High-level conference on peace in Ukraine: military support and airspace restriction globalsecurity.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from globalsecurity.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Hospital germs and pathogens are not always transmitted directly from person to person. They can also spread via germ-contaminated objects. Together with the chemical company BASF, the Spiez Laboratory and the Technical University of Berlin, Empa researchers have developed coated textiles that inhibit or even kill pathogens. In future, they could be used as antimicrobial curtains in hospitals.
Japan has started releasing wastewater from the tsunami-wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant into the Pacific Ocean. A Swiss lab has played a vital role in making sure the dumping of contaminated water meets international standards. The discharges continue to stoke fears among some locals and neighbouring countries like China. On March 11, 2011, a 9.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the northeast coast of Japan s main island, generating a tsunami that killed 18,000 people. When the deadly wave hit the coast, it also crashed into the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Huge amounts of seawater were needed to cool three of the reactors and burning fuel. Since the accident, over 1.3 million tonnes of wastewater have been collected, treated, and stored in over 1,000 tanks at the site. This includes groundwater and rainwater that has seeped into reactor buildings. The ongoing cooling process still reportedly produces 130 tonnes of contaminated water daily and space is slowly running out. What