Tuesday, December 28, 2010
** New Jersey medics made ill by fog like ambulance cleaner
** Alberta Health Services retracts memo dictating ambulances can’t speed to emergency calls
UNITED STATES NEWS
** New Jersey EMS authorities are investigating, after a cleaner used to sanitize ambulances made several medics sick. The Times (Matt Fair/December 25) said exposure to the disinfectant chemical Zimek QD is believed to have prompted signs of illness in at least 100 prehospital employees of the Monmouth-Ocean Hospital Service Corporation (MONOC). According to the newspaper, the organization began using the substance in May of 2009. A spokesman for the Professional EMS Association (PEMSA) said almost immediately the fog like chemical sparked complaints from ambulance users ranging from migraine headaches, smells, nausea, as well as eye and skin irritation. One paramedic who refused to be named said he had experienced several bouts of respiratory failure, as well as ear, nose, and throat problems following his exposure;he has declined to go back to work as a result. Along with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the US Environmental Protection Agency, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is also investigating the case.
CANADA NEWS
** Alberta Health Services (AHS) has got egg on its face after quickly retracting a leaked pre-Christmas memo dictating medics would no longer be allowed to speed to emergency calls. The Edmonton Journal (December 24) said the last Wednesday paper almost immediately sent officials scrambling to deny the new rule. AHS spokesman Sheila Rougeau, however, told reporters the memo sent to emergency personnel was incorrect and required further clarification. Rougeau said lights and sirens responses would still allow for exceeding the speed limit, provided the safety of the EMS crew, the patient, and the public are considered. The new rules also said ambulance no-speed zones now include playground, school, and construction areas. As well, full stop points include intersection lights and stop signs.
