Thursday, September 29, 2011

The olfactory chemistry of love - Yahoo! Lifestyle UK

The olfactory chemistry of love - Yahoo! Lifestyle UK: "The olfactory chemistry of love


The olfactory chemistry of love

Ever more studies on the importance of pheromones to sex appeal are being published. So, whose side of the story to believe – deodorant marketeers or the scientists?
When it doesn’t cause revulsion, someone else’s body odour can actually arouse sexual desire. Between instinctive attraction and conscious repulsion, here’s an overview of the multifaceted power of body smell.  "

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Tuesday, September 27, 2011

domain-b.com : How anti-mosquito repellents disorient insects

domain-b.com : How anti-mosquito repellents disorient insects: "For decades DEET has been successfully used to repel biting insects. Scientists from Rockefeller University, New York, in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena, Germany, have now clarified DEET's (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) mechanism of action. The substance does not block the insects' recognition of attracting odor signals or cause an active avoidance behavior in mosquitoes and fruit flies, as has been assumed previously.
 "

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Brazilians Worried, Apathetic About Toxic Contamination in Neighborhood - Framingham, MA Patch

Brazilians Worried, Apathetic About Toxic Contamination in Neighborhood - Framingham, MA Patch: "The emotions of parents of whose children attend Woodrow Wilson Elementary School range from apathetic to panic, when it comes to the school's neighbor General Chemical.

Rosana Souza, a Brazilian mother of a third grader at Wilson Elementary School, speaks little English. “I was told that the whole school was contaminated. I called a teacher and she told me if that were the case, she wouldn’t be working there,” said Souza in Portuguese.

Monday night at a hearing attended by more than 100 people Framingham Health Director Ethan Mascoop restated the school is safe. The air quality is tested very regularly, he added."

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Rogersville named an EPA superfund site - CCHeadliner.com: News

Rogersville named an EPA superfund site - CCHeadliner.com: News: "The Environmental Protection Agency announced Sept. 15 that a Rogersville well contaminated with trichloroethylene (TCE) is on the agency’s list of proposed sites for Superfund cleanup.
Rogersville Mayor Jack Cole confirmed with the EPA on Sept. 19 that the designation of the Compass Plaza well also included other area wells contaminated by TCE.

“When they talk about the Compass site, they are not talking about just that site. They are talking about general clean-up of TCE in the area,” Cole said.
“It can be nothing but good for us and the landowners in that area,” Cole said last week, noting  his understanding was that the designation was inclusive of other area sites. “If the EPA is willing to take on that responsibility, all the better.”
A press release issued by the EPA last week only listed the Compass well, which was a surprise to Rogersville Assembly of God Pastor Greg Robertson.
The church, which operated as a waterworks, responsible for regular water testing and reports, when hooked up to the well in question, has since connected to city waterlines."

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DEC plans pilot test on contaminated site

DEC plans pilot test on contaminated site:

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Clarksville site may face $140,000 fine over contaminated soil | The Courier-Journal | courier-journal.com

Clarksville site may face $140,000 fine over contaminated soil | The Courier-Journal | courier-journal.com:

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Sunday, September 18, 2011

Rubbish tip still on the nose.

OPPONENTS of the Regional Resource Recovery Centre (RRRC) have renewed calls for the centre to close after an odour-monitoring program showed green waste and fermented garbage odour still plagued surrounding areas. The Leeming and Willetton Community Odour Monitoring program, co-ordinated by the Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC), confirmed the presence of green waste and fermented garbage odours in the suburbs from January to April. Canning Melville Community Odour Action Group spokesman Rod Petterson said the results clearly showed there was an ongoing problem at the centre. “Something needs to be done quickly as we are heading into the problematic time of year, and it seems to be worse in summer,” he said. “Our position in 2006 was just to close the centre down until the odour problem was resolved. That remains our position.” The odour monitor recorded smells from 32 residential properties across the two suburbs over a 14-week period, with participating residents required to log all odours while the DEC conducted field observations. DEC director of environment regulation Alan Sands said more than 190 odours attributable to the centre were recorded, out of 332 odour log reports. He said most green waste, compost and fermented garbage odours were reported between February and April and, in light of the results, further investigation would be undertaken to identify the source of the problems within the RRRC. Riverton MLA Mike Nahan said another report was unnecessary. “They (residents) know that DEC has been working with the SMRC to try to stop the odours but the survey has clearly shown their remedial work has not been successful,” he said. “It is time to develop a plan to replace the centre.” SMRC chairman Tony Romano acknowledged the odours in Leeming and Willetton but said the reported smells “were generally weak and transient”. He said the council would continue to work with the community and DEC to meet its licence conditions and environmental goals.

Odour from poultry plant damages neighbours complain

On the heels of provincial charges laid last week against poultry processor Lilydale, a group of residents living near the plant have now launched their own court action demanding the innercity plant clean up its act. Complaints over noise levels, odour control and improper waste storage, allowing birds to drag chicken parts into residential yards, are outlined in a statement of claim filed by the group's representative Ecojustice. "This plant interferes with the residents' ability to use and enjoy their property," said Barry Robinson, Ecojustice staff lawyer. Although Lilydale has been operating at the site since 1969, Robinson stressed what was once a small, nineto-five business is now an expanded 24/7 operation. "This kind of a nuisance doesn't care who got here first. It's about being a good neighbour." The group held an outdoor news conference next to the Lilydale plant Wednesday. Only a few feet from their Ramsay homes, the stench of the slaughterhouse was clearly evident, in spite of a strong breeze. Their claim, which seeks $250,000 in damages, also details a 2009 ammonia spill at the plant that forced several people from their homes. It led to a provincial government investigation that resulted in two charges laid last week under the provincial Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act. The province alleges Lilydale not only released a substance that "could have caused a significant adverse effect" in the southeast community, but that it also failed to file a timely report about the incident to authorities. Robinson noted Ecojustice has also been asking, and is still waiting, for an emergency response plan from the company should any other similar events occur. Residents painted a grim picture of life alongside Lilydale, saying it has affected their lives in many ways. Robin Tufts, who has lived across the street from the plant for over 20 years, says he still gets awakened from deep sleeps at night with the backup alarms of trucks blaring at all hours. And the stench, he adds, is on some days simply unbearable. "It's very frustrating. Some days are better than others, but some days, I can't even sit on my front porch and have a coffee." Todd Ford, who's lived on the same street as Tufts for 10 years, said his daughter has found chicken parts while playing in the yard. "It's difficult to invite guests over for a barbecue when you don't know if the plant is going to smell like a garbage dump or if you are going to find a chicken head in your backyard." Lilydale did not make any detailed comments Wednesday, only issuing a brief statement. "Lilydale is of the view that our operations comply with all zoning and bylaw requirements and will be defending the claim made against us," said spokeswoman Stephanie Gillis-Paulgaard in an e-mail. Ald. Gian-Carlo Carra has held meetings with Lilydale this summer, explaining that the plant's new ownership has slowed the effort to move them out of the community of Ramsay. Carra's goal is to have it relocate to a more suitable site, either in southeast Calgary's industrial lands or outside of Calgary, within three to five years. Any sooner, Carra said, might be not be feasible given current economic conditions and financial constraints. But Lilydale could face even more financial challenges when it appears in court next month on charges surrounding the 2009 ammonia leak. It is scheduled to appear in Calgary provincial court Oct. 21 and, if found guilty, could face a maximum total fine of $1 million. The 2009 incident saw some concerned Ramsay residents temporarily flee their homes and police close down a three-to four-block radius of the community. The leak was located and stopped within 90 minutes and nobody required emergency treatment. However, people were told to close doors and windows and shut off furnaces to avoid circulating contaminated air. Ammonia occurs naturally in the environment, but can irritate people's skin, eyes, throat and lungs in high concentrations. eferguson@calgaryherald.com Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/Residents+claim+poultry+plant+damages/5405966/story.html#ixzz1YIq2dJeT