Jul 8, 2022 07:56 PM
(This post was last modified: Jul 8, 2022 07:59 PM by C C.)
What lurks inside shipping containers
https://hakaimagazine.com/news/what-lurk...ontainers/
INTRO: They had no idea the shipping container was full of toxic gas. But mere moments after opening it, the two workers began to feel the effects. One man fell unconscious, convulsing with epileptic seizures. The other felt an irritation in his throat and began salivating uncontrollably.
The cargo papers for the container stated it contained glassware and ceramics. The workers had no reason to suspect they were in danger. But they were. And so was the ambulance crew that came to their aid. Arriving on the scene, they saw the man having seizure after seizure, so they quickly anesthetized and intubated both workers. In the ambulance on the way to the hospital, the medics also began to feel ill: sore throats, irritated eyes, and hypersalivation.
This frightening and little-known incident occurred in 2006 at the port in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Thankfully, all involved survived their initial exposure, though it was undoubtedly a close call. The toxic gas that had assailed them was the odorless and colorless methyl bromide. Acute doses of methyl bromide can be fatal; chronic and acute exposure increases the risk of prostate cancer.
In the years since that distressing day, researchers have investigated the many poisonous chemicals sometimes lurking inside sealed shipping containers... (MORE - details)
How hot is too hot for the human body? Lower than many people realize
https://theconversation.com/how-hot-is-t...ize-185593
INTRO: Heat waves are becoming supercharged as the climate changes – lasting longer, becoming more frequent and getting just plain hotter. One question a lot of people are asking is: “When will it get too hot for normal daily activity as we know it, even for young, healthy adults?”
The answer goes beyond the temperature you see on the thermometer. It’s also about humidity. Our research shows the combination of the two can get dangerous faster than scientists previously believed.
Scientists and other observers have become alarmed about the increasing frequency of extreme heat paired with high humidity, measured as “wet-bulb temperature.” During the heat waves that overtook South Asia in May and June 2022, Jacobabad, Pakistan, recorded a maximum wet-bulb temperature of 33.6 C (92.5 F) and Delhi topped that – close to the theorized upper limit of human adaptability to humid heat.
People often point to a study published in 2010 that estimated that a wet-bulb temperature of 35 C – equal to 95 F at 100% humidity, or 115 F at 50% humidity – would be the upper limit of safety, beyond which the human body can no longer cool itself by evaporating sweat from the surface of the body to maintain a stable body core temperature.
It was not until recently that this limit was tested on humans in laboratory settings. The results of these tests show an even greater cause for concern.
[...] Our studies on young healthy men and women show that this upper environmental limit is even lower than the theorized 35 C. It’s more like a wet-bulb temperature of 31 C (88 F). That would equal 31 C at 100% humidity or 38 C (100 F) at 60% humidity. ... People over the age of 65 comprise some 80%-90% of heat wave casualties. (MORE - details)
https://hakaimagazine.com/news/what-lurk...ontainers/
INTRO: They had no idea the shipping container was full of toxic gas. But mere moments after opening it, the two workers began to feel the effects. One man fell unconscious, convulsing with epileptic seizures. The other felt an irritation in his throat and began salivating uncontrollably.
The cargo papers for the container stated it contained glassware and ceramics. The workers had no reason to suspect they were in danger. But they were. And so was the ambulance crew that came to their aid. Arriving on the scene, they saw the man having seizure after seizure, so they quickly anesthetized and intubated both workers. In the ambulance on the way to the hospital, the medics also began to feel ill: sore throats, irritated eyes, and hypersalivation.
This frightening and little-known incident occurred in 2006 at the port in Rotterdam, Netherlands. Thankfully, all involved survived their initial exposure, though it was undoubtedly a close call. The toxic gas that had assailed them was the odorless and colorless methyl bromide. Acute doses of methyl bromide can be fatal; chronic and acute exposure increases the risk of prostate cancer.
In the years since that distressing day, researchers have investigated the many poisonous chemicals sometimes lurking inside sealed shipping containers... (MORE - details)
How hot is too hot for the human body? Lower than many people realize
https://theconversation.com/how-hot-is-t...ize-185593
INTRO: Heat waves are becoming supercharged as the climate changes – lasting longer, becoming more frequent and getting just plain hotter. One question a lot of people are asking is: “When will it get too hot for normal daily activity as we know it, even for young, healthy adults?”
The answer goes beyond the temperature you see on the thermometer. It’s also about humidity. Our research shows the combination of the two can get dangerous faster than scientists previously believed.
Scientists and other observers have become alarmed about the increasing frequency of extreme heat paired with high humidity, measured as “wet-bulb temperature.” During the heat waves that overtook South Asia in May and June 2022, Jacobabad, Pakistan, recorded a maximum wet-bulb temperature of 33.6 C (92.5 F) and Delhi topped that – close to the theorized upper limit of human adaptability to humid heat.
People often point to a study published in 2010 that estimated that a wet-bulb temperature of 35 C – equal to 95 F at 100% humidity, or 115 F at 50% humidity – would be the upper limit of safety, beyond which the human body can no longer cool itself by evaporating sweat from the surface of the body to maintain a stable body core temperature.
It was not until recently that this limit was tested on humans in laboratory settings. The results of these tests show an even greater cause for concern.
[...] Our studies on young healthy men and women show that this upper environmental limit is even lower than the theorized 35 C. It’s more like a wet-bulb temperature of 31 C (88 F). That would equal 31 C at 100% humidity or 38 C (100 F) at 60% humidity. ... People over the age of 65 comprise some 80%-90% of heat wave casualties. (MORE - details)