29Oct 2013 by Vincent Summers No Comments

Why Sand Filtration to Treat Waste Water?

Health
[caption id="attachment_5157" align="alignright" width="440"] Treatment Plant - CCA SA 3.0 Germany by Martina Nolte[/caption] Is sand filtration out of date? If not, what are its advantages? Waste water received by a treatment plant must be processed several ways before it is sent to the sand filter, disinfected and discharged to the environment. Large objects and grit are first removed. Treatment to remove nitrogen and phosphorous follows.  Suspended solids are digested and removed. The waste water is next aerated, allowed to settle and then pumped to the sand filter. Sand filtration blocks tiny particles. A separate layer of activated carbon may be included in the sand filter. Sand Filtration Operation Particle removal features two mechanisms. Particles larger than the gaps between grains of sand are blocked. Many smaller particles are absorbed…
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16Aug 2013 by Vincent Summers 7 Comments

The Brown Widow Spider

Biology, Health
[caption id="attachment_8515" align="alignleft" width="440"] Brown widow spider image by Matthew Field, GNU Free Documentation License 1.2[/caption] The brown widow spider? When we think of widows and spiders together, we think of the black widow spider, no? In reality, there are not one, but three slightly different versions of the black widow. There are the northern black widow, the southern black widow, and the western black widow spiders. Easily identified by its disproportionately fat, round, shiny black body emblazoned with a red hourglass, the black widow is dangerous to the old and to the young. The bite of the black widow elicits a variety of symptoms. These may include localized pain, cramping, nausea, a rise in blood pressure, and respiratory problems. For further details, see emedicinehealth. It's Not a One-Act Show…
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22Apr 2013 by Vincent Summers No Comments

Pituitary Gigantism and Acromegaly

Health, Medicine
[caption id="attachment_3690" align="alignright" width="380"] Pio Pico (1858) Mexican Governor of California[/caption] The pituitary gland is very small. It produces or regulates many hormones. It is located in the center of the head. Shaped like a garlic clove that hangs by a thread, there is a very small space surrounding it. The pituitary often forms tumors. Happily, rarely cancerous. Tumor Effects Some pituitary tumors affect production of the hormone prolactin. Prolactin promotes lactation (milk production). Another tumor type results in a growth hormone excess. In this case, the outcome is age dependent. Before puberty, one grows considerably taller (gigantism). Pituitary Problems Before / After Puberty Older sufferers do not undergo much vertical growth. They do not become giants. Still, some abnormal bone growth will occur. This is called acromegaly. The video…
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09Jun 2012 by Vincent Summers 1 Comment

Leaded Gas: Any Ongoing Health Issue?

Health
[caption id="attachment_22186" align="alignright" width="440"] Tetraethyl Lead[/caption] What's special about leaded gas? And since it was eliminated, are there health issues in the environment because of it? For more than fifty years, internal combustion engines such as automobile engines have used a high compression ratio.” This means gas mixed with air, by carburetion or injection, has been severely squeezed by pistons in cylinders. Spark was then applied, igniting the mixture. This was done to increase power and save money. Enter Leaded Gas In order to prevent pre-ignition, one or more octane improving agents was added to the fuel. The most common of these, used since about 1924, was tetraethyl lead, (C₂H₅)₄Pb. Later, low compression engines became the standard, which minimized the need for octane improvement. This was because of recognizing that…
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08Jun 2012 by Vincent Summers No Comments

Thimerosal in Vaccines? What is it?

Health
When you go to the doctor for a flu shot, you may be asked to sign a waiver or release form. It indicates you no known negative responses to the presence of thimerosal. Perhaps you've never heard of this before? Well, perhaps you have under a different name. Many years ago it was called Merthiolate. Properties Thimerosal is an antiseptic, antifungal compound. It is used as a preservative. It is also known as thiomersal. The prefix “thio” refers to the presence of sulfur. Thimerosal also contains an atom of mercury. Structure Its structure is seen in the image associated with this article. The S atom is sulfur, the Hg is hydrargyrum (mercury). The ring is a benzene ring, and the line segment to the right of the mercury atom is…
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