THE EXPLOSIVE DANGERS OF HOME OXYGEN USE

DANGERS OF HOME OXYGEN USE

Home oxygen is prescribed to patients who have difficulty inhaling sufficient oxygen through their lungs. Sea-level atmospheric air contains about 21 percent oxygen, whereas home oxygen delivery systems usually administer almost 100 percent oxygen, greatly increasing the amount of oxygen absorbed into the bloodstream through the lungs. 

Home oxygen systems typically come in three different forms: liquid oxygen, compressed oxygen and oxygen concentrators. Home oxygen systems can be very beneficial for people with breathing difficulties; however, care should always be taken when using a home oxygen system, because they do present some dangers.

Increased Fire Risk

Contrary to popular belief, oxygen itself is not flammable. Instead, an oxygen-rich environment causes everything within it to burn faster and hotter. Oxygen can even make some materials burn that are not normally flammable. For example, Nomex, which is the material used to make the fireproof clothing firefighters wear, can be lit on fire in an oxygen-rich environment, explains the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. Petroleum products pose a special hazard in high oxygen environments. Any product containing petroleum, such as some skin lotions, chapsticks or lubricants, may spontaneously self-ignite when brought into oxygen-rich environments.

Smoking Risks

Because of the increased fire danger caused by oxygen, a person using home oxygen should never smoke or be in the same room as a person smoking while the oxygen tank is turned on. The flame from a match or lighter, and even the ember burning at the end of a cigarette, can cause any nearby materials--such as clothing, hair or furniture--to burst into flame. Severe burns on the face have resulted from people smoking while using home oxygen, reports an article published in the October 1998 issue of the British Medical Journal. Similarly, a person using an oxygen canister should stay away from candles and gas appliances, including gas stoves and water heaters.

Rapid Decompression

Compressed oxygen tanks also pose a danger of turning into an airborne projectile due to rapid decompression. The oxygen in compressed tanks is under extremely high pressure. If the valve on top of the tank is damaged and begins to leak, the oxygen will spray out of the tank at rapid velocity, which can cause the tank to "take off like a rocket," warns the United States Fire Administration. Compressed oxygen cylinders should always be placed in a secure position or attached to a carrier to reduce the risk of a tank falling over and damaging the valve. In addition, the oxygen tank should never be carried or dragged while holding on to the valve itself.

Additional Risks

Oxygen masks worn on the face for long periods of time can cause irritation to the face and may rub away the skin, leading to open sores, the British Medical Journal reports. Alternatively, if oxygen is delivered through tubes in the nose, which are known as nasal cannulae, the nasal passages may become very dried out, sometimes leading to cracked skin. Liquid oxygen systems carry the added risk of frostbite. Oxygen can only be stored as a liquid at very low temperatures. As a result, the metal connectors between parts of the oxygen system may also become very cold, and may cause frostbite if they come into contact with skin

 

4 KILLED AFTER A BEECH M35 BONANZA SMALL PLANE FIERY CRASH IN POLK COUNTY, WISCONSIN

Posted: July 27, 2015

POLK COUNTY, Wis. (KMSP) - 

Polk County authorities confirmed four people are dead after a small plane crashed near Alden Township, Wis. on Monday around 5:30 p.m.

Witnesses indicated that the single-engine airplane nose-dived and crashed in a field north of 30th Ave. and east of 150th Street.

A witness said he saw the plane twirling on its way down. The sheriff's office said the plane struck the ground nose first, and burst into flames.

According to authorities at the scene, the resulting fire from the plane crash burned a roughly two-acre area of the field.

The Midwest Medical Examiner's Office in Anoka is working to identify the individuals.

The Sheriff's Office said the plane was "local," and that the plane had taken off within 50 miles of where it crashed. However, it would not release the exact airport where the plane had taken off from, or where it was headed, before all family members had been notified of what happened.

"Deputies responding found a single engine Beechcraft aircraft burning in the field. When the fire had been extinguished by responding fire units, the remains of 4 occupants were located in the airplane," Polk County Sheriff's Office said in a press release.

The Polk County Sheriff’s Office will be assisting the Polk County Medical Examiner’s Office along with the FAA and NTSB as this crash investigation continues.

Date:	27-JUL-2015
Time:	17:24
Type:	Beech M35 Bonanza
Owner/operator:
Registration:
C/n / msn:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4
Other fatalities:	0
Airplane damage:	Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:	Polk County east of Alden Township, WI -   United States of America
Phase:	Unknown
Nature:	Unknown
Departure airport:
Destination airport:

Narrative:
The aircraft impacted farm field terrain in Polk County east of Alden Township and southwest of Amery Municipal (KAHH), Airport, Amery, Wisconsin. A post-impact fire ensued. The airplane sustained substantial damage and the four occupants onboard received fatal injuries.

Sources:

http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=178097
http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/story/29644775/fatal-plane-crash-in-polk-co-wi
http://www.wxow.com/story/29645729/2015/07/28/4-killed-in-polk-county-plane-crash
http://bringmethenews.com/2015/07/27/developing-4-dead-in-small-plane-crash-in-western-wisconsin/
http://www.kare11.com/story/news/2015/07/27/plane-crash-in-polk-co-wi-confirmed-fatalities/30762571/

Mechanical failure downed the AV-8B Harrier jet that crashed and set several homes on fire last year in Imperial, about 90 miles east of San Diego

Quirky jet scheduled for retirement from the Marine Corps has history of design, maintenance problems

By Gretel C. Kovach | 8:53 a.m. July 27, 2015 | Updated, 12:41 p.m.

An AV-8B Harrier lands on the Barry M. Goldwater Range in Yuma, Ariz. (Photo by U.S. Marine Corps, Cpl. T.M. Stewman) — AP

Mechanical failure downed the AV-8B Harrier jet that crashed and set several homes on fire last year in Imperial, about 90 miles east of San Diego, continuing a long history of design and maintenance problems in the quirky jet scheduled for retirement from the Marine Corps.

The June 4, 2014, accident occurred because of a crack in an oil drain tank and a rapid oil leak that sparked a fire in the aircraft, engine failure and total loss of flight control, Marine investigators concluded.

The Harrier, from Yuma-based Marine Attack Squadron 214, was destroyed. Three homes were heavily damaged and the pilot suffered minor injuries after ejecting from the jet. No civilians were hurt.

An investigation conducted by the San Diego-based 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing did not determine the root cause of the cracked oil tank housing. The San Diego Union-Tribune obtained a copy of that “JAGMAN” report (Manual of the Judge Advocate General) through a Freedom of Information Act request.

Experience deficit

The Harrier has been the most dangerous plane in the U.S. military, according to a 2002 investigation by the Los Angeles Times.

During its first 31 years in service with the Corps, the AV-8’s recurrent mechanical failures, maintenance deficiencies and chronic funding problems contributed to the destruction of a third of the fleet in 143 major accidents and the deaths of 45 Marines. That record prompted one grieving squadron to dub it “the widow-maker,” the Times reported.

The Marine Corps has grounded its Harriers on more than 30 occasions. For instance, in 2004 when a manufacturing flaw in the engine’s high-pressure compression valve was discovered, and in 1999 after two crashes in two weeks prompted a safety review of Harriers with Rolls Royce 408A engines.

It is the only U.S. military branch to fly the Harrier, a subsonic attack jet developed in the 1960s with the ability to hover like a helicopter and land without a runway.

After nearly 45 years in service with the Corps, the aging “jump jets” primarily used for close air support and ground attack are being phased out for the upcoming F-35B Joint Strike Fighter, a supersonic stealth jet that also has short takeoff and vertical landing capabilities.

Although it was not cited as a direct cause of the Imperial crash, the investigation noted that the Harrier community is being drained of maintenance staff as the jets approach retirement.

The squadron involved “is similar to the other Marine attack squadrons, which have a deficit in experienced and seasoned troubleshooters and maintainers as well as non-commissioned and staff non-commissioned officer leadership, due to the pending downsize of the fleet, high operational tempo, and the focused feeding of qualified Marines and support to the Joint Strike Fighter program (F-35),” it said.

The Imperial incident was the second Harrier crash for the Corps within a month. On May 9, 2014, a pilot ejected safely before the aircraft smashed into a remote desert area near the Gila River Indian Community, south of Phoenix. No one was injured.

The Corps has not released the investigation report into that crash.

According to the Marine Corps’ 2015 aviation plan, the last of its Harriers will be retired by 2026, about five years earlier than previously scheduled. To accomplish this, the service life of its fleet of F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets is being extended until they, too, are replaced by the F-35B.

Marine officials said they are on track to declare the F-35B ready for combat by the end of this month, despite ongoing software modifications. If so, the Marines’ new vertically-landing jet will be the first of three versions of the Joint Strike Fighter – which also comes in a type that lands on conventional runways and another for aircraft carriers – to declare initial operating capability.

The planned sundown for the Harrier fleet, however, will be under review until a final decision in 2019. “We intend to extract maximum value and service life out of our AV-8B Harriers,” said Maj. Paul Greenberg, a Marine Corps spokesman at the Pentagon.

The Corps has 130 Harriers. Its seven squadrons are split between Yuma and Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in North Carolina.

One of Yuma’s three Harrier squadrons, VMA-211, is scheduled to be the first to transition to the F-35B in fiscal 2016. The rest of the West Coast Harriers will switch to the Joint Strike Fighter by 2020 under the current plan. Another Harrier squadron at Yuma, VMA-513, was decommissioned in July 2013. 

The original Harrier, the AV-8A made in Britain by Hawker Siddeley, entered service with the U.S. Marine Corps in 1971. Production of the St. Louis, Mo.-built AV-8B Harrier II developed by McDonnell Douglas and British Aerospace with a Rolls-Royce engine began in 1981 and ended in 2003.

Imperial crash

Smoke and flames rise after a Marine jet crashed into a residential area in the desert community of Imperial, Calif., setting homes on fire Wednesday, June 4, 2014. The pilot ejected safely. The Harrier AV-8B went down in Imperial, about 90 miles east of San Diego. (AP Photo/Imperial Valley Press, Chelcey Adami) The Associated Press

The Harrier that crashed in Imperial was an AV-8B II Plus — a model that first took flight in 1992 — with about 4,386 flight hours on the airframe and 2,661 on the engine. It was inspected and maintained along with other aircraft in the Yuma-based squadron by Marines as well as contractors with Rolls-Royce and Boeing — which began providing logistics support for Harriers in 2007.

The Marine pilot, a 31-year-old captain on active duty, was flying back to Yuma after daytime low altitude training. He was traveling at an altitude of 9,500 feet (mean sea-level) when he heard the master caution indicator.

When the oil caution light blinked on seconds later, he declared an emergency landing and turned back toward El Centro Naval Air Facility. As he headed for the installation about 15 miles away, he lost altitude near Imperial, a town of about 15,000 people that lies below sea level. The aircraft “felt slow” as engine revolutions per minute dipped to 76 percent, so the pilot revved the throttle above the 80 percent recommended for an oil light emergency.

The pilot lined up to land on the runway at El Centro and lowered the landing gear. Then the aircraft warned of an engine fire, followed by a fuel control problem. Two seconds later the engine quit, followed by all of the cockpit displays.

Knowing that he was traveling over populated areas, the pilot attempted to turn north toward an empty field. But he lost all hydraulic power in the turn. The stick froze and nothing more could be done, the investigator concluded.

As the aircraft banked out of control, the pilot ejected at an extreme angle.

The Harrier crashed about 4:20 p.m., making a large crater on a suburban street. The pilot parachuted down and rolled side-to-side on the ground. Residents ran from their homes in all directions.

Investigators’ findings

Subsequent analysis of the engine revealed a crack in the oil drain tank housing that allowed oil to dump through the exhaust nozzles. The lack of lubrication and cooling caused a rotor thrust bearing to heat to more than 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit. Ignited oil mist caused blades and vanes in the engine’s high-pressure compressor to clash. The rotor locked up and the flight controls seized.

Like 65 percent of the AV-8B fleet, the Harrier had been modified with alignment pins in the oil tank housing to make a better seal and prevent cracking. But the engineering fix for a problem noticed before 1999 failed to prevent the crash.

Marine investigators could not determine when the oil leak began. Immediately before the doomed flight, a different pilot had flown the aircraft for more than an hour without incident. The engine was still running during the “hot seat” swap of pilots for the re-launch.

The pilot in the crash was given a mixed review by an investigator, but he was not recommended for administrative punishment.

The captain was commended for being “decisive and assertive making a decision to land as soon as possible.” And though he “did everything he could to avoid populated areas near the end of the flight,” he could have done more to prepare for engine failure as soon as he learned of a possible oil leak, the investigator wrote.

The pilot was also rapped for not maintaining high and steady engine revolutions after the oil caution triggered an emergency landing, since throttle movement can exacerbate oil leaking, bearing load, or heat on the engine.

As for Marine Aircraft Group 13, the unit that commands Yuma’s Harrier squadrons, the investigator recommended that naval operating procedures be reviewed to determine whether an oil caution should prompt an order to land immediately, instead of “as soon as possible.” Because an oil leak could indicate five minutes of oil remaining or 30, depending on the speed of the leak, “the most conservative action would be to land immediately.”

Also, the manual should be amended to say “avoid prolonged flight over populated areas” wherever it states “be prepared for engine failure.”

Among other recommendations: daily inspections for clogged or excessive oil from weep holes on oil tank housings that could indicate cracking, a request from the air wing to Naval Air Systems Command for mandatory inspections of all AV-8B oil tank drain housings (to be performed by Marines as well as higher levels of maintenance), and monthly simulations to train Harrier pilots for compound emergencies and ejection.

Maj. Gen. Michael Rocco, commanding general of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, approved all recommendations in the investigation.

//------------------------///

Oil Leak Caused Marine Jet Crash in Southern California

SAN DIEGO — Jul 27, 2015, 10:39 PM ET

An oil leak caused a Marine fighter jet to crash in a Southern California neighborhood last year, setting several homes on fire and destroying the aircraft, it was reported Monday.

The AV-8B Harrier went down on June 4, 2014, after a crack in an oil drain tank caused a leak that sparked a fire, engine failure and total loss of flight control, according to a Marine investigative report.

The document was obtained by the San Diego Union-Tribune (http://bit.ly/1JMG33w) through a Freedom of Information Act request.

The Harrier was developed with the ability to take off and land vertically. It has been in use for decades by the Marine Corps, which has 130 of the aging planes and is slowly phasing them out in favor of a new Joint Strike Fighter.

The pilot had taken off from the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, Arizona and was flying back after daytime low altitude training when the oil leak was detected. He decided to make an emergency landing at Naval Air Facility El Centro.

He was about 15 miles from that runway when the plane became sluggish and lost altitude, followed swiftly by an engine fire, loss of engine power and then his ability to control the aircraft, the investigation concluded.

The plane banked out of control and went down in Imperial, about 90 miles east of San Diego. Two homes were destroyed and a third was badly damaged but nobody on the ground was hurt. The pilot ejected and escaped with scrapes and bruises.

The investigation didn't determine what caused the crack in the plane's oil drain tank but the Harrier has a history of mechanical problems and crashes.

A month before the Imperial crash, a pilot was able to eject safely before his Harrier went down in a remote desert area near the Gila River Indian Community, south of Phoenix, Arizona.

In 1999, the planes were grounded after a series of crashes, and in 2003 the Los Angeles Times won a Pulitzer Prize for a series of reports that found the Harrier was the most accident-prone aircraft in the military at that time.

The Times found that during its first 31 years in service, the plane's mechanical failures, maintenance deficiencies and chronic funding problems contributed to 143 major accidents and the deaths of 45 Marines.

The Kurds Hit Back at the Turks: Major explosion hits gas pipe line after PKK attack

The PKK attacked a gas pipe line in the eastern province of Ağrı on Monday. (Photo DHA)

July 28, 2015, Tuesday/ 00:51:37/ TODAYSZAMAN.COM / ISTANBUL

Suspected members of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) attacked a gas pipe line in the eastern province of Ağrı on Monday, causing a major explosion.

The blast took place in the Doğubeyazıt district on the pipe line carrying natural gas from Iran to Turkey. A major explosion occurred after the attack, causing panic and fear among residents of nearby villages.

Securty forces took strict precautions in the area and the fire was contained after valves were shut down.

Recognized as a terrorist organization by the US and the EU, The PKK , which usually sets ambush attacks on military and civilian targets in Turkey, is also known for its attacks on oil and gas pipe lines.  This attack is most likely in response for the massacre of mostly Kurd youth by a Turk sympathizer with ISIS few days ago, followed by bombarding of Kurdish positions by the Turks.

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yıldız confirmed that an act of sabotage caused the explosion.
 

If You Bring a Snake into Your Home, It May Bite You: Sweden’s 3rd largest city hit by multiple blasts, Muslim Immigrants to Blame

Sweden’s 3rd largest city hit by multiple blasts, police plead for help to tackle violence spike

Published time: 26 Jul, 2015 02:06Edited time: 27 Jul, 2015 10:17

Malmo, Sweden, December 20, 2014 © Stig-Ake Jonsson / Reuters

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Four grenade attacks this week have rocked Malmo, the third largest city in Sweden, prompting police to sound an alarm over the increasing violence. Multiple explosions, shootings and arson struck the city, which has a large migrant population. 

 

On Sunday, the southern Swedish city of Malmo saw the fourth grenade attack in under a week as the a hand grenade was detonated in a car park in the district of Värnhem in the morning, local media reported.

The attack came after a blast on Friday in the Solbacken neighborhood, which occurred less than 12 hours after another explosion in the residential area of Limhamn in the west, and two days after a car bomb attack that injured a man outside a community center in the south.

“It is the thirtieth explosive attack since the New Year. We have a situation that is serious,” said the Malmö police chief, Stefan Sintéus, about the explosion on Friday, as quoted by the Local.se on Saturday.

The local police have called for expert help from the national police operational department. “We have asked for shared expertise on various issues,” said Lars Förstell, a spokesperson for the city’s police, as quoted by the media.

This week’s unrest continues a series of numerous shootings, explosions and arsons that have occurred since the beginning of the year in Malmo, infamous for high crime rates, multi-ethnic and gang-related violence.

Since the beginning of 2015, 18 explosions rocked the city prompting the Swedish police's national bomb squad (NSB) to be called in. Over the whole 2014 a total of 25 explosions took place which shows a significant increase, Goran Mansson, head of NSB Malmo, told regional newspaper Sydsvenskan on Friday.

Police said they believe this week’s explosions are linked with the court sentencing of three young men on July 10 for their roles in the Christmas Eve bombing in Rosengard – the city district which has been dubbed by media as Sweden’s “most notorious refugee ghetto.” The Financial Times reported that nine out of 10 in Rosengard have a foreign background.

Following the spike in violence in the neighborhood in June, police announced that they would step up their presence in known trouble-hit areas such as Rosengard and Seved.

Rosengard, a district in Malmo, was built in the 1960s and has long been associated with immigrants. Over 80 percent of residents there are immigrants, hailing from the Middle East, Africa and Eastern Europe. Only 38 percent of residents in the district are employed, according to the Economist, prompting restive youth to take to rioting and crime.

Local authorities maintain they have already managed to revamp Rosengard's image. “Many visible and physical changes are taking place, and residents are getting involved through participatory processes to bring about ecological, social and economically sustainable development.” 

Forstell told RT that there are 30 to 40 people with criminal background and weapons in the city. He explained that criminal activity is connected with internal conflicts between different gangs or ethnic groups.

“Some of these people are involved in selling drugs and some of them are in other kinds of economic relations with each other and are not happy with the way things work out. It’s more of a business-like conflict,” he said.

According to statistics provided by local authorities, 31 percent of the city’s 300, 000 population were born abroad and nearly 41 percent of the residents have a foreign background. The main countries from which immigration takes place are ones which have been recently plagued by conflicts – migrant groups from Iraq, Syria, the former Yugoslavia and Somalia are among them. The data also says that the Muslim population constitutes about 20 percent of Malmo’s population; this is one of the most significant percentages in Scandinavian cities.

Adrian Groglopo, professor of social science at the University of Gothenburg said that the conflicts are fueled by racial and economic tensions.

“People growing up in different areas segregated racially and economically are trying to keep their own business, protect their own areas and sometimes create a very violent climate,” he told RT.

Malmo is a rather young city and its population is mostly young as well, with almost half under the age of 35, according to local authorities.

In March, a secondary school Varner Ryden in Malmo’s Rosengard had to close due to increasing tensions between students that resulted in violence. "Fighting among the students means that security can't be guaranteed," said Catharina Niwhede at the National Union of Teachers in Malmo to the local Sydsvenskan daily. A nearby Ortagard school closed last autumn as well.

Malmo, Sweden, December 20, 2014 © Stig-Ake Jonsson / Reuters

Groglopo believes that the young population is being hit the hardest by the “racism and segregation in Sweden.”

“We have living conditions which are not good for the youth, that’s one of the problems,” he explains.

He also pointed to the problem of unemployment in Sweden which is “about 8-9 percent and for young people it’s about 25 percent.” He stressed that one of the main problems is ethnic discrimination in the labor market as most of the unemployed are “not Swedes.”

“In the last 15 years the gap between the rich and the poor has grown enormously and of course it has racial connotations – you find very rich people that are white people and the poor people are non-white people,” he added.

He urged the Swedish government to implement political measures for non-discrimination. There have been controversial incidents involving security forces and refugees, among which was the February case at the Malmo train station. The incident involved a refugee child reciting an Islamic prayer and a law enforcement officer who pushed the child onto the ground, sat on him holding his hands over his mouth. A further child watching the altercation was detained by the other guard.

Though the actions of the guards caused a nationwide stir, in April the prosecutors said that they will not be charged.

“Sweden is going through political period very complex and bad,” Groglopo said. “We [are witnessing] a raise of fascism and Nazism in Sweden…they are getting political power.”

Two major polls (by YouGov for Sweden's Metro newspaper and Novus) conducted in June showed that the far-right anti-immigration party ‘Sweden Democrats’ has the support of about 20 percent of Swedish voters.

Meanwhile, according to figures from the EU's statistics watchdog, Eurostat, issued in May, Sweden has been taking in a larger share of asylum seekers than any other EU state compared to its existing population size. Sweden’s population is about 9.6 million while in 2014 asylum was granted to more than 33,000 refugees, the report said.