Resurgent bedbugs don't spread disease

CHICAGO — Once relegated to third-world nations, grandparents' memories and old nursery rhymes, bedbugs have enjoyed a dramatic and surprising resurgence, according to the Daily Herald.

The United States is experiencing "an alarming resurgence in the population of bedbugs," according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), because the pests have developed a resistance to pesticides and are able to spread so much faster due to increased international travel, the article stated.

The bugs don't spread malaria or other blood-borne diseases: Their beak-like mouths generally pierce the skin without causing enough pain to wake their victims, the article noted.

"They come out at 2 in the morning when you are least alert, feed on you for five minutes or so, and then go back into hiding," said Curt Colwell, entomologist with the Illinois Department of Public Health.

"A high percentage of people don't react at all," Colwell added.

Click here to read the complete article.

Five Oklahoma tribes receive EPA monetary awards

OKLAHOMA CITY — Five American Indian tribes in Oklahoma have received monetary awards totaling $720,000 from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), according to KTUL-TV.

The Miami, Modoc and Seneca-Cayuga tribes and the Wyandotte Nation each have received $120,000, the article noted.

The EPA says the tribes will use the money to help implement tribal-wide recycling programs, develop tribal indoor air and education and outreach programs, update environmental codes and ordinances and train staff on environmental protection issues, the article stated.

According to the article, the Seneca-Cayuga tribe also will use the money for implementing solid waste cleanup activities, conducting baseline monitoring for indoor air contaminants and developing emergency management plans.

Click here to read the complete article.

Cintas settles racial and sexual harassment claim

PHILADELPHIA — Cintas Corporation, which manufactures uniforms and provides specialized services to businesses, has agreed to pay $152,500 to settle a racial and sexual harassment lawsuit filed against it by the Equal Employment and Opportunities Commission (EEOC), according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The suit alleged that a supervisor in Cintas' fire-protection unit subjected a group of black employees "to egregious sexual and racial harassment," the article stated.

In a consent decree, Cintas also agreed provide training about the federal antidiscrimination laws to all employees at their Conshohocken plant, the article noted.

Click here to read the complete article.

Seattle is turning its rooftops green

SEATTLE — Seattle rooftops are starting to look more like parks as a new report shows half of all new commercial structures developed in the area are being built with green rooftops, according to My Northwest.

"Green roofs can lead directly to reduced utility rates for storm water, an increase in property values, energy efficiency benefits for buildings and opportunities for urban agriculture in existing 'food deserts,'" said City Councilmember Mike O'Brien, chair of the Council's Seattle Public Utilities and Neighborhoods.

As of December 2009, Seattle had 62 structures with green roofs, with total rooftop green space amounting to 359,375 square feet, the article noted.

The Bastille restaurant in Ballard and McMahon Hall at the University of Washington, reportedly use vegetables and herbs grown on rooftop spaces for their food service, the article stated.

Other local apartment buildings report setting up community P-patch gardens atop their buildings, the article added.

Click here to read the complete article.

A majority of Americans are immune to swine flu

WASHINGTON DC— Swine flu no longer represents a major threat to the U.S. population, because most people are immune to the virus that caused last season's pandemic, according to USA Today.

Researchers believe that, of the 310 million people in the USA, 59 percent are now believed to be immune to pandemic H1N1 flu, the article noted.

According to the article, approximately 62 million people were vaccinated against the virus, 61 million people were infected by it and another 60 million people 57 or older carry protective antibodies against similar viruses that date back to previous pandemics.

"It's very unlikely that the virus will explode in the fall," says Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), and an author of the analysis. "We now have evidence of that."

The evidence comes from studies on the 2009-2010 pandemic carried out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). If this virus follows the pattern set by earlier flu bugs, it will either die out completely or continue to circulate in the ever-shrinking pool of people still susceptible to it, the article stated.

Click here to read the complete article.

$100 million class action filed against LEED and USGBC

WASHINGTON — Henry Gifford has been a thorn in the side of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for a couple of years, since he wrote an article claiming that Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rated buildings used 29 percent more energy than conventional buildings, according to Treehugger.

LEED has changed a lot since then, but not enough for Henry: He's launched a $100 million class action lawsuit against the USGBC, the article stated.

Henry is going after them for Sherman Act Monopolization through fraud, unfair competition, deceptive trade practices, false advertising, wire fraud and unjust enrichment, the article noted.

Environmental lawyer Shari Shapiro at Green Building Law describes the suit in plain language: His theory is that the USGBC has falsely claimed that its rating system makes buildings save energy.

According to the article, Henry believes that building owners have spent more money to have their buildings certified, that professionals have gotten worthless professional credentials and people in general have been duped into thinking LEED has meaning.

Click here to read the complete article.

Custodians file grievances to University of Washington human resources

SEATTLE — A delegation of 20 custodians on campus — accompanied by union and activist allies — delivered individually signed copies of a grievance form to the University of Washington's (UW) human resources, outlining what they believe are violations of the 2009-11 contract between the university and the union that represents the custodians, according to The Daily.

According to the grievance form, UW facilities custodial managers posted on September 30 new requirements at one custodial area's clocking stations in regards to the use of custodial closets as break rooms and new standards for the custodians' timekeeping, the article stated.

The custodians allege that these new rules deny comfortable facilities for their breaks and the ability to heat meals, and that the rules violate their rights to overtime payment, the article noted.

According to the article, some of the custodians' specific concerns with the new requirements include insufficient time to travel between the clocking station and work area, and the lack of overtime payment for the extra time needed to walk back and forth, as well as insufficient break time to walk between the work area and the few custodial break rooms on campus.

Click here to read the complete article.

Touch-screen devices can harbor flu germs

SACRAMENTO, CA — Personal touch-screen devices — iPads, BlackBerrys and Droids — are now seemingly everywhere, potentially harboring the germs and viruses that turn voices raspy and send noses running, according to The Sacramento Bee.

"If you're sharing the device, then you're sharing your influenza with someone else who touches it," said Timothy Julian, a Stanford University doctoral student who co-authored a study on the spread of viruses.

British researchers provide some stomach-churning data: Mobile phones harbor 18 times more bacteria than a flush handle in a typical men's restroom, the article stated.

According to Julian's study, published online in July by the Journal of Applied Microbiology, the risks of transmitting pathogens from glass surfaces to a person's skin are relatively high.

"If you put virus on a surface, like an iPhone, about 30 percent of it will get on your fingertips," Julian said. In turn, "a fair amount of it may go from your fingers to your eyes, mouth or nose," the most likely routes of infection.

Click here to read the complete article.

Hampton Inn Hotel sued for race discrimination

INDIANAPOLIS — The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) said it is suing the owner of an Indianapolis hotel, charging that it treated black housekeepers unfairly, according to the Indianapolis Business Journal.

The EEOC's complaint against New Indianapolis Hotels Inc. is on behalf of a class of fired black housekeepers, as well as a class of black applicants who sought housekeeping jobs at the Hampton Inn hotel, the article noted.

The lawsuit alleges that the hotel denied employment to black housekeeping applicants, offered lower pay and hours to black housekeeping staff, terminated black housekeepers who complained of the less-favorable treatment and destroyed records since at least September 2, 2008, the article stated.

According to the article, the suit alleges that the general manager of the hotel advised her employees that she wanted to hire "Mexicans" who do a better job and complain less than her black housekeeping staff.

The agency is seeking damages and back pay, in addition to a permanent injunction to prevent New Indianapolis Hotels from engaging in race discrimination, the article added.

Click here to read the complete article.

University of Alberta janitors say they are being mistreated

ALBERTA, CANADA — Janitors at the University of Alberta appear to be fed up with how they're being treated, and they're taking their complaints to the Alberta Labor Relations Board, according to News i880AM.

At least one janitor claims they were fired by cleaning contractor Bee Clean for standing up for temporary foreign workers, the article noted.

The cleaners say they've had ongoing concerns over pay and other issues, but anytime they bring it up Bee Clean threatens to send them home, the article stated.

According to the article, the workers have filed an unfair labor practice and they're also going public with their complaints at a news conference.

Click here to read the complete article.

Elevator buttons hotbed of germs

WASHINGTON — A typical elevator button could be thriving with harmful germs, viruses and bacteria, according to a press release.

According to researchers, though toilet seats are considered filthy because they are crawling with millions of disease-causing germs, the innocuous elevator button touched by many people every day harbors nearly 40 times more bacteria.

Researchers from the University of Arizona carried out a study on behalf of Mircoban Europe, which manufactures antibacterial protection products, the release noted.

The investigators found only eight "colony forming units" on every square centimeter of the public toilet seat; however, an alarming 313 units of bacteria were found on an equivalent surface area of the elevator button, the release stated.

Click here to read the complete release.

OSHA announces top 10 violations of 2010

WASHINGTON — The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) used the National Safety Council's 2010 Congress and Expo to announce the top 10 violations of 2010, according to a press release.

Thomas Galassi, OSHA's directorate of enforcement programs, made the announcement with Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of OSHA, the release stated.

The list was little changed from 2009, with a couple of violations switching places, the release noted.

According to the release, the top five violations were:

1. Scaffolding
2. Fall protection
3. Hazard communication
4. Respiratory protection
5. Ladders

To see the complete list of violations, click here.

Click here to read the complete release.

Pasadena Convention Center awarded LEED Gold

PASADENA, CA — Because of its commitment to sustainability, the expanded Pasadena Convention Center has been awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification, making it one of only three U.S. convention centers to earn the prestigious Gold designation, according to a press release.

"We are proud to be one of the greenest convention centers in North America," said Pasadena Center Operating Company Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Michael Ross.

"It is enticing to our clients, knowing they are hosting events in a facility that is actively protecting our precious resources," Ross added.

The Pasadena Convention Center achieved LEED certification for energy use, lighting, water and material use, as well as incorporating a variety of other sustainable strategies, the release stated.

According to the release, by using less energy and water, LEED-certified buildings save money for families, businesses and taxpayers; reduce greenhouse gas emissions; and contribute to a healthier environment for residents, workers and the larger community.

Click here to read the complete release.

Criminals were working in Nashville schools

NASHVILLE — Metro Nashville Public Schools is pledging to take a hard look at its personnel policies after a routine background check of custodians found 56 with criminal records serious enough to bar them from working in a school, according to the Tennessean.

The district recently outsourced its janitorial work, and the new company, Ohio-based GCA, required district workers to be fingerprinted and undergo background checks before they could reapply for their old jobs: For many longtime employees, it was the first time anyone had checked to see whether they had a criminal record, the article stated.

According to the article, there were three incidents of aggravated assault with serious bodily injury and eight cases of aggravated assault with a razor or pistol, as well as cases of domestic assault, drug possession, robbery, forgery, driving under the influence, sexual battery, indecent exposure and patronizing a prostitute.

In the end, 56 members, or 9.3 percent, of the district's 600-person custodial staff could not be rehired because they flunked the background check, the article noted.

"This was disturbing, to see those results," said district spokeswoman Meredith Libbey. "We are discussing some options."

Click here to read the complete article.

Nuclear facility goes green with LEED Gold

AIKEN, SC — Shaw AREVA MOX Services was recently awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification at the Gold level for its Administration Building, according to Your Nuclear News.

The MOX Administration Building, which houses business operations and support personnel for the National Nuclear Security Administration's (NNSA) plutonium disposition program, received 40 out of a possible 43 points in the LEED process, the story stated.

The Administration Building is the first structure at the Savannah River Site to be LEED Gold-certified and the first of three MOX project buildings to pursue LEED certification at the Gold level, the story noted.

NNSA Principal Assistant Deputy Administrator for the Office of Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation Ken Baker said: "Achieving LEED certification on this facility highlights our commitment to transforming a Cold War-era nuclear weapons complex into a 21st Century nuclear security enterprise."

LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system that provides third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance in energy savings, water efficiency, carbon dioxide emissions reduction and other critical areas, the story added.

Click here to read the complete article.

Window washer alive after four-story plunge

NEW YORK — A worker from Domino Window Cleaning is in the hospital after falling four stories from a building and landing on his head while cleaning the windows, according to the Daily News.

Igor Vnuk, who fell around 3:45 p.m. Friday after losing his balance, was not wearing a safety harness, the story stated.

Co-workers rushed to Vnuk's aid before emergency workers arrived at the scene and transported the injured window washer to Bellevue Hospital, the story noted.

It is unclear whether or not Vnuk violated any work codes by failing to don a safety harness, but the New York City Department of Investigations said they were looking into the fall for more answers, the story added.

Click here to read the complete article.

Restaurant high chairs harbor more bacteria than the average toilet seat

LONDON — Baby high chairs found in restaurants have been found to harbor more bacteria than the average public toilet seat, according to the Daily Mail.

Teams took swabs from high chairs in 30 different restaurants and found that, on average, the number of bacteria on a high chair — including some that can lead to serious illness — was 147 per square centimeter, the article stated.

By comparison, the average public toilet seat has just eight per square centimeter, the article noted.

"The test results varied considerably and while some of the high chairs were relatively clean, others had concentrations of bacteria as high as 1,200 bacteria per square centimeter, which is worrying," said Dr Nicholas Moon director of technical affairs at Microban, makers of antibacterial products, which conducted the research across a variety of restaurants.

"This is of concern because a child's immune system tends to be far less robust than an adult's and children tend to touch things and put their hands in their mouth a lot — so they easily infect themselves with any germs they encounter," Moon added.

Click here to read the complete article.