Student files lawsuit over coed bathrooms

POULTNEY, VT — Green Mountain College (GMC) freshman Jennifer Weiler has filed a lawsuit against the Vermont Department of Public Safety (DPS) claiming that coed bathrooms in the dormitory where she lives are in violation of state plumbing and building codes adopted in 2003, according to the Daily Orange.

According to the story, the codes require that separate facilities be provided for each gender where restroom facilities are required in public buildings, but the DPS said the codes are only applied to bathrooms in existence before the codes were in place if the plumbing has been changed or altered.

Kevin Coburn, the director of communications at GMC, declined to comment on the lawsuit, but said that students uncomfortable with the coed bathrooms could work with residential life staff to find a more suitable living situation, the story stated.

Weilers attorney, Pamela Moreau, said: "[…] A dorm is such an intimate place, and people disrobe to get in the shower. There is not at all the same kind of intimacy in most other public buildings, yet coed bathrooms are not allowed."

Moreau also added that it is uncommon to find coed bathrooms in public buildings, the story added.

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High school invaded by dozens of bats

MONT BELVIEU, TX — Barbers Hill High School turned into the bat cave after as many as 52 winged rodents invaded the building, according to KHOU-TV.

According to the story, the school was in chaos Monday as students ran from the bats and maintenance workers rushed to round up all the pests and remove them from the building.

Grayson Long, a sophomore at Barbers Hill High School, said: “It almost hit me and someone else in the head.”

Extruder devices, allowing the bats to exit the building but not fly back in, were installed at the school, the story stated.

According to Mont Belvieu Independent School District Assistant Superintendent Gayle Woodall, the captured bats have been tested and none of them are diseased, the story noted.

Officials are still determining whether or not students will return to the building for classes today, the story added.

New Facebook data center to be energy efficient

PRINEVILLE, OR — A data center for the popular social networking site Facebook.com currently under construction will have a number of energy efficient features, according to Environmental Leader.

According to the story, the new facility will feature an evaporative heating and cooling system in which an airside economizer brings in cool air from the outside and heat generated from servers will be used to heat the offices.

The 147,000-square-foot data center will also feature a system for maintaining uninterrupted electricity that saves energy usage by 12 percent, the story stated.

The data center — a first for Facebook, which had previously only leased storage — is seeking a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold designation, the story added.

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Toilet seat dermatitis on the rise

BALTIMORE — According to research by the John Hopkins Children's Center, toilet seat dermatitis — once thought to be eradicated in developed countries — is making a comeback due to harsh cleaning chemicals and popular wooden toilet seats covered with varnishes and paints, according to a press release.

According to the release, children are susceptible to the irritation — which can cause painful and itchy skin eruptions — after repeated use of wooden toilet seats or those with harsh cleaning chemical residue.

Johns Hopkins Children's Center investigator Bernard Cohen, M.D. said: "Toilet seat dermatitis is one of those legendary conditions described in medical textbooks and seen in underdeveloped countries, but one that younger pediatricians have not come across in their daily practice. If our small analysis is any indication of what's happening, we need to make sure the condition is on every pediatrician's radar."

Cohen says that toilet seats and cleaners — both at home and school — may be the culprit for irritation.

To prevent toilet seat dermatitis, Cohen recommends: Using paper toilet seat covers in public restrooms; replacing wooden toilet seats with plastic ones; cleaning toilet seats and bowls daily; and avoiding harsh cleaners containing skin irritants like phenol and formaldehyde, the story noted.

Lead Researcher Ivan Litvinov, Ph.D. said: "Some of the children in our study suffered for years before the correct diagnosis was made."

Researchers also noted that persistently irritated skin is vulnerable to bacteria and may lead to more serious infections, the story added.

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Hundreds sick after casino norovirus outbreak

CHEROKEE, NC — Harrah's Cherokee Casino and Hotel is cleaning its slot machines with bleach every two hours after an outbreak of norovirus, a highly contagious gastrointestinal virus whose eradication requires extensive cleaning of surfaces, that has left nearly 250 people sick, according to the Associated Press.

According to the story, the outbreak began on January 12 and has caused symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea in casino visitors.

In addition to cleaning the 3,300 slot machines, casino workers are also sanitizing door knobs, escalator handrails and restrooms on an hourly basis, the story stated.

David Bergmire-Sweat, a state epidemiologist, said that very few of the casino's 7,500 daily visitors have shown symptoms of norovirus.