Crop Dusting Safety Concerns High in Kern County

Bakersfield, CA
Three times already this year, pesticide drift incidents have been reported in Kern County. Farmers say the chemicals are necessary, and they're doing a better job than ever of using them. But, others worry about safety.

In March, suspected pesticides drifted over a school bus carrying about 30 children. The elementary-age kids were part of the Rio Bravo-Greeley Union School District. Firefighters who responded, said a crop duster slightly oversprayed and hit the bus near Stockdale Highway and Interstate 5.

One child was taken to the doctor by parents, Frankhauser said. He said the no other children had symptoms, they were checked as a precaution.

Woman Spills Substance in IUPUI Library, Prompting Evacuation

Indianapolis, IN
The library on the IUPUI campus was evacuated Tuesday and a woman was taken into custody after police say she dumped a flammable liquid in the building.

The bomb squad was doing a sweep of the building as a precaution, and officials anticipated the library would be closed until at least 3:30 p.m.

Officials said the woman had two containers the size of water bottles filled with a substance that smelled like gasoline or another flammable substance. She spilled it inside the building and was taken into custody. It wasn’t clear whether she was a student.

160 Girls, Teachers Poisoned at School in Afghanistan

Afghanistan
On Tuesday 160 schoolgirls and teachers were admitted to a hospital after a suspected poisoning at a school in Afghanistan's northern Takhar province -- the third such large-scale attack against female students this year.

The female students, ranging in age from 10 to 20 years old, had been poisoned in their classrooms by a contaminated spray that caused the girls to suffer from vomiting, headaches, and dizziness. The attack occurred at the Ashan Dara Girls School in Talokhan.

A similar attack occurred last week in which over 120 teachers and students were admitted to a local hospital.

Safe Havens International News Blog

Facebook

School's Hydrogen Sulfide Scare Brings Attention to Oilfield Safety

From Ector County, TX, A school went into a brief shelter-in-place when an odor was detected.  There is an oil well 50 yards away from the back of the school.