Clearview Public Schools dropping enhanced cleaning in wake of provincial announcement

With the Government of Alberta lifting the last remaining public health measures related to COVID-19 as of June 15, Clearview Public Schools has made some decisions regarding its own policies.

First off, Clearview has made the decision to end its enhanced cleaning protocols as of the end of June. This means when students return in the fall Clearview schools will no longer be operating with daytime custodians providing the extra cleaning and disinfecting throughout the day that has been ongoing since the start of the pandemic.

Secondly, Clearview bus drivers will no longer disinfect buses after each use.

Finally, with the province lifting the last remaining health measures isolation in the case of a positive COVID infection is no longer required, but still strongly recommended. Clearview asks that parents continue to monitor their children for signs and symptoms of illness and have them stay home when ill.

If anyone has any concerns or requires further information, contact Clearview Public Schools at [email protected].

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A team of engineering students from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) are hoping their sustainable water purifier will help them take the crown at a national design competition.

Each year, Engineers Without Borders UK and Ireland hosts its Engineering for People Design Challenge, a competition for university students to design a solution to a real-world problem.

This year, students were tasked with researching the needs of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait communities in Cape York, Australia.

Team Light₂0, which consists of second-year Mechanical Engineering students Ellie Lilliott, Yelena Elysia Estepa, Tom Skinner, and Joseph Weaver, has designed a lightweight aluminium parabolic reflector – a rounded surface that can reflect UV radiation from the sun’s rays to destroy pathogens in bottled water, making it safe to drink.

The team will pitch its reflector to an expert panel of judges at the competition’s grand final, which takes place on Friday 17 June.

For Tom, the product’s simplicity may give Light₂0 the edge.

“I certainly think we’re in with a chance,” he said. “We have to hammer home the comparatively simple design and low maintenance costs.

“The aboriginal communities have a big connection with the environment, so they have an agreement with the government that any products that are brought into their communities have a minimal impact on their lands. That’s why we wanted to go with a low technology, low wastage solution.”

Purifying water by leaving it directly in the sun is known as solar water disinfection (SODIS) and it usually takes around six hours to disinfect up to two litres of bottled water when left in direct sunlight.  

The team’s parabolic reflector design

The team’s design however speeds up that process significantly and water obtained from natural sources, including rivers, can be disinfected in approximately two hours.

The curved surface contains six shelves that are capable of holding two, two-litre clear bottles of water. The reflector is concave to bounce as many UV rays as possible onto the water, warming it significantly to aid the speed of the SODIS process.  

To ensure SODIS can work, the water first must be relatively clear of dirt – a difficulty when obtaining water from natural sources. The team has countered this by including a holder at the base of the reflector so users can create a natural water filter using rocks, pebbles sand and a cloth.

Joseph said: “One of our initial designs was to include a shop-bought filter but if it got dirty or didn’t work as well, it would take time to replace. So, we opted for including a guide to creating a natural filter with resources that are widely available in Cape York and included the bracket at the base of the reflector to allow people to build their own.

“To use the filter, simply cut a bottle in half and first put a cloth or rag in there, then pack it with sand and pebbles. Before you fill the bottles on the reflector, you pass that water through the filter until it’s a clear enough state to ensure SODIS works.”

Light₂0 are one of 36 teams competing at the Engineering for People Design Challenge grand final and will travel down to University College London’s state-of-the-art Person-Environment-Activity Research Laboratory (PEARL) to pitch their idea.

Ellie, Yelena, Tom and Joseph will be the only representatives from DMU on the day. The team were one of five groups put forward to the competition by academics at the university and the only one to advance to the grand final after a screening process with the organisers.

The grand final is divided into two pitches; an initial eight-minute virtual pitch and Q&A session, which took place earlier in the year, followed by a three-minute in-person pitch that takes place on the day of the final.  

The judges will then combine the scores from both the three-minute and earlier eight-minute pitches to produce a final six.

These six teams will then pitch their ideas again to both the judges and the remaining 30 teams before a winner is crowned, with that team taking home £9,000 between them.

Ellie added: “We’ve honed in how the product works particularly for Cape York. At the moment, the Australian government send out trucks with bottles of water, which isn’t the most sustainable and practical solution. When the monsoon comes, these communities can be particularly isolated so this method can bypass that supply chain issue.”

There is also a separate People’s Prize, where members of the public can read through each team’s submission and view their associated documents and files and vote for their favourite design. The winner of the People’s Prize will be announced during the grand final.

Yelena said: “We are so tremendously happy with how far we have come. It was unexpected for us to be shortlisted for the top 36 teams.

“We are proud of our project and delighted with the amount of support we are receiving from fellow students and academics. With this, we would like to ask you to help us represent De Montfort University in this national competition by voting for us in the People’s Prize.”

Voting for the People’s Prize is available here and is open until 2pm on Friday 17 June.  

Posted on Thursday 16th June 2022

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Originally Appeared Here

Ease your mental burden with a cleaner, brighter, healthier space that encourages your best life

We can’t ignore how our homes affect our minds and bodies. Our mental and physical well-being are inevitably affected by the environment we live in. A lack of natural light or an overly cluttered space can make you anxious or even depressed. We want a home that makes us feel safe, in control, and calm. The tips that follow can help us make a home that’s healthy and harmonious and one that gives us peace of mind. 

Declutter 

Clutter creates chaos in our minds and contributes to stress and anxiety. How can you relax if clutter greets you in every room? Decluttering creates a more calming environment. Tidiness makes you feel more relaxed, happier, and in control of your life. Orderly homes are linked to healthier choices, promote productivity, and enhance physical and mental well-being. Besides, getting rid of stuff that you don’t use or that doesn’t fit in your home makes you feel empowered. Make the process less stressful by starting with small spaces. You can begin by clearing your cabinets or drawers. Don’t do it with perfection in mind. Do it gradually and tuck away or donate items that you don’t use. 

Get a Water Purifier

Your city treats the water pumped to your home, but you still want to be sure it’s clean and free of contaminants, including substances such as chlorine introduced to keep it free of bacteria. You can add a water filter to your home’s water supply (or a specific tap used for drinking and cooking water) to eliminate any unwelcome contaminants. Water filters eliminate substances such as chlorine and lead that find their way into municipal water systems and wells. You can relax and enjoy pure and safe drinking, bathing, and cleaning water by installing water filters in your home. 

Use Natural Paints

The wall and ceiling paint you choose could affect your physical and mental health. Most paints contain hazardous chemicals, although many companies have significantly improved their formulas. However, some still have volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that turn to gases at room temperature and can cause health issues. The most dangerous time is during the actual painting process, when the drying paint is emitting vapors that may give you a headache or runny eyes. These VOCs may cause hormone, central nervous system, respiratory, or kidney issues. Minimize VOCs in your home by switching to natural paints. While you’re at it, consider painting your walls with colors that make you calm or happy. Paint your walls with lighter and cheerful colors to create an environment that radiates a happier mood.     

Lighten Up

Consider upgrades that shower your home with natural light. Keep your windows clean to let as much natural light in as possible. A brightly lit home can make you feel more energetic without tiring your eyes. On top of that, brightly lit spaces stimulate our brains by increasing serotonin levels. Our bodies respond particularly well to natural daylight. Remember to also balance out the lighting in your home. As much as our bodies benefit from natural light, we need darkness to relax and sleep. Create reflective surfaces to bounce as much natural light as possible. 

Make a Workout Area

Our lives may be fast-paced, but our bodies are not. Our sedentary lifestyles and physical inactivity seem to increase year by year. Creating a workout area can help inspire physical activity. You don’t need a lot of money or space to style a home gym. Some of the exercises that keep your heart revved up require a little less space than a doormat. Defining a workout area is a trigger to move, and it can help keep you motivated. You can add plants, candle lights, or a stand to watch YouTube workout videos to make it more inviting and inspiring. Add a mirror to your workout space to help you monitor your form when using weights or doing yoga poses.

Bottom Line

A tidy home and one focused on enhancing a healthy lifestyle keeps worries at bay and helps you live the life you want to live. 

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A COVID-19 outbreak at a state-run veterans’ home in Manteno was reported Wednesday as the prevalence of the virus has steadily risen again throughout Illinois.

Sixteen residents and six staff members at the home, which is about 50 miles south of Chicago, have tested positive for the virus, but the majority of the residents have shown no symptoms while a “small number” are showing mild symptoms, according to a statement from the Illinois Department of Veterans’ Affairs.

However, one resident already under hospice care “and completely asymptomatic” died Wednesday morning, hours after testing positive for the virus and getting a booster shot, the agency said.

The residents who’ve tested positive have been moved into isolation and are being closely monitored by staff from the agency, it said.

“All the residents who have tested positive have received at least two doses of the vaccine and 15 are up to date with their boosters,” according to a statement from veterans’ affairs. “A staff physician is assessing residents’ need for antiviral post exposure medication.”

The COVID-19 outbreak at the Manteno home comes a month after Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration was criticized by the state auditor general for its handling of a November 2020 coronavirus outbreak that killed 36 military veterans at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home.

The auditor general’s review blamed the state’s Public Health Department for failing to “identify and respond to the seriousness of the outbreak.” That outbreak, however, occurred before vaccines for the virus existed.

The veterans’ affairs department said it’s continuing daily health screenings of its Manteno home residents, conducting routine COVID-19 testing of staff and residents, using N-95 respirator masks with protective face shields, maintaining social-distancing practices, using gloves and gowns, and following “intensified cleaning and disinfection protocols.”

And unlike at the LaSalle Veterans’ Home, where public health department officials didn’t show up at the facility for 11 days after the outbreak began, public health officials were on site in Manteno within hours after the tests came back positive, veterans’ affairs said.

Since early April, Illinois has seen a steady rise in COVID-19 cases. On Wednesday, 5,737 cases were reported, according to public health officials, but they’re still not as high as the 8,411 cases — the peak of the latest jump in cases — reported May 13.

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(Cherry Hill, NJ) – Early Thursday morning the Mosquito Control Commission will be in the community spraying and surveilling areas throughout Camden County. This summer, the county has seen more rain than usual which is creating an ideal environment for mosquitoes to breed.

With rain having moved through the region this week Commissioner Jeff Nash, liaison to the Camden County Mosquito Commission, talked about being cognizant of standing water.

“After any rain homeowners should check their yard and remove any standing water to help eliminate the threat of mosquitos,” Nash said. “Mosquitos need standing water to breed, so you can help keep them off your property by removing water from places like flowerpots and containers. This helps us reduce the pest population in your neighborhood, and it assists the efforts of the Camden County Mosquito Control Commission.”

 

The Camden County Mosquito Commission will be conducting ULV “spraying” operations on Thursday, June 16th between the hours of 2am-6am in the following locations:   

Berlin Township

Haddon Ave.

Luke Ave.

Hampton Ave.

Arch Ave.

Lester Ave.

Franklin Ave.

Pine Ave.

Bishop Ave.

North Ave.

McClellan Ave.

Plymouth Ave.

Krumm Ave.

Dover Ave.

1. Arlington Ave.
2. Arlington Ave.

Chestnut Ave.

1. Franklin Ave.

Crest Ave.

New York Ave.

Pennsylvania Ave.

Delaware Ave.

1. Cedar Ave.
2. Cedar Ave.

White Horse Pike

Locust Ave.

Maple Ave.

1. Brill Ave.
2. Brill Ave.

 

Cherry Hill

Hidden Ln.

Kresson Rd.

Bunker Hill Dr.

Starling Ln.

 

Voorhees

Milford Circle

Merryton St.

Lucky Ct.

Festival Dr.

Stokes Ave.

Alyce Ln.

Commerce St.

Matlack Dr.

Borton Ave.

Old Mill Dr.

Lumber Mill Ln.

Hopkins St.

Waterway Ave.

Hillard Dr.

Marple Mill Dr.

Merchant St.

Murray Ave.

Bedford Ave.

Martin Ave.

Hanover Ave.

Mercer St.

Hollis Ave.

Weld Ave.

Fulton St.

Kenton Ave.

Cooper Landing Rd.

Marlton Pike W.

Locustwood Memorial Park

Warren Ave.

Wynnwood Ave.

Chambers Ave.

Sherwood Ave.

Severn Ave.

Graham Ave.

 

“The commission works with the Public Health Environmental Laboratories in Trenton to verify the presence of West Nile Virus and other communicable diseases in their samples,” Nash said.  “If a pool tests positive, the Mosquito Commission returns to spray the area. The sprayings take place when the mosquitoes are most active.”

The mosquito spray is not harmful to humans or pets, but you should avoid direct contact if you have respiratory concerns or are sensitive to irritants.

Residents should check their property for any object that holds water for more than a few days.  All pre-adult mosquito stages (eggs, larvae, and pupae) must be in stagnant water in order to develop into adult mosquitoes.                                                                                                 

• Swimming pools are a common problem.  All pools must be checked and maintained to keep them mosquito-free.  Swimming pools can breed mosquitoes within days after you stop adding chlorine or other disinfectant.  Pool covers can catch rainwater and become a mosquito development site. Add a little chlorine to kill mosquitoes.
• Maintain screens to prevent adult mosquitoes from entering your home or business.
• Personal protection is strongly urged if you are outside when mosquitoes may be active—generally dawn and dusk.  Insect repellants containing between 10-35% DEET are very effective, however, be sure to follow the label directions and take extra precautions with children and infants.

The Camden County Mosquito Commission suggests checking around your yard for mosquito breeding containers.  The following is a checklist of tips to help eliminate mosquito breeding:

• Dispose of unnecessary containers that hold water.  Containers you wish to save turn upside down or put holes in the bottom so all water drains out.    
• Lift up flowerpots and dump the water from the dish underneath every week.
• Stock fish or add mosquito larvicide to ornamental ponds.
• Change water in bird baths, fountains, and animal troughs weekly.
• Screen vents to septic and other water tanks.
• Store large boats so they drain and small boats upside down.  If covered, keep the tarp tight so water does not pool on top of the tarp.
• Do not dump leaves or grass clippings into a catch basin or streams.
• Do not allow water to collect on sagging tarps or awnings.
• Do not allow trashcan lids to fill with water.
• Check downspouts that are able to hold enough water to allow mosquito larvae to mature.

For more information, or to report a problem, contact the Camden County Mosquito Commission at (856) 566-2945 or [email protected].

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Originally Appeared Here

Humidifiers can be a great way to increase humidity in the air, especially during dryer seasons in the winter (or even in the heat of the summer when your AC is blasting). Just like too much humidity can be bad for your health, too much dryness in the air may cause a variety of health problems in otherwise healthy people. While this may seem like a small change, using a humidifier in your home, and especially throughout the night, can make a big difference!

Here are seven ways that humidifiers can improve your life:

1. Helps Manage Allergies

If you suffering from allergy symptoms, you may want to consider buying a humidifier. Humidifiers increase humidity and purify the air. Rotating filter discs submerged in water remove larger pathogens such as bacteria and viruses as well as irritants from the air. While humidifiers with filters need more regular cleaning, they can offer more allergy relief by filtering out pollen and dust and relieving allergy symptoms such as mucus buildup, nasal congestion, irritation, and inflammation.

2. Improves Sleep

A humidifier increases moisture in the air, which keeps the nasal passage and throat from drying out. It improves breathing and creates a comfortable atmosphere, which helps people sleep better at night.

3. Prevents Dry Skin

Dry air may cause dry skin. When your skin’s protective barrier is damaged, it creates small cracks in the skin, causing moisture to escape, says Marina Peredo, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. This can be incredibly uncomfortable. A humidifier pulls moisture back into the air to improve dry, itchy skin and help it retain that hydration, Peredo adds. However, it’s important to note that a humidifier won’t replace your skincare routine. It’s vital to moisturize dry skin daily with creams.

4. Reduces the Spread of Germs

Respiratory viruses thrive in the cold, dry air during the winter months. Pathogens thrive in this weather and travel easier from host to host. Dry air provides a clear pathway for airborne viruses,” said Akiko Iwasaki, an immunobiologist at Yale University. An aerosol researcher from Virginia Tech University who studies coronavirus transmission recommends using a humidifier in your home. “You could invest in a humidifier and set it to keep the humidity above 40% but below 60% in the wintertime,” she told Business Insider. Viruses have a hard time surviving as easily under these conditions, and your immune response will improve with more moisture in the air.

5. Helps Congestion

If you frequently suffer from congestion, you may want to consider using a humidifier in your indoor environment. Dry air can cause mucus to become dry and thick, which can result in clogged nasal passages. As a result, this may lead to a stuffy nose, sore throat, and sinus pain. Humidifiers can help by adding moisture through water vapor back into the air, which may help break up phlegm in your nose and chest.

6. Helps Prevent Snoring

Low moisture levels in the nose and a soft palate increase snoring because air cannot move freely due to the dryness and gets trapped. Humidifiers increase moisture in the air, which loosens and drains mucus. As a result, this can help relieve or reduce unwanted symptoms such as throat irritation and restriction in the nasal air passage and will ultimately decrease your risk of snoring.

7. Keeps Hair and Scalp Healthy

Just like the skin on the rest of your body, your scalp can also become dry and irritated when there is a lack of moisture in the air. Luckily, there is a simple solution! Humidifiers can help prevent the unwanted feeling of a dry or itchy scalp and dandruff. Since your hair is made up of collagen, it requires a certain amount of moisture to be healthy. When exposed to dry air for too long, your hair can become dry and brittle. Adding moisture back into the air around you may help with this.

How to Clean Your Humidifier

Humidifiers are great at restoring moisture into the atmosphere. However, they can become murky, musty, moldy, messy, and filled with bacteria if not maintained.

Source: Clean With Confidence/Youtube

To clean out your humidifier, start by unplugging it and emptying all the remaining water. If stagnant water is left inside the humidifier for too long, it can begin to grow mold and bacteria. Pour 1 cup of water, and 1 cup of white vinegar (6%) into the appliance and let it sit for an hour. Vinegar is a natural cleanser that will disinfect the humidifier. After soaking, pour out the liquid and wipe down the interior of the base and allow it to air dry.

The Takeaway

Adding a humidifier into your home is a small change that you can make that will make a big difference in your life! Not only can they prevent sickness during drier winter seasons, but they can improve your sleep quality, reduce snoring, add moisture to your skin and hair, assist with allergy and asthma symptoms, and relieve congestion. However, if your humidifier is not maintained properly, it can accumulate bacteria that can worsen allergy symptoms or cause sickness or infections. Therefore, always make sure to clean your humidifier properly and monitor humidity levels to experience all of the possible health benefits.

For those looking to for a humidifier for a small to medium size room, this AuquaOasis Cool Mist Humidifier for $39.95 and this Burlan Cool Mist Humidifier for $39.99 are great options. For a medium to large size room, this LEVOIT Smart Humidifier for $109.99 and LEVOIT Classic 300S Humidifier for $79.99 should do the trick. If that will last a long time between refills and will fill up a very large space, this AILINKE Humidifier for $119.99 comes highly rated.

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Originally Appeared Here

The events of the last few days illustrate just how problematic Walker is as a candidate.

First came a report from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that carried this headline: “Herschel Walker claimed to be in law enforcement when he wasn’t.” Here’s the key bit from that piece:

“Walker’s campaign said he majored in criminal justice during his time at the University of Georgia and was an honorary deputy in Cobb County along with three other Georgia counties. (They did not specify which ones.)

“The Cobb County Police Department said they have no record of involvement with Walker. The Cobb sheriff’s office could not immediately say if he was an honorary deputy or not.”

And Walker said this in 2019: “I worked for law enforcement, y’all didn’t know that either? I spent time at Quantico at the FBI training school. Y’all didn’t know I was an agent?”

Asked for comment by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Walker’s office provided Associated Press stories from 1989 that suggest Walker had spent a week at Quantico as he was retiring from pro football. “They had an obstacle course and you shoot at targets to protect your partner as you advanced up the course,” he told the AP at the time. “I had fun. There were about 200 recruits there.”

Of course, spending a week at Quantico is not the same thing as training to be an FBI agent. As the Atlanta Journal-Constitution notes: “Special Agent training requires a minimum of 20 weeks at Quantico.”

Then late Tuesday, the Walker campaign confirmed a Daily Beast report that he has a second son with a woman who was not his wife. Walker was ordered to pay child support starting in 2014, according to the report. Walker also has another son, Christian, about whom he speaks frequently on the campaign trail.

“Walker has publicly criticized absentee fathers, particularly in Black families.

“And I want to apologize to the African American community, because the fatherless home is a major, major problem,’ Walker told conservative activist Charlie Kirk in a 2020 interview. In another interview that year with conservative media personalities Diamond and Silk, Walker said that men who have ‘a child with a woman, even if you have to leave that woman … you don’t leave the child.'”

Walker campaign manager Scott Paradise told CNN: “Herschel had a child years ago when he wasn’t married. He’s supported the child and continues to do so. He’s proud of his children. To suggest that Herschel is ‘hiding’ the child because he hasn’t used him in his political campaign is offensive and absurd.”

In its statement, Walker’s campaign also raised the issue of Warnock’s child support dispute with his ex-wife, who is suing to change the conditions of Warnock’s payments.

For Walker, these two stories are only the latest in a series of controversies he has faced since winning the Georgia Republican Senate nomination last month.

Days after the mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, Walker was asked about whether the tragedy had changed his mind on gun and gun control. Here’s how he responded:

“Cain killed Abel and that’s a problem that we have. What we need to do is look into how we can stop those things. You know, you talked about doing a disinformation — what about getting a department that can look at young men that’s looking at women that’s looking at their social media. What about doing that? Looking into things like that and we can stop that that way. But yet they want to just continue to talk about taking away your constitutional rights. And I think there’s more things we need to look into. This has been happening for years and the way we stop it is putting money into the mental health field, by putting money into other departments rather than departments that want to take away your rights.”

Ahem.

Warnock’s campaign also released an ad earlier this month that is entirely just Walker talking about Covid-19. Here’s what Walker said:

“Right now, you know what, I’m gonna say something I probably shouldn’t. Do you know right now, I have something that can bring you into a building that would clean you from Covid as you walk through this dry mist. As you walk through the door, it will kill any Covid on your body. When you leave, it will kill the virus as you leave. This here product — they don’t want to talk about that. They don’t want to hear about that.”

Walker made those comments during an appearance on conservative commentator Glenn Beck’s podcast in August 2020. It wasn’t clear exactly what Walker is referring to, as it could be dangerous for a person to walk through a disinfecting spray or mist that kills the coronavirus.

How much does all — or any — of this matter? Walker, after all, coasted to the Republican Senate nomination largely on the strength of his fame as a running back for the University of Georgia and later NFL career, as well as an endorsement from former President Donald Trump.

Will Walker be judged in the same way as another celebrity who ran for office, Trump? As in, will voters simply overlook all of these exaggerations because they are drawn to Walker’s fame?

The Walker campaign — and national Republicans — better hope so. Otherwise, Walker’s chances of flipping the Georgia Senate seat are going down by the day.

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Originally Appeared Here

A man has had to share his home with his neighbour’s human waste after his flat became flooded with sewage and the council took more than a week to finally clean it up. Rob Escott was horrified when he walked into his council-owned flat in Llanishen, Cardiff, on Monday, June 6, and found the majority of the property flooded with a two-inch deep pool of raw sewage.

The flood was caused by a blocked outside pipe, which led to all of Rob’s neighbours’ waste being pumped into his flat via his toilet. However, while the blockage was cleared by a plumber just a few hours later, it took far longer for the mess to be fully cleaned up, leaving the 47-year-old “living in a nightmare” with his flat still covered in faeces and toilet paper.

Despite endless attempts to get teams from Cardiff Council out to his flat to clean up the mess as soon as possible, Rob claims it was nearly 48 hours after the initial incident that a cleaning team arrived at the property. Even then, he claims the team was unprepared for the job, initially bringing just a single bottle of bleach with them to deep clean the flat.

Read more:Life in the flats where residents claim floors are stained with human faeces and strangers sleep in corridors

Rob claimed that the contracted cleaning team then downed tools after working at the flat for two days and said they would not resume work until the council conducted an inspection of the property. This meant that part of his flat remained contaminated with human waste until the job was finally completed on Tuesday, June 14, more than a week after the flooding occurred, with Rob forced to sleep on his sofa during that time despite being in significant discomfort after breaking his neck and back in an accident.

Incredibly, this is not the first time that his flat has been contaminated with his neighbour’s sewage, with the same issue occurring just a few years ago. However, while Rob says that the council were proactive in solving the problem the first time around, their actions in the last week have been “totally unacceptable”, as he claims he was offered a place in a homeless shelter while the mess was cleaned up, rather than alternative council-owned accommodation.

The pool of raw sewage was around two inches deep
(Image: Rob Escott)

Rob had discovered the horrific flooding after returning home from dropping his sick dog off at the vets on Monday afternoon. “My mother had stayed at mine the night before ahead of taking my dog down to the vets,” he said. “I was already feeling down when we got back to the flat, and my mother went in first and she immediately said: ‘What the hell is that smell?’ I looked on the floor and there was two inches deep of sewage water all over my flat.”

“My flat was completely flooded,” he added. “It absolutely stank and there was faeces and toilet paper everywhere. I realised quite quickly that the sewage had come in through the toilet. Because of the blockage, every time my neighbours flushed their toilet, it would hit it and then come up through the pipe and out into my bathroom – mine is the only one that is flooded.

“When I saw how far it had spread, I just thought: ‘Oh my God’. It had gone into cupboards, onto the carpet in my bedroom and living room and under the tiles in the bathroom. It was everywhere.” Get the latest news from across Cardiff by signing up to our newsletters.

Rob has had to throw out damaged furniture and clothes
(Image: Mark Lewis)

The widespread flooding has left much of Rob’s flat needing to be repaired and replaced, with the carpet and bathroom tiles now removed and several items needing to be thrown out. He said: “I’ve got three big cupboards in my hallway and the waste had gone in there. It went under doors, which have all swollen up at the bottom now, so I can’t close them properly anymore. There’s furniture that I’ve had to throw out, as well as clothes and some camera kit.

“I can’t even get into my bedroom because it’s full of stuff I’ve pulled out of the cupboards. Most of that stuff absolutely stinks and you have to sniff it all to work out if it’s been in the sewage or not. I’ve got another big pile of stuff out in the hallway too, and that’s soaking and got flies all around it because of the faeces.”

After discovering the damage, Rob immediately rang the council, who own the flat on Trenchard Drive, to send a plumber to fix the blocked pipe. The plumber arrived just a few hours later, although it wasn’t until 10pm that the blockage was cleared due to the use of high-powered jets.

Raw sewage flushed away by Rob’s neighbours on Trenchard Drive ended up in his flat
(Image: Mark Lewis)

However, his ordeal was far from over. While the blockage was now cleared, the horrendous mess remained and while he claims the plumber told him that a cleaning team would attend the property the following day, come Tuesday, nobody had showed, leading him to spend, he claims, “all day” on the phone to the council.

“I was chasing them up the whole day,” he said. “I was desperate to get a cleaning team round as my flat was absolutely disgusting. I rang them 38 times in total, but nothing seemed to make a difference. I started to feel like I was a bit of a joke in the council offices, I was ringing so many times and being told the same stuff. Ultimately, nobody turned up like I was told they would.”

Rob even claims that he was told by a member of the council repair team that it was “our job to clear the blockage, but not to clean up the mess.” After expressing concerns about the impact of the flooding on his health, and requesting alternative accommodation, he also claims that he was offered a place in a homeless shelter while the flat was cleaned.

“You can imagine how bad the smell was after nearly two days,” he said. “It was absolutely disgusting and I said to one of the managers that I couldn’t stay there. It was then that he said he could put me up in a nearby homeless shelter. I couldn’t believe it, I said: ‘You what?’.

“I had a nice flat, it’s not my fault the place has been completely flooded. There are real health concerns and I’m not meant to but to be offered a place in a homeless shelter was just unacceptable. I couldn’t believe what I was being told.”

Rob has been forced to sleep on his sofa despite suffering from neck and back injuries
(Image: Mark Lewis)

Human waste soaked into carpets around the flat
(Image: Rob Escott)

After he made a formal complaint to the council, a cleaning team eventually arrived at Rob’s flat on Wednesday, 48 hours after the flooding was discovered. However, there were to be even more issues, as he claimed the team greatly underestimated the size of the task at hand.

“They turned up with this little 250ml bottle of Dettol,” he claimed. “I used to throw a whole one of them in the bath after a rugby game. But they turned up to clean the flat with just that. From what they were saying, I think that they thought I had pooed on the floor in my bathroom and they were there to clean that up.

“I looked at the bottle and thought, that’s not going to do the job and it certainly didn’t. When they went home, the bathroom still absolutely stank, because the sewage water had gone all down the cracks in the tiles. It just was never going to cut it, it was ridiculous.”

The team then came back the next day with industrial cleaning products. However, that afternoon, Rob said the team “downed tools” as they had only been contracted to work at the flat for two days, despite some areas of the flat still being completely contaminated by the sewage.

“They were just over halfway through the cleaning when their boss rang them at around 4pm and told them to stop working,” he said, claiming: “They said they wouldn’t resume work until the council conducted an inspection of the flat, but they refused to send one, saying that they considered the job completed.

“It really felt completely hopeless at that stage. It was a Friday afternoon by then and I knew that it wouldn’t get sorted until the next week. It just felt like there was no concern or urgency to get it sorted.”

Rob said the council’s actions were “just not good enough” having waited days for his home to be fully cleaned
(Image: Mark Lewis)

A council representative did eventually visit the flat on Monday, June 13, at which point Rob had been living in the contaminated flat for a week. While the cleaning was eventually finished on the Tuesday, with the lino in the bathroom finally removed, he has been left appalled by his treatment at the hands of the council and says he plans to take legal action.

“The whole ordeal has been horrendous,” he said. “I’m sleeping on my sofa in the front room, which is terrible for me as I broke my back and neck in an accident I had years ago, so it’s really important I have somewhere comfortable to sleep. But it’s still better than being put into a homeless shelter.

“This flooding has happened before, but the first time the council were great, they dealt with it quickly and there was clear communication from them. That incident wasn’t that major, but now I’ve had a major flood, nobody wants to know.

“There has been no urgency and no communication, I had to ring them nearly 40 times to get an answer,” he added. “I’ve been living surrounded by human waste and it’s taken over a week to sort it. However you look at it, that’s just not good enough.”

A Cardiff council spokesperson said: “A plumber from our Responsive Repairs Unit attended the property within a few hours of the tenant’s out of hours emergency call on Monday June 6 and carried out works late into the evening to clear the toilet blockage, clean up waste water and disinfect the bathroom. Mr Escott requested that the damaged floor coverings were not removed at that time.

“Further cleaning took place to completion on Wednesday June 8 and Thursday June 9 once Mr Escott confirmed the carpets could be removed. A move to an alternative property was offered, but that was initially declined by Mr Escott. At this point Mr Escott requested that a tenancy officer visit to inspect the property and works carried out so far.

“An inspection took place on Monday June 13 when it was agreed that carpets and flooring should be replaced, and a replacement toilet and pipework boxing be installed. Works have already started and are due to complete by the end of this week, subject to the availability of parts and fittings and no further repair issues arising.

“Our tenancy management team has been in close contact with Mr Escott throughout this time, ensuring he has been kept aware of all the measures being taken to resolve the matter.”

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You may have heard of the recent ruling from the Washington State Department of Health, requiring espresso stands and coffee shops to have a permanently plumbed sink and toilet/bathroom.

  The new rule passed in March goes fully into effect on September 1st.

The WAC or Washington Administrative Code is a mind-numbing series of rules and regulations businesses must abide by. In this particular case, concerning food, espresso stands, and related industries, it’s 152 pages.

Previously, smaller stands were allowed to even use bottled water to clean and disinfect,  it was then sometimes gathered in a bucket and haul it away.

Some stands have a small sink like what you’d find in a camper or RV, and they can then empty the wastewater tank. They used a water tank to supply the sink for washing.

But now they have to prove they have a sink and toilet that’s tied into a water and sewer system, like a home or brick and mortar business.

  We know of at least 8 such stands, and there are more.

We did a quick drive around the region, and we know of at least 8 small establishments that do not have permanent plumbing. This rule also could affect small stands that do have an employee-only bathroom. They will now have to adjust their workspace to allow potential customer traffic.

   Petitions have been started around the state.

Several petitions have been started around the state to protest this move. Many espresso stand owners question why a drive-thru stand would require permanent plumbing, which makes sense. One Seattle-area stand owner says the cost to tie into a water-sewer system could cost upwards of $100K.

  Will also hurt resale value.

Even if the DOH decides to grandfather in existing stands with no plumbing, owners say they won’t be able to sell their business or pass it down to another owner in the family because it won’t meet the new codes.

We have searched numerous areas of the DOH and other administrative codes, but have not been able to find a concrete, specific reason for this code change, and nobody at the state is talking.

   If you wish to voice your opinion, the DOH number for licensing issues, complaints, and related issues is  360-236-4700.

 

KEEP READING: See 25 natural ways to boost your immune system

 

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Commercial Cleaning Strength that is Safe for Residential Homes

TOLEDO, Ohio – June 15, 2022 – (Newswire.com)

JAWS®, the Just Add Water System, is an innovative cleaning solution that reduces single-use plastic spray bottles. Designed to provide a child- and pet-safe clean for homes, apartments, consumers and small business owners favor the cost-saving effectiveness of JAWS®. It is powerful enough to effectively clean high-traffic buildings, yet gentle on household surfaces without harmful or harsh ingredients. 

Millions of spray bottles are discarded every year. JAWS® eco-friendly cleaning system reduces single-use plastic spray bottles while providing high performance, cleaning concentrate in a smart, easy and safe dilution system. Every time a JAWS child-resistant refill pod of cleaning concentrate is dropped into a reusable JAWS spray bottle, one less plastic bottle enters the waste stream. Every JAWS refill Pod saves 83% of plastic versus traditional spray bottles. 

The JAWS® Just add Water System is saving resources at every step. Ready-to-use cleaning products are mostly water. Why pay to ship water when consumers have a water source at home?  JAWS bottles ship empty along with the refill pods that are small and very lightweight.  This helps save fuel during shipping.  Ready-to use-bottles of cleaner are heavier, which means more fuel is used to ship water. JAWS is also more convenient for consumers because they carry less water weight home from the retail store, and because the pod is so small, they save on storage space. 

Diluting JAWS® cleaning solutions is as simple as placing a pod filled with cleaning concentrate into a reusable JAWS spray bottle filled with tap water and twisting on the sprayer. There is no measuring, pouring, or spilling. The refill pod is child-resistant so users will never come into direct contact with the cleaning concentrate.  The self-contained, child-resistant refill pods are designed to be spill-proof and easy to use. Drop a pod into the reusable plastic spray bottle filled with tap water and create a perfectly mixed bottle of effective cleaning solution each and every time.

JAWS offers eight cleaning solutions including Multi-Purpose Cleaner, Disinfectant Cleaner, Glass Cleaner, Foaming Bathroom Cleaner, Kitchen Cleaner, Daily Shower Cleaner, Hardwood Floor Cleaner, Granite Cleaner & Polish. Every JAWS® cleaning solution is color-coded for easy identification. 

JAWS® cleaning formulas are among the EPA Safer Choice Recognized Formulas. (EPA’s) Safer Choice label helps consumers and commercial buyers identify products with safer chemical ingredients, without sacrificing quality or performance. Only the safest possible functional ingredients are allowed in products with the Safer Choice label. 

JAWS International, Ltd., a technology company committed to protecting the environment with effective, concentrated cleaning products using safer chemicals.  We developed JAWS® (Just Add Water System) – a patented, innovative cleaning system designed to reduce the environmental impact of packaging in conventional spray-cleaning products, conserving the resources required to produce and ship them, while trimming end-use plastic disposal. A Founding Principal of the Company is Stop Shipping Water. It’s the Right Thing to Do.

Email: [email protected]

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The Original Cleaner Cartridge Technology, JAWS® Cuts Plastic Waste

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