The Southwest Industrial Gases storage facility that exploded in Dallas yesterday had not been inspected in over five years. That revelation was made by Dallas Fire Marshall Debbie Carlin at a news briefing late yesterday. Still, Carlin maintained that the lack of inspections was not a contributing factor to yesterday’s explosion. The Southwest Industrial Gases plant also was not outfitted with a sprinkler system because such systems were not required when the facility was built.

Dallas city ordinances require that any business that stores volatile agents be inspected every year. The Southwest Industrial Gases facility, which stores canisters of propane and acetylene gases, would appear to fit within that category. In fact, while the fire still raged, a spokesperson for the Dallas Fire Department did tell a local TV station that the plant had been inspected every year. But at the news conference later in the day, Carlin admitted that the statement was not accurate. But Carlin said that such inspections check only for material storage and the presence of open flames. Neither of those situations was the cause of Wednesday’s blast. Rather, a malfunctioning connection tube used to fill tanks with acetylene sparked the explosion.

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Veggie Booty has tested positive for Salmonella Wandsworth and Salmonella Typhimurium, two strains of salmonella bacteria. The popular snack item was pulled from the shelves last month by manufacturer Robert’s American Gourmet Food, Inc. of Sea Cliff, New York. Veggie Booty, a blend of puffed rice and corn with vegetable coating billed as a healthy alternative snack, has been linked to 75 cases of salmonellosis across twenty states.

Salmonella Wandsworth, a rare strain of salmonella bacteria, sickened people in 65 of the reported cases, while Salmonella Typhimurium was responsible for the remaining ten, according to the Web site of The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). No deaths have been linked to the salmonella outbreak.

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E. coli has sickened seven people on eastern Long Island, and health officials there are warning consumers to take extra precautions when they prepare hamburger meat.

E. coli is a common bacteria found in the intestines of both humans and animals. However, several strains of the bacteria can cause serious illness. E. coli is characterized by bloody diarrhea, and if not treated promptly, can lead to kidney failure or death. The illness is one of the most common problems plaguing the US food supply. This year, E. coli contamination involving more than 6 million pounds of beef has been responsible for eight separate food recalls. Beef manufactured by United Food Group has accounted for 5 million pounds of the meat recall, while Tyson Fresh Meat, Inc. was forced to recall 40,000 pounds of its products for E. coli contamination. Other outbreaks have been linked to fresh lettuce and spinach.

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Evacuees residing near the site of a chemical explosion at the Barton Solvents, Inc. facility in Valley Center, Kansas were allowed to return home early this morning after nearly a week, according to a report in the Wichita Eagle.

A photo on the Eagle’s web site shows residents lining up to return to their homes after an explosion and ensuing fire had ripped through Barton Solvent’s chemical storage and distribution facility last Tuesday.

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Business owners affected by last week’s Con Edison steam pipe explosion in New York City are demanding that the utility reimburse them for business lost as a result of the blast. But it looks like these businesses are in for a fight, because while Con Edison said it will reimburse them for goods, equipment and fixtures damaged as a result of the steam pipe explosion, it has no obligation to pay for business losses.

At a news conference yesterday, several business owners worried that they might not be able to recover financially without more help from Con Edison. The manager of a hair salon and spa on Lexington Avenue said that his business lost more than $50,000 because it was forced to close for several days following the explosion. Other business owners told much the same story.

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A senior Food & Drug Administration (FDA) scientist was kicked off an Avandia review in 2005 after raising concerns about the drug’s safety. Now, two senators have sent a letter to the FDA demanding to know the reason.

The name of the scientist, who was once the FDA’s primary reviewer for Avandia, has not been revealed. The scientist has told congressional investigators that in 2005, he or she advocated for a strong “black box” warning on Avandia about a risk for congestive heart failure. Shortly afterwards, this person was told to stop participation in the Avandia review.

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A woman who worked near the site of last week’s Con Edison Steam Pipe Explosion in New York City has filed a lawsuit against Con Ed over the incident. Francis Dorf’s attorney said that his client, a 52-year-old legal secretary, had a sister who perished in the September 11th terrorist attacks. Last week’s explosion only served to exacerbate the post-traumatic stress disorder that has plagued Dorf since her sister’s death.

The lawsuit accuses Con Edison of negligence. Dorf claims that the utility company did not properly maintain the steam pipes buried beneath the street outside of her office. Con Edison owned the 84-year-old pipe that exploded last Wednesday. It was part of an extensive network that the company uses to heat and cool Manhattan buildings.

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An explosion at a liquefied natural gas storage facility near downtown Dallas, Texas this morning has shut down two major interstates and forced the evacuation of hundreds of people within a half-mile radius of the plant. At least two people have been confirmed seriously injured as a result of the explosion at the gas storage facility. Danger from ongoing explosions has been preventing rescue workers from getting close enough to help others who might have been injured in the blast.

Starting at around 9:30 a.m., a series of loud explosions were heard coming from Southwest Industrial Gases, which stores propane and liquefied natural gas. Witnesses a mile away from the blast site described flaming shrapnel falling from the sky. Several cars were on fire. Buildings rattled with each explosion, and one bystander said that he thought it was artillery fire. A cloud of black smoke billowed into the air, and could be seen 10 miles away. Witnesses also described an acrid odor that hung in the air throughout the morning.

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Castleberry’s Food Company expanded its recall of canned food products including hot dog chili sauce that may cause the paralytic infection known as botulism after federal inspectors found that “processing malfunctions” at the company’s packaging plant in Augusta, Georgia had gone unnoticed for longer than was previously thought, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Eighty-five nationally-distributed varieties of canned hot dog chili sauce, beef and Brunswick stew, sausage gravy, chili, barbeque beef and pork, hash, and dog food are now subject to recall, regardless of the “best by” date printed on the cans, because they were packaged at the Castleberry’s facility in Georgia that has been linked to the botulism outbreak.

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The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has deemed the recall of Castleberry Food’s chili and hot dog sauce products for botulism contamination an “urgent public health matter”. The recall involves tens of millions of cans of chili sauce, hot dog sauce and covers almost a hundred different names of product. The FDA is appealing to consumers and retailers to find the recalled products and dispose of them immediately.

The recall was initiated on July 18 after four cases of botulism poisoning were tied to Castleberry’s hot dog chili sauces. Last week, tests confirmed that two Texas children and an Indiana couple were suffering from botulism. All four of those victims had eaten one of Castleberry’s hot dog sauces. The recall was later expanded to include 80 types of sauces, beans, stew, chili, hash and pet foods produced at the company’s plant. Castleberry’s said that all of the items came from one malfunctioning processing line at its plant in Augusta, Georgia. The company is working with the FDA to track down its distribution records so the agency can determine were the tainted products finally ended up. The Augusta plant will remain closed until Castleberry’s receives an approval from the FDA to reopen it.

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