Kenya. Twenty-two others are reported to have been whisked off to face Chinese justice. To help pay Nairobi for their expenses and trouble, it has also been reported that $600 million was paid by China. That is unconfirmed. While it is also unconfirmed, hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of aid have been funneled into Kenya from China. This has set off a diplomatic firestorm as China maintains that Taiwan, formerly called Nationalist China, is part of China and subject to their laws. They have stated that Taiwan is a renegade province and that there is one China. China has been exercising its updated military muscle in the S. China Sea, claiming territory there as well as installing military hardware to enforce its claims. It also claims islets that are claimed by Japan. Sources: The Guardian The Diplomat |
Barbara McPherson
Blogger, gardener, farmer. Working toward food security and a 30 foot
diet. Addicted to reading. Love this planet, especially my little corner
on Vancouver Island, Canada Archives
October 2016
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