Acid

It looks like an expensive bracelet, but the contraption laced in titanium beads gets placed around the esophagus rather than the wrist. The LINX Reflux Management System is a new treatment for acid reflux, a digestive order that causes heartburn, nagging cough and other chronic symptoms in 10 million to 20 million U.S. patients. The condition occurs when a weak valve where the esophagus meets the stomach, known as a sphincter, won't close properly, allowing bile and acid to wash up. Some doctors say the device, approved by the FDA last year, shows promise as an alternative for patients who don't find relief from drugs that reduce acid in the stomach, but don't want to get major surgery.

The freight train that derailed Tuesday in Rosedale carried one chemical classified as hazardous by the U.S. Department of Transportation and another that also posed risks for firefighters and others at the scene even though not similarly classified. There might have been residues aboard of a third chemical that also is highly corrosive and hazardous. State health officials, however, said the incident represented only a low risk to the public. CSX spokesman Gary Sease said at least one of the dozen rail cars that appeared to be involved in the derailment contained sodium chlorate.

A malfunctioning scrubbing system at a South Baltimore chemical plant yesterday released a cloud of hydrochloric acid that was sucked into an office ventilation system, sending seven company employees who inhaled the fumes to area hospitals.No evacuations were ordered outside of the plant, according to city Fire Department officials.The fumes, which are irritating to the lungs, escaped about 1 p.m. from the top vent of the 20-foot-tall scrubber inside a smoke stack at the FMC Corp. in the 1700 block of Patapsco Ave.The scrubbing system is designed to neutralize the acid by circulating it through a tube 36 inches in diameter with a solution that turns it into harmless salt, explained Eugene O. Reynolds, a senior processing engineer at the chemical company.

It looks like an expensive bracelet, but the contraption laced in titanium beads gets placed around the esophagus rather than the wrist. The LINX Reflux Management System is a new treatment for acid reflux, a digestive order that causes heartburn, nagging cough and other chronic symptoms in 10 million to 20 million U.S. patients. The condition occurs when a weak valve where the esophagus meets the stomach, known as a sphincter, won't close properly, allowing bile and acid to wash up. Some doctors say the device, approved by the FDA last year, shows promise as an alternative for patients who don't find relief from drugs that reduce acid in the stomach, but don't want to get major surgery.

The four northbound lanes of Interstate 95 near Savage were closed for up to 3 1/2 hours yesterday, causing at least a two-mile backup after battery acid leaked from a tractor-trailer, Howard County firefighters said.The truck, which was hauling car batteries, was northbound on I-95 near Route 216 about 4:30 p.m. when the driver, Darryl Myers, 28, of Lancaster, Pa., hit the brakes in an attempt to avoid an accident, firefighters said.A minor collision with another vehicle ensued.There were no injuries, but about 50 of the car batteries toppled in the trailer compartment and began leaking acid, said Battalion Chief Donald R. Howell of the Department of Fire and Rescue Services.

The fast lane of northbound Interstate 95 in Arbutus was closed for more than six hours yesterday after the load of a truck hauling 20 tons of used car batteries shifted, saturating the road with acid, authorities said. The spill occurred about 6 p.m. between the exits for I-195 and the Beltway. The left lane and its shoulder were closed as hazardous-materials crews cleaned up and the batteries were put onto another truck. The driver was treated for minor injuries, police said.

A tractor-trailer, traveling south on Interstate 95 to Baltimore City, jackknifed yesterday morning north of the Beltway near White Marsh, spilling hydrochloric acid and prompting heavy traffic delays for several hours, state police said.Witnesses told police that a Chevrolet Celebrity was stopped in the middle lane of the interstate about 7: 30 a.m. when it was struck from behind by a Dodge pickup truck and sent spinning into the far left lane. The tractor-trailer, carrying several 5-gallon containers of the highly corrosive acid, collided with the car, said Trooper Joseph Comer of the JFK Highway barracks.

A malfunctioning scrubbing system at a South Baltimore chemical plant yesterday released a cloud of hydrochloric acid that was sucked into an office ventilation system, sending seven employees who inhaled the fumes to area hospitals.No evacuations were ordered outside of the chemical plant, according to city Fire Department officials.The fumes, which are very irritating to the lungs, escaped about 1 p.m. from the top vent of the 20-foot-tall scrubber inside a smoke stack at the FMC Corp. in the 1700 block of Patapsco Avenue.

For decades, the pollution poured into the headwaters of the Potomac, killing the water life and turning acre after acre of once-pristine Western Maryland countryside into a dead zone.The problem results from turn-of-the-century coal mining operations that ruptured an aquifer. As a result, each day about 1.5 million gallons of polluted ground water flow up through two man-made shafts into the waters of the Potomac.Tony Abar of Maryland's Mining Program says the pollution flows out of an air shaft and a bore hole from an old coal mine.

The fountain of youth of the '90s may be as close as the nearest cosmetic counter -- in the form of new, acid-based skin-care treatments. These face-saving formulas first trickled onto the market three years ago. Today, they still pack a powerful punch as companies continue to debut more acid-laced compounds.Dermatologists have prescribed alpha-hydroxy acids (AHA) and other acid ingredients to patients for years. Prescription-strength formulas get rid of scaliness, while acid concentrations of 30 to 70 percent perform deep skin peels that remove scars and wrinkles.

Just before midnight Wednesday, three words brought a stream of emergency crews and hazardous materials units to a wooded corner of Cecil County just north of Interstate 95: liquid sulfuric acid. A train operated by CSX Corp. derailed about 11:45 p.m., and initial reports said two cars contained the highly corrosive and environmentally dangerous substance. Luckily, officials said, the acid didn't leak, even though the cars containing it were off-kilter. "They were either sideways or just off the rail, but none are on their side," said CSX spokesman Bob Sullivan of the nine cars determined to have slipped off the tracks.

With a Canton warehouse fire reduced to a smolder by Monday morning, attention shifted to ensuring that surrounding homes and the harbor's waters are protected from caustic chemicals inside the facility. State and federal environmental officials were on the site alongside firefighters into Monday evening, monitoring water streaming from the one-story brick structure into storm drains. The warehouse contains nearly 8,000 gallons of corrosive chemicals, according to the Maryland Department of the Environment.

One person was taken to the hospital after a gallon of sulfuric acid spilled Tuesday at the Essex campus of the Community College of Baltimore County, officials said. Firefighters were called after the acid was spilled in a lab at the school, located off Ridge Road, spokeswoman Elise Armacost said. The unidentified person was being treated after having spilled the acid. "There are no indications that it was serious or life-threatening," Armacost said. The person showered at the school and was taken to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Armacost said.

Prince George's County Police have arrested a 29-year-old woman charged with throwing acid on a mother and child outside an Oxon Hill parking lot last year. Tikia Shauntice Anderson of Greenbelt is charged with the March 29 attack. The victim told police she was walking through the parking lot that evening and holding her 3-year-old child when she was splashed in the face with a chemical, police said. The victim flagged down an officer on patrol in the area of the 1100 block of Kennebec St., and she and the child were taken to a local hospital for treatment.

Almost anyone who has faced a test or a deadline probably wished there was a smart pill to pop. New research suggests that this may eventually be possible. University of Maryland scientists have linked a brain compound called kynurenic acid to cognition, potentially opening the door to development of a drug that could aid learning in healthy people — and in those with disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. "Workers might want to take a pill so they can work harder, and college students would be interested because they already are taking amphetamine-type pills so they will be sharper," said Robert Schwarcz, professor of psychiatry, pediatrics and pharmacology and experimental therapeutics at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Question: : A while ago, I read about persimmon tea for acid reflux. I have it from time to time, but my husband has it constantly. It is so bad that he wakes up almost every night and throws up! Prilosec, Nexium and a host of other drugs along with extra-strength Gaviscon or Pepcid do nothing. I made the persimmon tea. He drank a shot glass full the first morning and a shot glass after supper. From Day 1, he has slept soundly, and so have I. Nothing he eats now causes him heartburn. The recipe was simple, though we did have trouble finding persimmons at first.

A pair of young men walked into a Columbia dentist's office last night and threw a container of caustic acid in a receptionist's face, authorities said.The receptionist, identified by the dentist as Phyllis Fountain, was taken to Howard County General Hospital for treatment. Authorities said the woman did not appear to be seriously injured. A hospital spokeswoman said last night the woman's condition was being evaluated."She came screaming back that she had something in her face and eyes, and there were fumes coming off her," said the dentist, Joel L. Parran of Columbia, who was in a treatment room with a patient during the incident.

Elderly black people who are chronic users of acid-inhibiting drugs in the family that includes Zantac, Pepcid and Tagamet have 2 1/2 times the normal risk of developing dementia, Indiana researchers report. The drugs block production of stomach acid by inhibiting histamine-2 receptors; the stomach releases hydrochloric acid when stimulated by histamines. But they also inhibit the brain's cholinergic system, which is involved in memory and cognition. Low levels of cholinergic activity have been linked to dementia.

What's to love about coconut? It's rich and creamy, an addictive staple in Thai, Indian and Caribbean cuisine. Coconut is high in immunity-boosting lauric acid, which is touted (though not proven) to lower cholesterol and rev metabolism. What's not to love? Coconut is high in saturated fat. However, your body digests it more readily than animal fats, so don't shun the coconut. Add lushness to vegetables and whole grains with canned coconut milk. This is no sugary pina colada mix, but a solution of grated, squeezed coconut meat and water.

Teacher wants acid thrown on attackers KANDAHAR, Afghanistan : A 23-year-old teacher burned in an acid attack on 15 schoolgirls and instructors wants the Afghan government to throw acid on her attackers and then hang them. Kandahar's governor said yesterday that authorities had arrested 10 alleged Taliban militants in the Nov. 12 attack and that several had confessed to taking part. Gov. Rahmatullah Raufi said the men would be tried in open court, a pledge that pleased Nuskaal, a first-year math teacher who suffered acid burns on her shoulders.