Ventilation System

Among the demands for updated equipment that poultry growers routinely hear about from their companies, none is so popular, costly or controversial as "tunnel ventilation," a system of high-powered fans designed to keep air moving on hot days.Some processors, such as Perdue, are so convinced the system improves performance -- both for them and for the growers -- that they pay for half the cost. But even then, farmers often need a new loan for the equipment. Company reimbursements don't include interest, and a grower's contract can be cut off before reimbursement is complete.

Police in Howard County say they busted a marijuana growing operation at a house in Laurel, seizing 341 plants that authorities estimate could yield 170 pounds of pot worth more than a half million dollars. Police charged Manoj Unni, 30, of the 9300 block of Cross Timbers Court, with several drug counts. Police said they searched the house on Wednesday and found the alleged growing operation in the basement, with "sophisticated growing equipment. " Police said they found "high-intensity lights, a dehumidifier, air filters, water pumping systems, lighting timers, a CO2 system and a ventilation system.

Parents at another Baltimore County elementary school are voicing concerns about health hazards.The 770 students at Timber Grove Elementary were given letters to take home yesterday from the school PTA president warning of problems with mold, the water and a dirty ventilation system.Some parents at Deer Park Elementary School in Randallstown have complained about air quality and have kept their children at home.Beth A. Stevens, Timber Grove PTA president, said the school system has been slow to act on parent and faculty complaints about conditions at the Owings Mills school.

My husband and I often get colds and respiratory infections on vacations. Some say the reason for this is that airlines save fuel by minimizing the amount of fresh air circulated through cabins. Is there any standard for fresh air circulated during a flight? Almost everyone who falls sick after flying wonders whether a coughing, sneezing fellow passenger is to blame. The answer, experts say, may be yes - but the conducting culprit is not recirculated air; it's proximity, bad luck and poor hand-washing, the same elements to blame for virus transmission on the ground.

Imagine inhaling fumes from thousands of cars and trucks that creep by your open door, eight hours a day, five days a week, year after year. It doesn't take much imagination for Robert Hart and Deborah Ness, toll collectors at the Harbor Tunnel. They've been doing just that for a decade. Their doctors say they're healthy. But they worry about long-term effects from the tailpipes that pass by at rates of up to 6,000 per hour. "Whatever is in the air, there's such a concentration because you have these huge trucks going through here," said Hart, 58, of Abingdon.

A stubborn and smoky fire that apparently started in a clogged paint ventilation system caused an unknown amount of damage to York Truck Body & Equipment in Mount Airy yesterday.The fire in the 1000 block of Ridgeville Boulevard was reported at 10 a.m. and kept firefighters busy for 90 minutes.Assistant Chief Doug Alexander of the Mount Airy Fire Company said the blaze apparently started in the ventilation system near the paint booth. Paint residue ignited, filling the building with smoke and forcing the employees to evacuate the 75-by-100-foot one-story building.

Workers evacuated the neutralization building at the Aberdeen Chemical Agent Disposal Facility about 7 a.m. yesterday after smoke was detected. Smoke detectors inside the unoccupied neutralization area sounded the alarm after smoke began coming from a carbon filter drum that vented a rinse water tank. Workers in other areas of the building followed procedures, immediately masked themselves and evacuated. No one was injured, and no mustard agent vapor was released. The fire safety system automatically shut down the facility's ventilation system after detecting the smoke.

Nine students at Liberty High School in Eldersburg were taken to area hospitals yesterday morning after natural gas fumes got into the ventilation system near the school's science department, authorities said. The students were treated for shortness of breath and breathing problems, "all mild in nature," said Teresa Fletcher, spokeswoman for Carroll County General Hospital, where eight students were taken. One student was taken to Northwest Hospital Center. All were released by 1 p.m., authorities said.

Barrels of adhesive used to repair the roof of Carrolltown Center were left too close to the ventilation system, causing respiratory complaints at several shops in the Eldersburg mall Thursday night and yesterday, fire officials said. Firefighters were called to the shopping mall on Route 26 a third time yesterday after people complained of throat and nose irritation, said fire officials. The mall was closed for 45 minutes around 6 p.m. Thursday after complaints. One employee was taken to Carroll County General Hospital.

Nine Liberty High School students were taken to area hospitals yesterday morning after natural gas fumes got into the ventilation system near the school's science department, authorities said. The students were treated for shortness of breath and breathing problems, "all mild in nature," said Teresa Fletcher, spokeswoman for Carroll County General Hospital, where eight students were taken. One student was taken to Northwest Hospital Center. All were released by 1 p.m., authorities said.

The Baltimore courthouses are a disaster waiting to happen. Forget the usual complaints: leaky roofs, broken-down elevators (often several at a time), overheated jury rooms, moldy carpets, drafty courtrooms, poor air quality, rats, an outdated fire escape system. A small fire outside the Clarence M. Mitchell Jr. Courthouse last week illustrates the real cause for alarm. The fire among leaves and debris in an outside window well sent a haze of smoke through the historic building's ventilation system, forcing an evacuation.

Imagine inhaling fumes from thousands of cars and trucks that creep by your open door, eight hours a day, five days a week, year after year. It doesn't take much imagination for Robert Hart and Deborah Ness, toll collectors at the Harbor Tunnel. They've been doing just that for a decade. Their doctors say they're healthy. But they worry about long-term effects from the tailpipes that pass by at rates of up to 6,000 per hour. "Whatever is in the air, there's such a concentration because you have these huge trucks going through here," said Hart, 58, of Abingdon.

Workers evacuated the neutralization building at the Aberdeen Chemical Agent Disposal Facility about 7 a.m. yesterday after smoke was detected. Smoke detectors inside the unoccupied neutralization area sounded the alarm after smoke began coming from a carbon filter drum that vented a rinse water tank. Workers in other areas of the building followed procedures, immediately masked themselves and evacuated. No one was injured, and no mustard agent vapor was released. The fire safety system automatically shut down the facility's ventilation system after detecting the smoke.

For years, the 13,000 workers at the Social Security Administration headquarters in Woodlawn have had to deal with quirky heating and air conditioning, poor ventilation, desks built when computers took up entire rooms -- and all the other limitations of a building that had received no major renovations since Dwight D. Eisenhower was president. But that's about to change. A $96.9 million renovation plan for the main building on the Social Security campus, the first comprehensive overhaul since it was constructed in 1959, was announced yesterday by federal officials.

Nine Liberty High School students were taken to area hospitals yesterday morning after natural gas fumes got into the ventilation system near the school's science department, authorities said. The students were treated for shortness of breath and breathing problems, "all mild in nature," said Teresa Fletcher, spokeswoman for Carroll County General Hospital, where eight students were taken. One student was taken to Northwest Hospital Center. All were released by 1 p.m., authorities said.

Nine students at Liberty High School in Eldersburg were taken to area hospitals yesterday morning after natural gas fumes got into the ventilation system near the school's science department, authorities said. The students were treated for shortness of breath and breathing problems, "all mild in nature," said Teresa Fletcher, spokeswoman for Carroll County General Hospital, where eight students were taken. One student was taken to Northwest Hospital Center. All were released by 1 p.m., authorities said.

My husband and I often get colds and respiratory infections on vacations. Some say the reason for this is that airlines save fuel by minimizing the amount of fresh air circulated through cabins. Is there any standard for fresh air circulated during a flight? Almost everyone who falls sick after flying wonders whether a coughing, sneezing fellow passenger is to blame. The answer, experts say, may be yes - but the conducting culprit is not recirculated air; it's proximity, bad luck and poor hand-washing, the same elements to blame for virus transmission on the ground.

My Great Uncle Bill ruined his mind struggling with deeply philosophical questions like why most socks end up single over time and whether cornbread should be salty or sweet. The question of whether a toilet seat should be left up or down nearly ruined his marriage. So it is with great fear and some loathing that I tackle a question that seems - based on the e-mail that I get - to be much on the mind of my readers: Is it better to leave a computer on all the time, or to turn it off at night?

Barrels of adhesive used to repair the roof of Carrolltown Center were left too close to the ventilation system, causing respiratory complaints at several shops in the Eldersburg mall Thursday night and yesterday, fire officials said. Firefighters were called to the shopping mall on Route 26 a third time yesterday after people complained of throat and nose irritation, said fire officials. The mall was closed for 45 minutes around 6 p.m. Thursday after complaints. One employee was taken to Carroll County General Hospital.