Staff Reporter

Committee on Design reviews Galleria 89 proposal

March 17, 2022 by Staff Reporter

The Committee on Design has reviewed the proposal for Galleria 89, a mixed-use plan for a site at 8854 S. Commercial Ave. Located at the corner of E. 89th St and S. Commercial Ave, the project was the chosen winner of the South Chicago Invest South/West RFP. The winning proposal is being developed by 548 Development.

With a design coming from Rivetna Architects and Farr Associates, the mixed-use project will see the rehab of an existing structure and the new construction of a five-story building. The 100% affordable housing development will include a total of 58 units, with 12 in the renovated building and 46 in the new construction. The ground floor of each building will feature retail space, with Dollop Coffee leasing in the restored building and a bank branch intended for the new building.

Galleria 89Rivetna Architects and Farr Associates

Since the project was chosen for the RFP, the design has undergone multiple revisions. The massing reflects its context, using a two-part expression of a brick staggered base volume topped by a stepped aluminum-clad mass. The building holds the corner while the overall plan links the two buildings with a courtyard that gives access to both buildings’ residential entries.

Rising 72 feet, the new building has been planned to reach a passive house certification, becoming the city’s largest passive house structure. The project will use optimized windows, thermally broken balconies, and R-25 effective wall insulation to help achieve the status. The development will also improve indoor air quality by avoiding gas stoves and will be topped by solar panels on the roof.

While still undergoing design, the courtyard is being envisioned to have a sort of linear path through a grove of shade trees to access the residential entries. With the landscape design being led by Omni Workshop, the outdoor space will include outdoor seating for the coffee shop and an art wall at the back of the courtyard.

Galleria 89Omni Workshop

In the discussion portion, committee members expressed some concerns about the massing of the new construction. Anne Thompson expressed concerns about the top of the building, asking why the portion without fenestration was so large. The architects responded saying that it is currently there for the extra mechanicals needed for the passive house rating, but they also feel it is too heavy and are trying to solve it. Sara Beardsley agreed that the top felt too heavy and the lack of activity at the penthouse is not very desirable.

Committee members also expressed concern over the exterior material palette of the design. Reed Kroloff commented that the brick portion looked very literal and questioned why the design went further and further away from an abstract use of brick. The architects acknowledged the comment and said that they’re still working through facade studies and conceded that they may have gone too far to the literal side.

Brain Lee questioned whether this facade treatment was imposed by the planning department or if it came from the architects. Implying that the design was potentially disingenuous, he commented that there is a certain kind of confusion between the two parts of the facade as it starts to look like a new portion building on top of an existing brick base, which is not the case. The developer responded and conceded that this is a fair point to bring up. They discussed the different considerations of how far to go with the artistic expression, construction costs associated with the design, and needing to meet sustainability goals. They said it’s fair to challenge them with how much of a push and pull there should be with the design and that a middle ground would be best for the ultimate design of the form.

Galleria 89Rivetna Architects and Farr Associates

Committee members also discussed the project’s courtyard and its viability. Juan Moreno criticized the plan’s lack of a clear entry for both residential components, stating that the development team needs to consider the sense of entry and it is currently hard to see or find the entrances. Renauld Mitchell encouraged the development team to consider concerns about personal safety in the courtyard and think of sightlines in the space. The team commented that security is one of their top priorities and they want to make a safe space without prohibiting access. Hana Ishikawa brought up concerns about outdoor furnishings and whether they would be moveable or stationary, with different concerns associated with either option. A representative from Omni Workshop commented that they have been having conversations about the decision about seating options and final decisions have yet to be made.

With comments from the Committee on Design, the project will move forward through the approval and review process. It is unclear to what extent the project will need city approvals, but a hearing in front of the Community Development Commission is likely, since the project includes a currently city-owned lot. A timeline for the project has not been announced.

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Wondercide Expands Line of Plant-Powered Pest Protection for Pets and Home

March 17, 2022 by Staff Reporter

New offerings add convenience and layers of defense against fleas, ticks, mosquitoes & flies

Mosquito & Fly Aerosol Spray, Flea & Tick Collar, Flea & Tick Shampoo and Flea & Tick Spot On

AUSTIN, Texas, March 17, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Wondercide, the leader in safe and effective pest protection for pets, people, homes, and yards, announced a new lineup of plant-powered products debuting this spring. The first to launch was the Mosquito & Fly aerosol spray ($12.99 MSRP), and now through April, three new products expand the company’s Flea & Tick offering for dogs and cats. Flea & Tick Shampoo ($19.99 MSRP), Flea & Tick Collar ($19.99 MSRP), and Flea & Tick Spot On ($19.99). These new solutions continue the Wondercide approach to Treat Nature with Nature™.

NEW Mosquito & Fly Product

For indoor and outdoor use, the Mosquito & Fly is a plant-powered aerosol spray designed to quickly kill mosquitoes and flies, with the ability to kill over 20 other bothersome bugs, such as drain flies, fruit flies, gnats, and more.

Powered by geraniol and lemongrass oil, this spray kills by contact and, when used as directed, is safe to use around kids and pets. The aerosol is propelled by carbon dioxide (CO2) and does not emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or lower indoor air quality. Once empty, the container is recyclable. Available now at Wondercide.com and Amazon.com.

NEW Flea & Tick Products

The entire lineup of the new Flea & Tick products features natural cedarwood and peppermint oil with a fresh peppermint scent. In further innovation, the Flea & Tick Collar and Flea & Tick Spot On offer pet parents added convenience and a safe alternative to conventional spot drops and collars when used as directed. Flea & Tick Spot On, Collar, and Shampoo will be available for purchase online at Wondercide.com, Amazon.com, Chewy.com, and pet specialty retailers in the U.S.

The Flea & Tick Shampoo is Wondercide’s first liquid shampoo. Made for dogs and cats four months or older, it kills fleas and ticks by contact and repels them, making the shampoo an excellent first step in treating an active infestation or as part of an ongoing flea-and-tick maintenance routine. The shampoo is free of sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and helps soothe itchy skin from bug bites.
Flea & Tick Collar comes in two versions – one for dogs (up to 23″ neck) and one for cats (up to 13″ neck). The water-resistant collars are designed for pets four months or older and offer up to four months of continuous protection against fleas and ticks, up to one month of protection against mosquitoes. The collars feature a breakaway safety feature that will protect pets if a bit too much tension is applied.
Flea & Tick Spot On is designed for dogs and cats three months or older. Each box contains three monthly applications. One size is available for cats, while three sizes in small, medium and large are available for dogs. Each water-resistant monthly application repels mosquitoes for up to seven days in addition to repelling fleas and ticks for up to 30 days.

Story continues

With the new product offerings, Wondercide customers can be worry-free in 1-2-3.

Kill fleas and ticks on your pet with Flea & Tick Shampoo and Flea & Tick Pets + Home spray, the original flea-and-tick solution.
Repel and prevent fleas and ticks on your pet with Flea & Tick Collar or Flea & Tick Spot On.
Maintain control indoors with Flea & Tick Pets + Home and outdoors with Flea & Tick Yard + Garden spray.

As with all Wondercide products, these new solutions are powered by plants and safe to use around kids when used as directed. Mosquito & Fly Spray, Flea & Tick Shampoo, Flea & Tick Spot Collar, and Flea & Tick Spot On are 25b products (deemed by the EPA to be “minimum risk” to humans and the environment) and cruelty-free, tested only on the bugs they’re designed to eliminate. All packaging is recyclable including the aerosol once empty.

“When you love someone, you do everything in your power to protect them. I founded Wondercide because I knew there had to be a better way to protect my dog Luna, and help other families keep their loved ones protected,” said Stephanie Boone, Founder and CEO of Wondercide. “These new products add extra layers of plant-derived protection, while the Collar and Spot On deliver convenience to busy pet parents. They are easy to use and will help make life better for Packs of every kind, everywhere.”

To date, Wondercide has protected over 1.5 million families and counting! For more information visit www.wondercide.com.

About Wondercide

Founded in 2009 and as seen on Shark Tank in 2016, Wondercide is an Austin, TX company on a mission to protect pets, families, homes, and yards from pests like fleas, ticks, and mosquitoes with safe, plant-based, proven-to-work solutions. The signature line of products is powered by steam-distilled, natural essential oils. Wondercide is woman-founded, family-friendly, and USA-made with US and global components. Wondercide is driven by Fierce Love® to help you Protect Your Pack® and is available for purchase on Wondercide.com, Amazon.com, Chewy.com, and at select pet-specialty retail stores nationwide.

For Press Inquiries, please contact: [email protected]

Related Images

Image 1: Mosquito & Fly Aerosol Spray, Flea & Tick Collar, Flea & Tick Shampoo and Flea & Tick Spot On

Wondercide expands their line of plant-powered pest protection for pets and home, featuring new solutions that continue the Wondercide approach to Treat Nature with Nature™.

This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

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Uttar Pradesh: 11 lakh families got piped water supply in 4 years | Lucknow News

March 17, 2022 by Staff Reporter

LUCKNOW: Highlighting the success it has achieved in the implementation of the piped water scheme under Namami Gange and the rural drinking water supply department, the UP government has said that it has managed to provide tap water to almost 11 lakh families in the past four years.
Principal secretary (Namami Gange) Anurag Srivastava said clean drinking water has been made available to 10,89,844 houses spread across 5,000 villages in 65 districts.
Srivastava said nearly 11 lakh households included 92,358 in Muzaffarnagar, 78,657 in Kushinagar, 14,553 in Kannauj, 45,363 in Gorakhpur and 32,865 in Deoria which have started receiving pure drinking water. “The state government spent Rs 1,033 crore on this project in 2017-18, Rs 1,192 crore in 2018-19 and Rs 1,058 crore in 2019-20. The department is in the last stages of finalising the plan to connect thousands of villages of Bundelkhand and Vindhya with water supply from December. Projects under Jal Jivan Mission are being rolled out and water should be available in these regions within three months,” Srivastava said.
He said the goal of the government is to supply pure drinking water to every household in rural areas and to achieve that target, departments were working at a fast pace. An official at Jal Jivan Mission said the government’s focus in prioritising supply was on districts where clean drinking water was not available in rural areas and disease were being reported as a result of contaminated water.
“Not only are new schemes being implemented but the government is renewing old schemes which had been left incomplete under previous governments. As part of that, old infrastructure is being repaired and refurbished, older channels are being de-silted and re-boring of tubewells is being done. In the next few days, we will be able to connect the villages of Bundelkhand and Vindhya regions with water supply,” the official said.
He said new water treatment plants were also under construction where water from nearby dams would be supplied to villages in Bundelkhand.
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New federal ventilation guidelines mark next step in fight against COVID

March 17, 2022 by Staff Reporter

The Biden administration will announce new building ventilation standards for schools and businesses on Thursday — a welcome step for experts who feel the U.S. has long been behind the curve on using air filtration as a valuable tool to fight COVID-19.

The new guidance, the latest addition to President Joe Biden’s recent COVID-19 plan, is the first time such a standard has been created at the national level, synthesizing expert guidance on how clean air can prevent the spread of illness.

The new recommendations, which will be rolled out by the Environmental Protection Agency, urge all building owners and operators to hit four main steps in the form of a detailed “checklist” to ultimately get more fresh air in.

“It’s a two-page document. It’s written in plain language, very straightforward,” Mary Wall, a senior policy adviser at the White House, told ABC News. “We think this is an action list that really all buildings can draw from.”

The checklist includes tasks that cost money, like hiring an expert in HVAC systems to assess the building or adding extra ventilation to “higher risk areas,” like a school nurses office, but also immediate, low-effort advice like opening windows and doors at opposite sides of a room to allow for “cross ventilation.”

A student raises her hand during a third grade class at Highland Elementary School in Las Cruces, New Mexico, March 4, 2022.

In the next few weeks, the White House will also announce a recognition program, Wall said, which will award buildings for their ventilation systems, similar to LEED certification awards for sustainable buildings.

Experts like Dr. Joseph Allen, director of the Healthy Buildings Program at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, say the new guidance will be a necessary part of the country’s COVID-19 response.

“The thing I think that is most important about this is the White House is using its pulpit to drive home the message that clean air and buildings matter. That sounds simple, but it’s actually long overdue,” said Allen, who advised the White House on the policy and has publicly pushed for greater focus on ventilation since early in the pandemic.

While it could have been helpful over the last two years, this is a particularly good moment to turn attention toward ventilation, Allen said, because it can be “operating all the time, in the background,” even as masking has become a personal choice.

It also comes at a time when Americans are enjoying relaxed coronavirus measures, but cautiously eying a rise in cases in Europe and China from a more transmissible strain of omicron called the BA.2 variant that is expected to soon hit the U.S. to the same effect.

“We should take this reprieve. We’re certainly gonna get another curveball in the future. When, where or what that looks like is undetermined, but we should be ready,” Allen said. “These are improvements we could be making — getting our buildings ready.”

The Biden administration has no way to enforce the recommendations, though some experts sees it as a strong first step.

A sign reminds students of the mask requirement, Aug. 30, 2021, on the first day of school at Kenwood Academy in Chicago.

David Michaels, another adviser on the plan and a former head of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, acknowledged that the federal government has no authority over indoor air, but compared this step to how the ban on indoor smoking became widespread in the early 2000s, despite no national laws in place.

“This will push states and cities to issue indoor rules just as they did on tobacco smoke,” said Michaels, who is also a professor at George Washington University.

No new federal funding has been set aside to encourage buildings to upgrade their ventilation.

Wall pointed to existing funding streams, including the $122 billion allocated to schools through the American Rescue Plan for coronavirus relief and money in the infrastructure legislation Biden signed in November, as resources to help pay for improvements.

The White House intends the latest EPA standards to “re-raise this as an important priority,” Wall said, particularly for schools that haven’t yet been able to invest in better ventilation.

“I think that this is something that people haven’t been as focused on, but that it can be very effective in reducing COVID spread,” Wall said.

Proponents of improving the nation’s indoor air quality also point to “decades of benefits that go beyond COVID.”

In schools, better air quality has been shown to impact student test performance in math and reading. It’s also led to reduced asthma attacks and fewer absences, Allen said.

On the business front, studies have shown fewer workers call out sick, higher cognitive function and better productivity. Allen, in his research, estimated the benefit of good air quality to be about $7,000 per person, per year, before COVID.

“We should have been doing this all along. But in terms of why now with COVID, we should be prepared for whatever comes next,” Allen said.

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Jya launches state-of-the-art air purifiers

March 17, 2022 by Staff Reporter

Sensirion Holding AG / Key word(s): Miscellaneous
17.03.2022 / 10:18

Media Release
17 March 2022, Sensirion AG, 8712 Stäfa, Schweiz

Sensirion inside: Jya launches state-of-the-art air purifiers

Sensirion is proud to announce that Smartmi Tech’s high-end air purifier brand Jya relies on Sensirion environmental sensors for its Fjord series air purifiers designed to measure VOCs (volatile organic compounds), temperature and humidity. The air purifiers in the Fjord series help to reliably monitor and efficiently clean indoor air, improving people’s health and wellbeing.

Stäfa, Switzerland – There are growing concerns about air pollution levels, both outdoors and indoors. Good air quality is a key component of healthy living, since long-term exposure to polluted air can lead to permanent health issues. Air in enclosed spaces can even be more polluted than outdoor air because indoor air is not circulated as much as outdoor air. Considering that people spent most of their time indoors, it is essential to eliminate air pollutants to improve indoor air quality and thus well-being.

And that’s where Jya’s Fjord series comes in. Jya now is now offering the Fjord and Fjord Pro air purifiers that impress with their sophisticated design and efficiently remove concentrations of air pollutants to provide clean air indoors. Both devices are packed with innovative features and smart technologies designed to detect not only temperature and humidity but also other important air pollutants such as particulate matter (PM2.5/PM10 – like bacteria, smoke, dust, pet dander, pollen, etc.) and VOCs (gases, odors, etc.). The Jya Fjord has a clean air delivery rate (CADR) of 450 m3/h, cleaning air in up to 54 m2 (581 sq. ft.) every hour, while the Pro version has a CADR of 550 m3/h, cleaning air in up to 62 m2 (667 sq. ft.). They protect against 99.95% of all kinds of invisible harmful substances, giving the device compelling performance, outstanding purification capabilities and excellent efficiency. The key air quality data is shown on an HD OLED touchscreen display with touch controls that toggle through different stats, making it easy to identify the indoor air quality conditions or switch to different operating modes. The devices can also work as standalone solutions and automatically with the built-in air quality sensors that auto-adjust the running speed. Thanks to the Smartmi Link app, the Jya air purifiers are compatible with all major smart home systems such as Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant and Apple HomeKit.

“As the importance of good air quality and the use of air purifiers is increasing, sensor technologies are playing a crucial role in emerging scenarios. Thanks to Sensirion’s high-quality and exceptionally accurate environmental sensors, our air treatment devices can constantly and reliably monitor various indoor air pollutants and efficiently improve indoor air quality,” says Dai Xin, Head of R&D at Jya.

The air purifiers in Jya’s Fjord series rely on Sensirion’s innovative environmental sensors, such as the VOC sensor and the humidity and temperature sensor. Sensirion’s environmental sensor solutions provide detailed and highly reliable information about relevant environmental parameters, all while enabling easy integration into applications for customers. Thanks to Sensirion’s smart sensor solutions, air purifiers can monitor air quality reliably and accurately, while operating automatically to increase energy efficiency and minimize power consumption.

“We are proud of the strong relationship we have formed with Jya and that we can count on them among our customers. Jya’s state-of-the-art air purifiers are the perfect application for our environmental sensors, offering highly reliable and accurate environmental monitoring. As two innovative companies, our goal is to enable smart and reliable applications that improve health and quality of life,” says Kang Wang, Area Sales Manager at Sensirion China Co. Ltd.

Jya’s Fjord series air purifiers are available now. Learn more about Jya at https://eu.jyalife.com/

For more information about Sensirion’s environmental sensors, please visit www.sensirion.com

About Sensirion – Experts for Environmental and Flow Sensor Solutions

Sensirion is one of the world’s leading developers and manufacturers of sensors and sensor solutions that improve efficiency, health, safety, and comfort. Founded in 1998, Sensirion now employs around 1’000 people at its headquarters in Stäfa, Switzerland and in numerous international subsidiaries. Sensirion sensors can be used to measure a wide range of environmental parameters and liquid flow rates precisely and reliably. The company’s aim is to make the world smarter with pioneering sensor technology. As a pioneer in innovation, Sensirion develops solutions for the specific needs of customers and partners from the automotive, industrial, medical technology and consumer electronics markets, as well as high-quality products for cost-efficient mass production. More information and current key figures at www.sensirion.com.

About Smartmi Tech – A Global Pioneer of Home Appliance Consumption Upgrade

Since the establishment of 2014, Smartmi has been committed to making heart-moving home appliances. By merging smart tech with home appliances, Smartmi focuses on creating high-quality products that help improve the quality of life for users. Smartmi has achieved No.1 shipment in the industry of air purifier in China throughout the years, while also has won G-mark Award, iF Design Award, Reddot Award and China’s Red Star Award multiple times. Through the products, Smartmi reshapes people’s lifestyle continuously. Here at Smartmi we take pride in releasing dozens of products with designs that exceeds the industry, quality that exceeds the standard, and user experience that exceeds expectation and chasing our vision of becoming a global pioneer in home appliance consumption upgrade.

About Jya

Jya, a professional purifier brand under Smartmi Tech, provide differentiated air purification solutions for families and businesses that pay attention to air health upon the technology accumulation and supply chain advantages of Smartmi Technology in this field. The brand gene of “Jya” originates from the in-depth understanding of air purification products by Smartmi Technology. Jya brings the ultimate experience of air purification to users through continuous leading technology application, innovative function design and consumption scenario development. It is a brand innovator promoting the upgrading of the industry. In the future, Jya will proactively explore innovative technologies and application scenarios in other frontier innovation fields of professional purification, to guard people’s home health environment and continuously meet people’s diversified needs for quality life.

Additional features:

File: Jya_Air_Purifiers_Fjord_Series

End of Media Release

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Covid 19 Omicron outbreak: Principal says virus has ‘without a doubt’ spread within school

March 17, 2022 by Staff Reporter

March 17 2022

There are 19,566 new community cases of Covid-19 and 930 people in hospital, including 23 in intensive care. Ten Covid-related deaths were announced today.

An intermediate principal says Omicron has spread between her students despite the school’s best efforts, with half of student Covid cases clustered in groups of close friends.

Henderson Intermediate principal Wendy Esera shut the school down two weeks ago as cases were shooting up.

While they were at home she tasked her teachers with analysing all the Covid cases in their classes.

They found there were 105 cases among the school’s 720 students.

Of those, 53 were clustered in groups of close friends.

READ MORE
• Covid outbreak linked to Wellington school camp, Ministry confirms
• Pandemic putting stress and pressure on teachers
• Nearly a million more RATs available for schools, ECEs
• Three in four schools now dealing with Omicron cases

Esera said it was hard to know for certain whether some of them could have caught it from each other outside of school – but there were definite instances where children with no positive household members, who had been nowhere but school, had brought it home.

Some staff had also “absolutely” caught Covid from their students.

“We’ve had staff who had nobody in their home at all. And then suddenly, there are six [positive] kids in the class with us – and then … the teacher by Saturday has also tested positive.”

Esera emphasised the students weren’t at fault.

“Children are very social creatures … it’s the sheer nature of children. Children touch one another. Children hug each other, children sit close and lean up against each other and, when they’re outside, they rough and tumble with each other.”

Those were the occasions when kids also would be laughing loudly or shouting. They might also have to take their mask off at times, such as when getting changed for PE.

The school had been doing “all the right things”, Esera said.

“We had the staggered break times. We’ve got all the kids wearing masks … we’ve had all the windows open, the doors.”

Henderson Intermediate principal Wendy Esera. Photo / Supplied

But with students back this week, they’ve tightened measures further.

Specialist classes like food tech have been paused to keep bubbles intact. Furniture in modern learning environments has been separated, and duty teachers are strictly policing children’s mask wearing when they’re outside with friends.

“Also I’m just really stressing the message with parents. Please don’t send your children to school if they are unwell.”

Year 7 and 8 students are at school on alternate days this week but will return full time next week as cases have dropped substantially.

Esera said she was also struck by the rates of Covid among non-boosted staff. Out of 61 staff, just eight were not boosted – and seven of those had caught Covid. Some of those seven were in the same class as a fully-boosted staff member who had avoided infection.

65,000 cases reported in schools, early learning centres

Henderson Intermediate is among the 87 per cent of Auckland schools that are currently dealing with at least one Covid case.

Across the whole country, schools and early learning services notified the Ministry of Education of 64,634 cases in the last 10 days, according to a snapshot of cases from 10.30am today.

Seventy-seven per cent of schools and 46 per cent of ECEs nationwide had notified at least one case in that period.

However the number in the city has fallen in recent days. In the past two days there were 1617 new cases in Auckland schools and ECEs – half the number (3240) that were notified in the same period a week ago.

In a statement accompanying today’s figures, the Ministry of Education’s head of operations Sean Teddy said schools and early learning services had layers of prevention in place to protect teachers, staff and children from Covid.

“Public health advice has remained consistent throughout the Covid-19 response that school/kura environments are a lower risk for transmission,” he said.

“We know that the more layers of protection in place (e.g., good hygiene practices, handwashing, ventilation, cleaning and disinfecting high touch areas regularly etc.), the harder it is for the virus to be transmitted.”

But Teddy said where there were cases in the community there would also be cases in schools.

“Where that does occur, schools/kura are following guidance from Health and the Ministry of Education and supporting those cases to stay at home.”

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‘You never know what’s in your water’: Two thirds of rural bore samples above cancer risk level for nitrates

March 17, 2022 by Staff Reporter

A rural Canterbury family has spent nearly $13,000 trying to make their drinking water safe, but their water-nitrate levels are still higher than they would like.

Greenpeace Aotearoa released the preliminary results of its mail-in nitrate water testing service on Thursday, which found two thirds of bores tested had nitrate levels above those linked to bowel cancer in an international study.

They tested 300 mail-in samples, including 237 from unique bore water supplies.

The results showed 68 per cent of those from bores were over the 0.87 milligrams per litre limit linked to bowel cancer in a major Danish study published in 2018.

READ MORE:
* Nitrates in drinking water could be killing 40 Kiwis each year, study finds
* Greenpeace offers mail-in free nitrate tests for bore drinking water
* Greenpeace to test drinking water in Temuka

Greenpeace’s testing also found five per cent exceeded the current drinking water standard of 11.3mg/litre.

The standard was set decades ago to avoid only one condition – blue baby syndrome, the potentially fatal disease methemoglobinemia in newborns aged up to three months – and was “hopelessly out of date” according to public health professor Michael Baker.

Of the samples sent in, 41 per cent were from Canterbury.

The average nitrate level in Canterbury samples was 3.51mg/litre. Of those tested, 68 per cent were above 0.87mg/litre, and six per cent were above 11.3mg/litre.

STACY SQUIRES/STUFF

Selwyn residents with private wells had the opportunity to test their nitrate levels in Darfield. Video first published in May 2021.

Iain Piper, who lives on a Leeston lifestyle block with wife Amy and their children, has spent thousands trying to have safe drinking water at home.

Amy Piper’s midwife first alerted them to the problem of nitrate in water when she was pregnant in 2015. They tested their drinking water bore and found nitrate levels of 12.6mg/litre.

Iain Piper said they started sourcing bottled water from nearby Southbridge.

In March 2021, they decided to retest their bore – and it came out at 17.5mg/litre.

Piper spent more than $10,000 drilling a new, deeper well on their property, and in May, they brought a sample to a Greenpeace testing session.

Greenpeace/Supplied

Iain Piper after learning their new well was still reading nitrate levels of 10.3mg/litre.

The new well was still reading nitrate levels of 10.3mg/litre.

“I just about burst into tears really.

“We’d been through this process… we had to borrow some money to do it. To have such a small difference between the old bore and the new bore, I was gutted.”

Earlier this week, after forking over another $2500 for a reverse osmosis machine, Piper had their water retested.

It read 11.4mg/litre straight from the bore, and 4.4mg/litre after running through the machine.

Piper said it wasn’t over yet, and the company that made the reverse osmosis machine was looking at factors that could be impacting how well it worked.

But he said this was an issue that could affect anyone.

“Christchurch’s water comes from bores, just like ours.

“You don’t 100 per cent know until you get those test results. It could happen in Christchurch, [or] Rolleston, or Woodend.

“You never know what’s in your water.”

Most nitrates in New Zealand’s water came from dairy farming runoff. Farmers used synthetic nitrogen fertilisers to add nutrients to the soil, some of which were then ingested by cows and excreted, making their way through the water system.

Supplied

Greenpeace spokesman Steve Abel thinks the level of nitrate-nitrogen allowed in drinking water is unsafe. (File photo)

Greenpeace campaigner Steve Abel said access to safe drinking water was a basic human right – but right now it was a postcode lottery for New Zealand rural households.

“Some people whose water we tested were brought to tears, others had spent thousands on filters and drilling deeper wells to try and decontaminate their water supplies of pollution from dairy farms in their region.

“This is a health justice issue.”

The National Environmental Standards Drinking Water review, which was currently under way, was “an opportunity to safeguard clean drinking water for all”, he said.

Greenpeace wanted the Government to address the main causes of water contamination in Aotearoa by banning synthetic nitrogen fertiliser, ending new dairy conversions, and setting stock limits for dairy cows.

Greenpeace/Supplied

Iain Piper has been testing water nitrate levels on his property since 2015.

In a statement, the Fertiliser Association said the farming sector was focused on using nitrogen well.

“Like any tool, they can be used wisely or unwisely in the wider context of good farm management.”

In the 2020 to 2021 year, manufactured nitrogen fertiliser use had decreased 8 per cent, they said, and prices had increased sharply.

“Fertiliser is one of the biggest on-farm expenses, so farmers are incentivised to only use as much as they need.”

In Canterbury, farms were already operating within some of the strictest limits in the country. Analysis using nutrient budgeting tool Overseer suggested nitrogen loss on Canterbury farms had shrunk by a third in the past decade.

The-Timaru-Herald

Activists blame dairy farming for the bulk of water-nitrate pollution (file photo).

The association said it took the challenge posed by Government’s new National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management seriously.

While the association did not want to comment on health research, they said the science was far from settled.

They quoted a Bowel Cancer New Zealand statement issued late last year, which concluded nitrates in drinking water were “unlikely to increase the risk of bowel cancer in New Zealand, according to the current weight of evidence”.

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Teachers Speak Up in Support of Bill to Set Air Quality, Classroom Temperature Standards – Connecticut Education Association

March 17, 2022 by Staff Reporter

From extreme heat and humidity to freezing temperatures to mold that makes children and teachers sick, Connecticut schools are in dire need of improved indoor air quality, and a bill before the legislature would address that.

During a public hearing before the legislature’s Labor Committee yesterday, CEA President Kate Dias spoke up on behalf of not just CEA members, but an entire coalition of organizations who have come together to advocate for improving air quality in schools.

“It’s exciting to see so many people get on board—parents, educators, labor unions, contractors, trade workers, public employees, environmental groups, healthcare workers,” Dias said. “We’re all coming together around what we recognize to be an imperative need to address indoor air quality in schools.”

S.B. 423, An Act Improving Indoor Air Quality in Public School Classrooms, seeks to establish school temperature and humidity limits and provide bond funding for remediation and installation of modern HVAC systems. By June 30, 2026, schools would be required to maintain indoor temperatures between 68 and 76 degrees Fahrenheit (the same temperature range that OSHA recommends for office buildings) and relative humidity levels between 20 to 60 percent.

“The bill also provides an equitable way to fund the air handling upgrades—in the same way we reimburse cities and towns for fixing a leaky school roof—through school construction bond funds,” said CEA Executive Director Donald Williams. “The idea that fixing a leaky roof is eligible for reimbursement but fixing an air handling system is not, does not make sense. This change is long overdue and would allow all towns to fix their air quality problems.”

How extreme temperatures and mold affect teaching and learning

A number of teachers submitted testimony, sharing with legislators how extreme temperatures and poor air quality negatively impact their students.

“In the very warm days of May and June as well as late August into October my classroom becomes unbearable,” wrote Shelton teacher Kristen Cannon, explaining that temperatures in her classroom often exceed 90 degrees. “I often have to stop teaching to catch my breath and regain my train of thought since I am so distracted by the heat. If it is difficult for me to focus on teaching and ignore the heat, imagine what it does for my 20 plus students. The students are exhausted and distracted and often complain of headaches and not feeling well due to the lack of airflow.”

Stamford teacher Tara Karlson shared with legislators that conditions in her classroom are wildly variable.

“We have come into class to a 40 degree room and a 110 degree room,” she wrote. “On those days, we must relocate. The room is not safe. The humidity, once the heat is on, varies between 12 and 17 percent. With personally purchased and maintained humidifiers and five large fish tanks, I can sometimes keep humidity around 15 percent. Once the heat is turned off, the humidity levels change. The humidity increases rapidly and tends to be between 60 and 75 percent. I have even come into the classroom to a condensation flood. The walls were dripping and there was standing water on all surfaces, including desks and chairs.”

“There are laws against leaving kids and pets in hot cars… why is there no law on how hot we can be within a classroom setting?” asked Southington teacher Michelle Daigle. Explaining that her classroom regularly exceeds 80 degrees, while the rooms on her school’s second floor can climb above 90, she added, “No one can teach in those elements and students cannot learn. Have you ever been in a classroom at 2:30 in the afternoon on a 90 degree day? Kids and teachers alike feel sick in those conditions, and it needs to be fixed! I have kids with asthma, coughs, congestion, allergies, and other health impairments. The fact that we are sweltering all day without AC increases these issues.”

Matthew Tiscia is one of many Stamford teachers to have been sickened due to a serious mold problem in school buildings. “I had to miss a whole school year because of a mold issue. Mold has been an issue at our school, but I never thought anything of it until I got sick. I started having anxiety attacks, low mood and digestive disorders, and couldn’t figure out why. It took lots of money from tests and different doctors to finally figure out that I had mold toxicity.”

“My allergies start the moment I walk into the building and end the moment I walk out,” wrote Thompson educator Louise Morrison. “Over the years, my room has flooded several times from roof issues. Mold grows behind the ceiling tiles, there are huge brown spots on the ceiling. Instead of addressing the mold, new ceiling tiles are put up, so no one can see where the issues are.”

Dias knows firsthand what teaching in inhospitable conditions is like.

“I work as a high school math teacher in a building that was built in the 50s. My classroom is on the second floor of an unairconditioned building overlooking a black tar roof that radiates heat directly into my classroom,” she told legislators. Teaching during the pandemic, she was required to keep windows open, even on the coldest days when snow would blow in on her students.

“The absence of standards in statute means we are allowing these things to happen,” Dias said. “We are allowing windows to be kept open in winter. We are allowing kids to sit in 95 degree classrooms. If we don’t come out of this session with standards, we will not have changed a single thing. The additional $90 million from the governor, the bond allowances, those are all really important, but the last two years have proven to us that money doesn’t solve this problem. We have had money in abundance, but we have not spent it on this issue because we don’t have to—it hasn’t been a priority. It’s not that districts don’t care, but absent standards, it doesn’t make the list. It’s not a priority.”

Labor Committee Co-Chair Representative Robyn Porter told Dias, “This bill says you matter, the faculty matter, the children matter, education matters. How do you learn when you’re freezing cold? How do you learn when you’re overheating?”

Dias agreed. “This is more than just an indoor air quality bill. It’s a bill that says we as a state care, it’s a bill that says we’re invested, and it’s a bill that says our public schools are great places to grow and to work.”

Speak up for better conditions in schools and share your stories with legislators about what they don’t see in schools today.

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Scientists studying indoor contaminants say bringing outside shoes inside home “a health hazard”

March 17, 2022 by Staff Reporter

Keep outdoor footwear out of the home. Just have some “indoor shoes” that never get worn outside, says study.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

We all know prevention is far better than treatment and taking shoes off at the door is a basic and easy prevention activity for many of us.
Beyond the occasional stubbed toe, from an environmental health standpoint, there aren’t many downsides to having a shoe-free house.
Leaving your shoes at the entry mat also leaves potentially harmful pathogens there as well.

Indiana, Mar 17 (The Conversation) You probably clean your shoes if you step in something muddy or disgusting (please pick up after your dog!). But when you get home, do you always de-shoe at the door?

Plenty of Australians don’t. For many, what you drag in on the bottom of your shoes is the last thing on the mind as one gets home.

We are environmental chemists who have spent a decade examining the indoor environment and the contaminants people are exposed to in their own homes. Although our examination of the indoor environment, via our DustSafe program, is far from complete, on the question of whether to shoe or de-shoe in the home, the science leans toward the latter.

It is best to leave your filth outside the door.

What contaminants are in your home, and how did they get there? People spend up to 90% of their time indoors, so the question of whether or not to wear shoes in the house is not a trivial one.

The policy focus is typically on the outdoor environment for soil, air quality and environmental public health risks. However, there is growing regulatory interest in the question of indoor air quality.

The matter building up inside your home includes not just dust and dirt from people and pets shedding hair and skin.

About a third of it is from outside, either blown-in or tramped in on those offensive shoe bottoms.

Some of the microorganisms present on shoes and floors are drug-resistant pathogens, including hospital-associated infectious agents (germs) that are very difficult to treat.

Add in cancer-causing toxins from asphalt road residue and endocrine-disrupting lawn chemicals, and you might view the filth on your shoes in a new light.

A roll-call of indoor nasties

Our work has involved the measurement and assessment of exposure to a range of harmful substances found inside homes including:

antibiotic-resistant genes (genes that make bacteria resistant to antibiotics)
disinfectant chemicals in the home environment
microplastics
the perfluorinated chemicals (also known as PFAS or “forever chemicals” because of their tendency to remain in the body and not break down) are used ubiquitously in a multitude of industrial, domestic and food packaging products
radioactive elements.

A strong focus of our work has involved assessing levels of potentially toxic metals (such as arsenic, cadmium and lead) inside homes across 35 nations (including Australia). These contaminants “and most importantly the dangerous neurotoxin lead” are odourless and colourless. So there is no way of knowing whether the dangers of lead exposure are only in your soils or your water pipes, or if they are also on your living room floor.

The science suggests a very strong connection between the lead inside your home and that in your yard soil.

The most likely reason for this connection is dirt blown in from your yard or trodden in on your shoes, and on the furry paws of your adorable pets.

This connection speaks to the priority of making sure matter from your outdoor environment stays exactly there (we have tips here).

A recent Wall Street Journal article argued shoes in the home aren’t so bad. The author made the point that E. coli – dangerous bacteria that develop in the intestines of many mammals, including humans ? is so widely distributed that it’s pretty much everywhere. So it should be no surprise it can be swabbed on shoe bottoms (96% of shoe bottoms, as the article pointed out).

But let’s be clear. Although it’s nice to be scientific and stick with the term E. coli, this stuff is, put more simply, the bacteria associated with poo. Whether it is ours or Fido’s, it has the potential to make us very sick if we are exposed at high levels. And let’s face it – it is just plain gross.

Why walk it around inside your house if you have a very simple alternative “to take your shoes off at the door”

On balance, shoeless wins

So are there disadvantages to having a shoe-free household?

Beyond the occasional stubbed toe, from an environmental health standpoint, there aren’t many downsides to having a shoe-free house. Leaving your shoes at the entry mat also leaves potentially harmful pathogens there as well.

We all know prevention is far better than treatment and taking shoes off at the door is a basic and easy prevention activity for many of us.

Need shoes for foot support? Easy – just have some “indoor shoes” that never get worn outside.

There remains the issue of the “sterile house syndrome,” which refers to increased rates of allergies among children. Some argue it’s related to overly sterile households.

Indeed, some dirt is probably beneficial as studies have indicated it helps develop your immune system and reduce allergy risk. But there are better and less gross ways to do that than walking around inside with your filthy shoes on. Get outside, go for a bushwalk, enjoy the great outdoors. Just don’t bring the muckier parts of it inside to build up and contaminate our homes. (The Conversation)

(The article is authored by PTI. Only the headline has been changed.)

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Sneezing, coughing and itchy eyes | Mind and Body

March 17, 2022 by Staff Reporter

Spring is arriving soon, which means warmer temperatures and more opportunities to enjoy outdoor activities.

But if you’re one of the millions of Americans who suffer from allergies, going outside when pollen is in the air may not be a good idea.

Here’s how to keep your seasonal allergies in check during the warmer months.

What causes spring allergies?

The biggest cause of spring allergies is pollen, according to WebMD.

In spring, trees, grasses and weeds release tiny grains of pollen into the air to fertilize other plants. When they enter your nose, your immune system can mistake the pollen for a danger and release antibodies that attack the allergens.

Symptoms

This often leads to the release of histamines into your blood, which can trigger allergy symptoms like:

n Runny nose

n Watery eyes

n Sneezing

n Coughing

n Itchy eyes and nose

n Dark circles under the eyes

How to reduce your exposure to allergy triggers

There are steps you can take to reduce your exposure to things that trigger your allergy symptoms, according to Mayo Clinic:

n Stay inside on dry, windy days. The best time to go outside is after it rains, when pollen is cleared from the air.

n Shower after spending time outside to rinse pollen from your skin and hair.

n Wear a pollen mask if you decide to do chores outside.

n Avoid outdoor activities in the early morning when pollen counts are highest.

n Close your doors and windows at night or when pollen counts are high.

n Start taking allergy medications before your symptoms appear.

Over-the-counter remedies for allergies

According to Mayo Clinic, many types of nonprescription medications can help ease allergy symptoms. They include:

n Oral antihistamines to relieve sneezing, itching, runny nose and watery eyes like Claritin, Alavert, Zyrtec Allergy and Allegra Allergy

n Decongestants to provide relief from nasal stuffiness like Sudafed and Afrinol

n Nasal spray to ease allergy symptoms

n Some OTC medications like Claritin-D and Allegra-D that combine an antihistamine with a decongestant

How to keep the air inside your house allergen-free

It’s impossible to eliminate all the allergens from the air in your home, Mayo Clinic says, but these methods can help reduce them:

n Use high-efficiency filters in your air conditioning unit and follow regular maintenance schedules.

n Keep indoor air dry with a dehumidifier.

n Use a portable high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter in your bedroom.

n Use a vacuum cleaner that has a HEPA air filter.

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