Latest news with #contamination
News.com.au
a day ago
- Health
- News.com.au
Aldi urgently pulls popular food product from shelves after glass contamination fears
A popular food item at Aldi has been urgently pulled from shelves nationwide amid contamination fears. All packets of the Urban Eats Japanese Style Vegetable Gyoza 750g, which are available for purchase at Aldi stores, have been recalled as they may contain glass. The vegetable gyoza features a best-before date of March 27, 2027 and was available for purchase in Aldi stores in NSW, ACT, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, and Western Australia. Customers have been warned to not eat the food product as it may contain pieces of glass. 'Food products containing glass may cause illness/ injury if consumed,' a recall statement read. They can return the products at the Aldi store at which they were purchased, where customers will receive a full refund. 'Any consumers concerned about their health should seek medical advice,' the statement read. Those seeking further information should contact the Aldi Stores Food Recall Hotline on 1800 709 993.
Reuters
a day ago
- Business
- Reuters
Austria's OMV finds chloride contamination in Azeri crude
LONDON, July 28 - Austrian energy group OMV has found organic chloride contamination in Azeri crude cargoes planned for delivery to its oil refineries, it said, adding it had prevented it from causing any disruption. Organic chloride contamination in Azeri BTC crude cargoes was discovered last week, sending price differentials to a four-year low and causing several days' delays to loadings from Turkey's BTC Ceyhan terminal. In its statement on Friday, OMV said the contaminated crude had been discovered through its quality control procedures. It said it had not reached its refineries, and there had been no disruption of its refining operations or of its supply of fuel to the market. OMV said it had worked to secure alternative crude from other sources to "ensure continuity and security of fuels supply," but it did not clarify what it planned to do with the contaminated Azeri crude. Organic chlorides are used in the industry to boost extraction from oilfields by cleaning oil wells and to accelerate the flow of crude, but the compounds must be removed before oil enters pipelines. In large concentrations, they can pose risks to refinery equipment, OMV said. Italy's Eni told Reuters last week that it had detected organic chloride contamination in oil already in its systems.
France 24
4 days ago
- Health
- France 24
Belgian region grapples with forever chemical scandal
On an early summer afternoon about a dozen people waited to get their samples taken at a municipal building in Braine-le-Chateau, a picturesque town in the French-speaking Wallonia region. "Initially local authorities told us that measurements were reassuring, but in reality, they didn't have any and were simply trying to keep people calm as best they could," Douglas, a 35-year-old consultant who preferred only to give his first name, told AFP. "This kind of game has to stop," he said, adding he hoped the blood-sampling campaign launched in June would help shed light on the situation. Anger in the region first erupted in 2023 when an investigation by local broadcaster RTBF revealed the authorities had ignored longstanding warnings about high levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), often called forever chemicals. It emerged that the US military, which has an airbase in the small city of Chievres, had warned the local water company in 2017 about high PFAS levels in drinking water, following an incident involving firefighting foam. The US base advised its personnel to drink bottled water -- but locals were left in the dark for years, even after the regional government was told of the issue in 2018. PFAS are a family of synthetic chemicals that take an extremely long time to break down. Chronic exposure to even low levels of the chemicals has been linked to liver damage, high cholesterol, reduced immune responses, low birth weights and several kinds of cancer. A group of more than 10,000 human-made chemicals that repel heat, water and oil, PFAS are used in nonstick pans, stain-proof carpets, and other products. But their use is increasingly being restricted across the world due to adverse health effects. In June an Italian court sentenced executives at a chemical plant to jail terms of up to 17 years for polluting water used by hundreds of thousands of people with the chemicals. - 'Putting out fires' - Water samples in Braine-le-Chateau last year revealed levels five to six times higher than a safety standard of 4 nanograms/litre (ng/L) for four PFAS recently agreed by Belgian authorities. The exact source of the pollution has not yet been confirmed and a judicial investigation is underway. Authorities have since ordered water distribution firms to install activated carbon filters -- a move they say has contained the issue. Large-scale blood testing was carried out in Chievres in early 2024 -- and later extended to nearby areas. Authorities said almost 1,300 people across about 10 municipalities had their blood samples taken to confirm exposure to the chemicals in recent weeks, as part of a fresh campaign launched in June. The results, which could lead to new health recommendations, are expected later this year. Wallonia's government, which took office last summer, has also decided to bring forward to 2025 new European Union rules requiring that drinking water must not exceed a total of 100 ng/L for 20 substances in the PFAS family. "We have taken radical measures and all our distributors are now complying with this standard," Yves Coppieters, the regional minister for health and the environment, told AFP. Nevertheless he acknowledged that "the population is very concerned", adding that without clarity on the source of the pollution, it might take decades to resolve the issue. "Telling people not to eat their home-grown eggs and vegetables, setting standards for sewage sludge... for now I'm just putting out fires," said Coppieters, who favours a ban on all products containing PFAS. Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden have submitted a joint proposal for the EU to ban the production, sale, and use of almost all forever chemicals. And the European Commission has said it is looking to ban PFAS in everyday consumer products.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Dozens sickened after eating THC-contaminated food at Wisconsin pizzeria
Dozens of people were accidentally dosed with THC, the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis, after consuming food served by a pizzeria in Wisconsin, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report shared Thursday. Famous Yeti's Pizza, a pizzeria in Stoughton, Wisconsin, is located in a building with a shared kitchen used by a state-licensed vendor who produced edible THC products, the CDC said. While preparing food in October 2024, the pizzeria ran out of cooking oil and used what employees believed was plain canola oil from the shared kitchen, the CDC said. In reality, they had used "THC-infused oil" to prepare dough that was used in pizza, garlic bread, cheese bread and some sandwiches. The contaminated food was sold between Oct. 22 and Oct. 24, Madison and Dane County public health officials said at the time. Officials became aware of the situation when emergency services reported taking seven people to local hospitals for symptoms including dizziness, sleepiness and anxiety. All seven people reported eating food from the pizzeria. One person reported receiving a positive THC test result without having knowingly consumed the substance, the CDC said. Public health officials began an investigation and shared a news release highlighting the situation, asking anyone who had eaten in the restaurant recently to fill out a questionnaire. Of 107 valid responses, 85 people said they had eaten the contaminated products and reported at least one symptom of THC intoxication that began within five hours of eating the food. Public health officials also put out a news release telling people not to eat leftover food purchased at the pizzeria between Oct. 22 and 24. THC intoxication symptoms include dizziness, sleepiness, anxiety, time distortion, increased heart rate, nausea, paranoia, panic attacks, increased blood pressure, vomiting and hallucinations, the CDC said. A person's short-term memory could also be affected by THC intoxication. The people who had experienced THC intoxication ranged in age from 1 to 91, according to the CDC. Thirty-three of them said they contacted a health care provider because of their symptoms. Fifteen people said they received a positive result for THC. The CDC said that when the restaurant owner was contacted by local public health officials, they agreed to close the restaurant immediately. The restaurant owner also informed health officials that the restaurant had used oil from the shared kitchen, and said they later realized that the oil might have been infused with THC. The CDC did not say when the restaurant owner realized the restaurant might have used THC oil. The oil tested positive for THC. Police were informed and investigated the incident, but no charges were filed because the investigation found the situation was unintentional, the CDC said. The restaurant reopened on Oct. 26. Bryan Kohberger sentenced to life in prison for murders of Idaho students Johnson says Jeffrey Epstein files controversy is not a hoax Idaho murders documents released after Bryan Kohberger is sentenced to life in prison Solve the daily Crossword
CBS News
4 days ago
- Health
- CBS News
Dozens sickened after eating THC-contaminated food at Wisconsin pizzeria, CDC says
Dozens of people were accidentally dosed with THC, the primary psychoactive compound in cannabis, after consuming food served by a pizzeria in Wisconsin, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a report shared Thursday. Famous Yeti's Pizza, a pizzeria in Stoughton, Wisconsin, is located in a building with a shared kitchen used by a state-licensed vendor who produced edible THC products, the CDC said. While preparing food in October 2024, the pizzeria ran out of cooking oil and used what employees believed was plain canola oil from the shared kitchen, the CDC said. In reality, they had used "THC-infused oil" to prepare dough that was used in pizza, garlic bread, cheese bread and some sandwiches. The contaminated food was sold between Oct. 22 and Oct. 24, Madison and Dane County public health officials said at the time. Officials became aware of the situation when emergency services reported taking seven people to local hospitals for symptoms including dizziness, sleepiness and anxiety. All seven people reported eating food from the pizzeria. One person reported receiving a positive THC test result without having knowingly consumed the substance, the CDC said. Public health officials began an investigation and shared a news release highlighting the situation, asking anyone who had eaten in the restaurant recently to fill out a questionnaire. Of 107 valid responses, 85 people said they had eaten the contaminated products and reported at least one symptom of THC intoxication that began within five hours of eating the food. Public health officials also put out a news release telling people not to eat leftover food purchased at the pizzeria between Oct. 22 and 24. THC intoxication symptoms include dizziness, sleepiness, anxiety, time distortion, increased heart rate, nausea, paranoia, panic attacks, increased blood pressure, vomiting and hallucinations, the CDC said. A person's short-term memory could also be affected by THC intoxication. The people who had experienced THC intoxication ranged in age from 1 to 91, according to the CDC. Thirty-three of them said they contacted a health care provider because of their symptoms. Fifteen people said they received a positive result for THC. The CDC said that when the restaurant owner was contacted by local public health officials, they agreed to close the restaurant immediately. The restaurant owner also informed health officials that the restaurant had used oil from the shared kitchen, and said they later realized that the oil might have been infused with THC. The CDC did not say when the restaurant owner realized the restaurant might have used THC oil. The oil tested positive for THC. Police were informed and investigated the incident, but no charges were filed because the investigation found the situation was unintentional, the CDC said. The restaurant reopened on Oct. 26.
