Health « Thurles Information

New Covid-19 Recommendations Endorsed By Niac

The Irish Republic’s Minister for Health, Mr Stephen Donnelly made public on yesterday afternoon, that a number of new recommendations have been endorsed by the National Immunisation Advisory Committee (Niac) and also by interim Chief Medical Officer, Professor Breda Smyth.

Five new recommendations include:

A second mRNA booster vaccine for healthcare workers.
A third mRNA booster vaccine for those aged 65 years and older, and those aged 12-64 years who are immunocompromised.
A second mRNA booster vaccine for those aged 12-49 years who have an underlying medical condition or are residents of long-term care facilities.
A second mRNA booster vaccine for those aged 50-64 years.
A second mRNA booster vaccine for pregnant women at 16 weeks or later who have not already received a booster vaccine in their current pregnancy.

The National Immunisation Advisory Committee has also recommended that Covid-19 vaccinations can be administered at the same time as seasonal influenza vaccines are being dispensed.

The Minister has urged anyone who has not yet received their primary course or booster vaccine, to do so at the earliest possible convenience.

Liberty Square Thurles, Ireland’s Oxford Circus.

The offensive, unpleasant stench of raw sewage, emanated from the manhole covers in lower Liberty Square, Thurles, again yesterday, warning us of possibly some other impending future danger.
Motorists slowly passing through this now drive-through only area, quickly closed their car windows as they queued up in dense traffic to exit.

Local people passing through the Square, will have noted that in the late evenings over the past week; since the Thurles Music Festival, there has been a major effort to wash the dark stains from the pale coloured, Chinese granite stone; sadly to little avail.

The stains despite all efforts still remain, as Thurles.Info had pointed out in their initial planning submission; latter requested by Tipperary Co. Council, from the public, some four years previously; none of which, as expected, was ever read and certainly not heeded.

But now the town centre faces a new more sinister long-term problem, which we invite council officials, to rise up from their paperless desks and observe.

No, the problem is not failing to water the flowers; not the stench of sewage; not the failure to turn off street lighting, burning 24 hours per day. No it is not even the total lockdown of this area as Emergency Services attempt to either pass through or attend to urgent situations within this area as observed yesterday; no it’s chewing gum.

See images hereunder, reminiscent of Oxford Circus tube station, in the West End of London.

**Chewing Gum – the new threat on Liberty Square, Thurles**.

When Thurles street surfaces was constructed of black tarmac and much wider; to the casual observer, chewing gum went unnoticed.
Today the worst area is around the front of Historic Hayes Hotel, were teenage disco goers congregate on Friday nights. [After all, one must keep ones breath fresh in the event of that inevitable kiss, and with the non availability of suitable litter bins to accommodate ……… well enough said, what is the point, our elected representatives and officials are either totally deaf, or suffering from the Dunning Kruger Effect.]

Has Chewing Gum Ever Been Banned Anywhere?

Answer is yes – Singapore – that sovereign diamond shaped island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia, located at the southern tip of the Malaysian peninsula.

Today, Singapore tops the list as the world’s most welcoming city, offering a safe environment to visitors, and it is one place where chewing gum is totally banned.

This ban on chewing gum was first introduced by Mr Harry Lee Kuan Yew, in 1992, adding to their other stiff laws with regard to graffiti, littering, spitting, expelling nasal mucus, jaywalking and urinating anywhere other than in a toilet. It is also against the law to fail to flush a public toilet.

Harry Lee Kuan Yew (LKY), latter a highly regarded Singaporean statesman and barrister, who served as the first Prime Minister of Singapore, between 1959 and 1990; saw the habit of spitting out chewing gum as a filthy, unhealthy habit and suggested that “if people can’t think, because they can’t chew, they should try chewing bananas”.

In Singapore today, the public will face a hefty fine for spitting out chewed gum, with same offence also doubling as “Littering“.

Time to get out the WD-40 Multi-Use and the long handled scrapers before then washing to get rid of the fish oil (WD-40).
It seems our Municipal District Council and Tipperary Co. Council are not finished wasting taxpayers money on our town centre, for the foreseeable future, as businesses vanish from the landscape.

Titanium Dioxide No Longer Authorised As Food Additive in European Union.

Titanium Dioxide is no longer authorised as a food additive in the European Union, with effect from August 7th 2022.

Titanium dioxide is being banned in the EU as a possible carcinogen. [Note: A carcinogen is a substance, organism or agent capable of causing cancer.]

A class action lawsuit, which was filed recently in California, claims that sweets company ‘Mars’ failed to adequately warn customers about the chemical, titanium dioxide, and therefore committed a fraud of omission.
Mars says that ‘Skittles‘ are made in accordance with U.S. Food and Drug Administration regulations, which permit the use of titanium dioxide at less than 1% of the food’s dried weight, and that the company has done nothing wrong.

Titanium dioxide (E171) is an additive that is used in food as a colour. Its function is to make food more visually appealing, to give colour to food that would otherwise be colourless, or to restore the original appearance of food. Titanium dioxide is used to provide whiteness and opacity to foods.

In terms of dietary exposure, titanium dioxide is often used in a variety of food categories, including bakery products, soups, broths, sauces, salads, savoury based sandwich spreads and processed nuts. It is also used in confectionary, chewing gum, food supplements and cake icing.

In May 2021, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published an opinion that stated that titanium dioxide can no longer be considered safe when used as a food additive.

Based on this opinion, the European Commission and the Member States agreed to remove all uses of titanium dioxide as an additive in food. In January 2022, a Regulation withdrawing the authorisation to use titanium dioxide as a food additive in food products was adopted i.e. Commission Regulation (EU) 2022/63.

This regulation entered into force on February 7th, 2022. However, the Regulation included a six-month transitional period to allow food businesses time to phase out the use of this food additive and to reformulate their products using suitable alternatives. This period will now end on August 7th, 2022.

Food containing titanium dioxide that is lawfully placed on the EU market before August 7th, 2022 may remain on the market until its date of minimum durability or its ‘use-by’ date has passed. Food produced or placed on the market after August 7th 2022 cannot contain titanium dioxide. The ban on the use of titanium dioxide is effective in each EU Member State, and in Northern Ireland. Some third countries, such as the United Kingdom (excluding Northern Ireland), continue to permit the use of titanium dioxide.

All food businesses currently using titanium dioxide as a food additive have a legal responsibility to comply with the requirements of Regulation (EU) 2022/63, banning the use of titanium dioxide.
The FSAI encourages food businesses to source suitable alternatives to titanium dioxide and start the process of reformulation now to ensure compliance in advance of the ban coming into force on August 7th 2022.

Allergy Alert Notification In Relation To Dunnes Stores White Sub Rolls

Yesterday the Food Safety Authority of Ireland issued an allergy alert notification in relation to Dunnes Stores White Sub Rolls (4 Semolina Dusted White Sub Rolls); pack size: 290 g; best before date: 17/07/2022.

The implicated batch of Dunnes Stores White Sub Rolls were improperly or incorrectly packaged, with Dunnes Stores Floury White Baps. This bap product contains milk and eggs, which are not declared on the list of ingredients .

This may make the batch unsafe for consumers who are allergic to, or intolerant of milk or eggs.

Sewer Gas Emanated From Liberty Square, Thurles, During Recent Music Festival.

Sewer gas is a by-product of the breakdown of natural human waste. Same substance comprises of a mixture of gases, including Hydrogen sulphide, Ammonia, Methane and Carbon dioxide.

The hydrogen sulphide in sewer gas is what gives it its signature rotten egg stench, which currently is being experienced by Thurles residents, following the recent upgrading of Liberty Square in the town.

Possibly the worst stench is located east of the Liberty Square, close to a primary School, but nevertheless emanates from several manhole covers in the area, depending on the prevailing wind.

During last weekend’s Musical Festival, the matter was drawn to the attention of Festival Chairperson and local Councillor Mr Jim Ryan, who admitted that the matter required serious attention.

High level exposure to sewer gas can cause symptoms of ‘sewer gas poisoning’. There are numerous possible causes for sewer gas smell, 90% of which are the result of improperly placed or damaged drainage pipes.

Sewer gas can leak into buildings when plumbing vents are: (1) installed too close to a window or door; (2) through cracks in the foundation of buildings; (3) clogged up or collapsed drains or (4) air intake vents due to sewer gas building up in other nearby sewer pipes.

As we are all aware, sewer drains are responsible for the transportation of toxic waste and if drains are clogged from items that should NOT have been flushed, same can cause a sewage backup. If this backup is not treated, the content in clogged pipes will continue to decompose, thus leaking sewer gas back into homes and business premises.
Water movement through sewer systems in Liberty Square, latter which normally helps to provide a barrier against potentially harmful gases, does not seem to be functioning at present.

Sewer gas is a complex mixture of various gases and compounds, some of which can be toxic to humans, and while same is not dangerous in small amounts, these compounds can contribute to sewer gas toxicity at high levels.

Hydrogen sulphide, the primary gas in sewer gas, is toxic to the oxygen systems in the body. In high amounts it can cause adverse symptoms, organ damage, leading often to death.

Ammonia, remains a well-known compound used in many cleaning products. Exposure to this latter substance can cause eye, nose and throat irritation. At high levels, ammonia is toxic to humans and again it can cause organ damage.

Methane and Carbon dioxide are both comparatively non-toxic greenhouse gases. However, in large amounts, methane gas mixed with air is extremely flammable and therefore becomes a fire hazard and can be easily ignited by sparks induced by minor frictional impact.

In industrial workplaces and confined room areas, high levels of sewer gas can cause fatigue, headaches, vomiting, dizziness or light-headedness, poor memory and concentration, a loss of smell, dry mouth, throat or lung irritation, eye irritation or contagious conjunctivitis and even seizures.

Time for Tipperary Co. Council officials & local Councillors to now get this Liberty Square issue immediately sorted out, before the area becomes totally uninhabited.