Ammonia

Quote: "They say that Babe Ruth did it. If the Bambino can do it, we can do it."-- Sean Casey of the Reds, who tried to keep cool with a cabbage leaf soaked in ammonia under his capIt's a fact: The Pirates have lost four straight, costing them a chance to be .500 or above at midseason for the first time since 1992.Who's hot: Giants pitcher Russ Ortiz is 7-for-9 with three RBIs in his past four starts.Who's not: Travis Lee was 1-for-19 on the Diamondbacks' eight-game road trip.On deck: The Mets send Orel Hershiser out tonight on one day's rest.

Environmental Elements Corp. has a new solution for power plants that want to slash their smog-inducing emissions: fertilizer pellets.EEC, a Baltimore-based maker of pollution control equipment for utilities and pulp paper mills, has been experiencing a solid rebound in its long-dormant business, thanks to federal regulations that clamp down on how much smog ingredient power plants can emit.But company officials believe that the new technology using fertilizer, licensed from two companies and refined by EEC, will put another arrow in its quiver.

A Catonsville man was overwhelmed yesterday morning by noxious fumes from a pile of trash he had picked up in Elkridge.Larry Achliovi of the 2400 block of Old Frederick Road was discharged yesterday afternoon from University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore after suffering respiratory problems, said Capt. Kenneth Byerly, a spokesman for the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services.Achliovi, a dump-truck driver for Browning-Ferris Industries, told authorities that about 6: 45 a.m., he was operating his usual trash run of 10 stops in Elkridge.

Saying it was all a misunderstanding, Tyson Foods yesterday withdrew its request to relax Virginia pollution limits for a tributary of the Pocomoke Sound where one of its poultry processing plants discharges wastewater.Tyson President Donald "Buddy" Wray wrote Virginia's director of environmental quality after news reports that the state had proposed allowing the company's plant in Temperanceville to discharge up to 2 1/2 times more ammonia into Sandy Bottom Branch.The state's proposal drew fire from officials of the Environmental Protection Agency and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, who contended that the ammonia would add to nutrient pollution problems in Pocomoke Sound, which was closed in the summer after fish kills were blamed on Pfiesteria piscicida.

Three Grace Davison workers, overcome by toxic fumes, collapsed on the hot pavement. On nearby Curtis Creek, fishermen slumped over their boats as the Fire Department rushed to the rescue. A warning went out to the neighborhoods of Brooklyn and Fairfield, as the wind pushed fumes in their direction.Not to worry, authorities said. It was only a drill -- a large production staged yesterday morning from the Curtis Bay plant of Grace Davison.South Baltimore is the center of the petrochemical industry in Maryland, and a coalition of companies has been running large drills as often as once a year since the group formed the South Baltimore Industrial Mutual Aid Plan in 1982.

An employee at the Maryland-Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative in North Laurel was seriously injured Wednesday when a mechanical valve broke and ammonia was blown into his face, Howard County rescue officials said.Dennis Wilson, 53, of Cordova in Talbot County, was in the intensive care burn unit of Washington Hospital Center yesterday. He was being treated for respiratory complications and severe burns to his head and face. A hospital spokeswoman said he was in good condition.Rescue officials said Mr. Wilson was working on a ladder at the milk plant in the 8300 block of Leishear Road when the accident occurred.

Around the house* Make frozen iced-tea cubes -- rather than regular ice cubes -- when making iced tea. As the cubes melt, they won't dilute the beverage.* Cut off tops of plastic liter bottles for disposable funnels.* Remove stains from coffee cups. Rub a paste of salt and water on darkened areas, let sit an hour and wash.In the garden* Inspect exterior foundation for anthills. Pour 1 to 2 cups ammonia down the center of the nest. Place whole cloves of garlic around house entrances and inside cabinets to repel pests.

When it comes to the heat, ballplayers are no different than anybody else. They talk about it, sometimes complain about it, try to combat it -- but they never beat it.Most follow the standard procedures -- salt and potassium tablets, plenty of fluids and as little exposure to the elements as possible. But there are some tricks to the trade that stray from more common practices.Years ago, the most popular gimmick was to soak cabbage leaves in ammonia, wrap them in light paper and use them as a liner under the wool caps that can retain heat in stifling quantities.

Around the house* Fill up bare corners with plants. Either group three or four smaller plants together or place a large fern on a stand.* When painting the interior of your home, avoid trendy colors that become dated quickly. Remember, dark colors make rooms appear smaller.* Freshen stale odors in your humidifier. Pour 3 or 4 capfuls of bottled lemon juice into the water.* Avoid scraping ice from the windshield of your car. Slip a portion of a paper shopping bag under wipers that are pointing straight up. The next morning, simply remove bag and windshield should be clear.

Around the house* Patch a leaking cooler. Melt paraffin wax and allow to cool slightly. While wax is soft, plug hole inside and out. Use caution when heating wax because of flammability.* Perk up an old picnic table. Cover with a printed, fitted single sheet.* Clean window screens. Remove and lay them on flat surface. Mix a solution of 3 parts water to 1 part ammonia in a bucket and scrub with bristle brush. Rinse with a hose and rap screen with hand to remove excess water. Let screens dry in sun.* Keep ants away from house.

TIP 37 Save on cleaning supplies by making your own The ingredients are probably all right there in your kitchen or bath cabinets - baking soda, ammonia, vinegar, rubbing alcohol. Know what to mix with what and you could make your own household cleaners and save money at the grocery or drugstore. Be careful and make sure you follow all the directions to be safe. Instead of paying extra for Pine Sol, Windex or Tilex, make your own floor, window and tile cleaners, suggests Web site www.creativehomemaking.

The Environmental Protection Agency's end-of-year decision to exempt farmers from reporting the amount of ammonia emitted from animal waste doesn't pass the smell test. While this would benefit those in Maryland's poultry industry, which is based on the Eastern Shore and raised 295 million chickens last year, the ruling isn't welcome news for their neighbors, environmentalists and others citizens. The EPA's rule change exempts animal farm operations from having to report ammonia and other emissions under "right to know" requirements of federal emergency response laws.

Brushing aside concerns raised by environmental groups, the Bush administration exempted most poultry farms yesterday from reporting releases of ammonia and other hazardous substances from the waste their flocks produce. The Environmental Protection Agency backed away from the blanket exemption it had originally proposed, saying the largest livestock farms will still have to report releases of potentially harmful gases - but only to emergency response planners, not environmental regulators.

In its final days, the Bush administration is poised to exempt poultry farms from reporting how much ammonia and other noxious pollutants they are releasing into the air from the millions of tons of manure their flocks generate. The Environmental Protection Agency has asked the federal Office of Management and Budget to give final approval to a rule that would exclude poultry farms from environmental reporting required of other industries. The budget office reviews all proposed federal regulations to see that their benefits justify their costs.

The ammonia spill that hit a West Baltimore neighborhood Thursday night was legitimate, but rumors - not noxious fumes - touched off the panic that engulfed an elementary school hours later, fire officials said. The Thursday night spill occurred when workers at a shuttered ice-making factory accidentally ruptured a tube containing ammonia gas. Scores of residents were evacuated from homes, and there were complications for commuters yesterday morning because of the incident. One person was hospitalized as fire crews worked overnight to clean up the scene, before allowing residents to return to their homes.

An ammonia leak at an old icehouse in West Baltimore caused an evacuation near the building that suffered an extensive fire in 2004. Homes in the 500 block of N. Pulaski St., less than a block east of the Baltimore American Ice Co. in the 2100 block of W. Franklin St., were evacuated because of the strong odor of ammonia, said Chief Kevin Cartwright, a Fire Department spokesman. The 15 evacuees were put on warm MTA buses, Cartwright said. One person complained of breathing problems but refused hospital treatment.

It's not often that we hear studies in the poultry industry described as revolutionary, as a Maryland university professor put it the other day. Average consumers care little more about chickens than that the ones they buy at the market or roadside barbeque be fresh and cheap. We have so many other pressing daily cares that, well, what happens in chicken houses stays in chicken houses. That's technically not true - just ask any environmentalist or chicken-farm neighbor - and that's why the University of Maryland Eastern Shore's $3.3 million project to redesign the physical structures where broilers are raised may very well produce revolutionary results.

"THAT," SAID my guide, "is where I'd strike if I was a terrorist." We were bobbing in a police launch in the Inner Harbor, staring at the promenade outside the Pratt Street Pavilion. "I'd fill a small boat with explosives," he continued, "and crash it right there. It would take 48 hours for the tide just to flush out the bodies from under the boardwalk." It was on this grisly note that my terror tour of Baltimore began. In counterterrorist jargon, it was called a vulnerability assessment, and in the year following the Sept.

WASHINGTON - With concern growing over unsafe lead levels in the drinking water here, city officials blamed the federal government this week for the problem. Yesterday, the city fired the head of the Health Department because, the officials said, he had in part not adequately responded to the problem. The mayor's office acknowledged yesterday that it had dismissed the health director, James A. Buford, and replaced him with an interim director, Herbert R. Tillery, the deputy mayor for operations.

I'M SURE you find it as comforting as I do to know that commuters in the Free State, while sitting rush hour traffic and cursing and smacking the steering wheel, can now also thrust a fist into the air and cry: "We're No. 2!" Yes, it's official: Maryland is now second only to the great state of New York in the amount of time it takes people to get to work. According to the latest Census Bureau data, our average commute is 30 minutes, a few seconds less than New York's and well above the national average of 24 minutes, which should bring tears of pride to the eyes of every citizen.