Category Archives: Technology

Business/Economics, Technology, U.S.

Corporate Incompetence: Pain killing drug pump killing the patient, says FDA recall

September 13, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced a recall on a drug infusion pump by Medtronic.

The recalled drug pump was called “SynchroMed II”, including models of 8637-20 and 8637-40, distributed between 2004 and July 2011.

There is a problem that actually causes recurrent or withdrawal symptoms, which could be life-threatening.  There are 55 known cases of failure, and one known death.  I personally might know of another unreported death, someone who died just two months after having a pain pump put in. It was a painfully slow death because her own doctors didn’t know what was going on.  She was a single mom.


Business/Economics, Technology, U.S.

Corporate Incompetence: Colorado company contaminating community with radiation

Cotter Corporation, managers of a uranium mill, want to stop testing a leaking radioactive pond because conditions are too dangerous for workers.

Not only is the pond leaking radiation, it’s leaking TCE’s (trichloroethene) and other contaminants.  It could affect the community of Canon City.

The mill was built in 1958, to process uranium for weapons and nuclear power plants. Cotter Corporation dumped waste in 11 unlined ponds, which contaminated the area groundwater.  The EPA declared the area a Superfund cleanup site, and the company has been moving waste to a clay lined pond.

The problem is that the clay lined pond is now leaking.  On top of that, the company says the pond is too dangerous for their workers to safely check acidity levels.

Colorado officials are considering a request to stop monitoring the pond.

Business/Economics, International, Technology

Corporate Incompetence: Home juicing machines & soy milking machines contain carcinogens

A report out of China says that home juicing machines, and soybean milking machines, are being manufactured with lubricants that are known to cause cancer.

Inspectors working for the Germany company Fuchs Petrolub, discovered the malpractice: “Manufacturers of soybean milk machines, including Joyoung and Midea, are well aware that the lubricant for production is for industrial use.  It is only during product examinations from outside agencies that they purchase lubricant for food.”

Products intended for food production should use food grade lubricants, but it was revealed that the home juicing machines were put together using standard industrial grade lubricants.

However, there is apparently no law in China requiring the use of food grade lubricants for food production machines.  Staff with Fuchs Petrolub say the Chinese companies use industrial grade lubricants, for food machines, because they’re cheaper.

 

 

Business/Economics, International, Technology

Global Economic War: China accuses Europe & Japan of dumping steel products

The Chinese Ministry of Commerce is investigating claims that Europe and Japan are dumping steel tubes in China.

“Dumping can force established domestic producers out of a market and lead to monopolistic positions by the exporting nation.”-Wikipedia

China will look into the matter of “certain high-performance stainless steel seamless tubes” and calculate the loss suffered by domestic companies.

Business/Economics, International, Technology, U.S.

Corporate Incompetence: Millions of people lost power due to mistakes by power company employees

“This was not a deliberate act. The employee was just switching out a piece of equipment that was problematic.”-Daniel Froetscher, Arizona Public Service

At least 2.5 million people in the U.S. and Mexico, lost power because of maintenance at a Yuma, Arizona, substation.

Around 15:30 September 8, monitoring equipment was replaced.  That caused power to go out for about 56,000 customers.  Ten minutes later, after an attempt to restore power, the lights went out for 2.5 million customers from Yuma, Arizona, to San Diego, California, to Tijuana, Baja California.

Apparently circuits were shorted out.  Power company officials are trying to find out why such actions would have created a “cascade” effect along the power grid.

The power outage also shut down the San Onofre nuclear plant, and caused a 3.2-million gallon sewage spill San Diego beaches.

 

 

 

Technology, U.S.

Government & Corporate Incompetence: NRC says U.S. Nuclear plants are not earthquake safe

According to the Associated press,  a preliminary Nuclear Regulatory Commission review says that most U.S. nuclear reactors are not as earthquake safe as first thought.

The NRC review was actually started before the recent east coast quake, and the March 11 quake in Japan.

Earthquake safety standards for nuclear reactors were set more than 20 years ago.  Since then much more has been learned about earthquakes.

The review showed that some reactors are actually 24 times more likely to suffer a severe accident, than originally thought.  That’s because 20 years ago most planners didn’t think there could be such big earthquakes as the one in Japan on March 11.

At least 27 reactors are being recommended for earthquake safety upgrades.

 

Business/Economics, International, Technology

Iran starts Nuclear Reactors

August 3, The Iranian Atomic Energy Organization said the Bushehr nuclear plant is up and running, and connected to Iran’s power grid.

It is sending out low amounts of electricity for now. It’s scheduled for full operation by the end of the year.

The plant was built with Russian help. Russia will deliver nuclear fuel rods and retrieve spent fuel.  Iran says it will build 20 more nuclear plants.

Business/Economics, International, Technology

Good idea from Japan: Books that tell you how to escape a natural disaster, you can’t rely on your cell phones

In Japan some of the fastest selling books are how to books that show you how to get out’a town in case of a natural disaster.

The 9.0 quake of March 11 was the motivator for such books.   Even though Tokyo was at least a hundred miles from the epicenter of the quake, the public transportation systems went down.  About 6 million people walked or rode bikes home.

People who did well walking out had road maps, or had read the 2005 book Map for Walking Home in the Event of an Earthquake.  The book was the result of experiences of the editors in a 2004 earthquake.

Amazingly the book was undergoing a revision when the March 11 quake hit.  In fact one of the editors ended up walking home over the next two days, it proved to be useful in making the revisions: “For example, there were big advertising signs above the roads, which can break and fall on pedestrians, and such potentially dangerous sites we included on the maps.”-Tatsuya Nakajima, Shobunsha Publications

Since then 150,000 of the books have sold.  Prior to that, 1 million copies had sold.  Here’s one good reason such books are in demand, cell phones did not work on March 11: “People could not access online maps on their mobile phones right after the quake because telecom systems were overloaded.  That’s probably why the demand for paper maps has increased and this book has sold well since.”-Tomoko Okawa, Shobunsha Publications

A subsidiary of Shobunsha Publications has recently solved that problem, at least if you have an iPhone, a downloadable app that does not require an active cell service to work.

 

 

Technology, U.S.

Medical Incompetence: Hospital injects children with high doses of radiation, on purpose

A hospital in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan, admitted that children had been injected with too much radiation.

Since 1999, at least 84 kids were injected with high doses of radioactive technetium.  The isotope is used to help examine internal organs.

The doses were in excess of the limit set by the Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine.  One boy was given 20 times the limit.

Radiological technicians admitted they intentionally gave the children the higher doses, because they were afraid the kids wouldn’t sit still long enough to get a good image of their internal organs!!!

Business/Economics, Idaho, International, Technology, U.S.

What Economic Recovery? Hoku, Idaho, finally to start polysilicon production, but ongoing delays will cost solar company money

“We are positioned to bring the first 2,500 metric tons of manufacturing capacity online in the coming weeks, and we continue commissioning key systems on site.”-Scott Paul, CEO of Hoku Corporation

After years of continued promises of local hiring and construction delays, due to financial problems, Hoku claims it will finally start polysilicon production within weeks.

However, Idaho Power insists that Hoku pay up front for its electricity, Hoku officials claim they’ve already paid $5.3 million to the utility.  This is just part of a long list of financial problems the wannabe polysilicon maker has had.

It’s ironic that a solar power “products and services” company must rely on an old fashioned electric utility to provide power to run their new 2,500 metric tons of polysilicon factory.

Hoku Corporation has already lost $10.2 million during the second quarter of 2011.  The solar power products company is based in Hawaii.  Their polysilicon Hoku Materials plant is located in Pocatello, Idaho.

Hoku has been getting financial help from a Chinese company; Tianwei New Energy Holdings.

Hoku salesmen oversold their company’s product, and now they’re scrambling to issue refunds, and offer discounts on existing contracts for waiting so long for their product.

All current orders for polysilcon are delayed, no thanks to the financial problems that have delayed construction of the Pocatello plant for the past couple of years.  Expect Hoku to continue reporting losses as a result.

2010: HOKU TURNING TO CHINA TO HELP FINISH POCATELLO PLANT