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Let us look at formalin

2006-01-12T08:04:00.000-08:00

Formalin is a saturated solution of formaldehyde, water, and typically another agent, most commonly methanol. In its typical form, formalin is 37% formaldehyde by weight (40% by volume), 6-13% methanol, and the rest water. A quick glance at any commercially available formalin product will confirm these numbers. Formaldehyde provides the disinfectant and bacteriacide/germacide effects of formalin. The water content of formalin provides a dilution of formaldehyde. And the methanol content stabilizes the naturally chemically unstable formaldehyde compound. How formaldehyde “kills” bacteria and germs is discussed in detail below.Formaldehyde (HCHO) belongs to a class of organic compounds called aldehydes, which are all obtained from the oxidation of alcohol, the most common being methyl alcohol (2CH2OH). During the oxidation process from methyl alcohol to formaldehyde, a certain level of formic acid is produced and will be found in formaldehyde solutions. It is important to note the presence of formic acid as this is a blistering agent most commonly associated with red or fire ants. Further, since formaldehyde is basically unstable in its basic compound form, further oxidation even in storage is possible, thus producing additional levels of formic acid. To help stabilize formaldehyde, methanol is added to the dilute formaldehyde solution formalin. It is very important to note that the formalin compound readily available as a treatment for fish is the EXACT and same compound used in embalming practices. And there is significant irony in this as discussed further below.Formaldehyde is also highly soluable in water and as such, does not separate or degenerate in water-based solutions. This is one of the main reasons why water is most commonly used to dilute formaldehyde into the common formalin compound. Additional reasons for using water in the formalin compound include cost and the ability of water to mix with other chemical agents readily. This point will have more relevance when discussing the combined use of formalin and salt in fish treatments.While formaldehyde is a potent disinfectant and anti-bacterial agent, it is essentially ineffective as a fungicide, insecticide, or larvacide. This is an important point to remember when considering formalin in the treatment of fish. While formalin will work for such problems as gill flukes, surface infections, and other parasites, it will NOT work on argulus, fish lice, and other macro-parasites that we associate with treatments requiring organophosphates, such as dimlin. Nor will formalin be effective against mold and fungus-related problems, such as saprolegnia.But before you go thinking formalin is an ideal anti-bacterial treatment, first consider how formaldehyde “kills.” Unlike most anti-bacterial and germicidal agents which poison the bacteria and germ cells, formaldehyde kills cell tissue by dehydrating the tissue and bacteria cells and replacing the normal fluid in the cells with a gel-like rigid compound. The latter effect exhibits the coagulation properties of formaldehyde. Tissue and bacterium cells are made of protoplasm and as such, contain large amounts of moisture. The introduction of formaldehyde into the tissue dries out the protoplasm and destroys the cell. In terms of embalming practices, this is a perfect situation as the formaldehyde not only disinfects the tissue but replaces the tissue cell moisture with a rigid gel thus allowing the embalmed tissue to maintain its contour. Additionally, the “new” cell structure will resist further bacterial attacks as its composition now contains a formaldehyde-based compound. So, while the usual list of anti-bacterial agents, such as tetracycline, amikacin, baytril, and the like poison their respective bacterial enemies and are then flushed from the system by the kidneys and liver, formalin is retained in the now altered tissue structures of the living organism.As stated previously, formalin was originally designed for the purposes of disinfecting and preserving tissue in embalming practices. It was not originally contemplated for use in fish medicine. Since formaldehyde is highly soluble in water, this combination offered a near perfect solution for easy permeation of tissue and cell structures. This is an important point to consider when using formalin on fish as the fish will “absorb” a certain level of formalin into its tissue and cell structures just by the very nature of how fish process water in their environment. This is where the principles of osmosis are important.Osmosis or osmotic pressure is the passage of a solvent through a membrane separating two solutions of different densities. The basic rule of osmosis is that fluids will flow from the less dense environment to the more dense environment through the membrane. Using a practical example, consider the use of salt in koi ponds. Here, we need to consider the salt content of the fish itself and for koi and this level is about .9%. The pond water, on the other hand, maybe anywhere zero percent salt content up to whatever level the pond owner has manipulated it. There is much debate on the use of salt in the treatment of many koi problems. While there is no question that a salt level of .3% will effectively rid the pond and fish of most micro-parasites, it is the effect of salt on the osmotic regulation process of the fish that most ponders believe is a good stress reducing regimen. So as an example, the pond has a salt level of .15% and the fish’s level is .9%, then the osmotic pressure or flow of water is from the pond and into the fish’s body. And the same can be said for any salt level up to .9% where the equilibrium of osmotic pressures will start causing severe problems with the fish’s physiology. In fact, if the salt levels of the pond become equal to or greater than that of the fish, the fish can actually suffer dehydration as the flow of the fluids reverses based on reversed fluid densities.But the driving factor behind the need to control osmotic regulation and relieving the fish of added stress is not specifically with the addition of salt to the water, but what happens to the “mechanics” of the water once the salt is added. As most of us remember from high school chemistry, every fluid has a surface tension.

No Starvation in Yahokimo Regency, Papua

2006-01-09T07:14:00.000-08:00

Jombang (ANTARA News) - Health Minister Siti Fadilah Supari has denied that 55 people have died and 112 others have suffered from a severe illness because of starvation in Yahokimo regency, Papua province, as recently reported. She told ANTARA here Sunday that the Health Ministry has sent a team to Yahokimo, but so far the team has not found any starvation case in the regency. "There are children who have fallen ill, but not because of starvation. Perhaps the reported 55 is a cumulative number," the health minister said. A number of people have died and fallen ill, and based on the result of medical examination, they have been infected by a certain disease, according to Siti Fadilah. Those who have not recovered from the illness are still undergoing medical treatment in a hospital in Wamena, she said.The Health Ministry has given aid in the form of medicines as well as foods and drinks to the Wamena hospital for patients from Yahokimo regency, and supplied medicines and logistics to the regency. (*)

$4B complex planned at Stardust site

2006-01-07T02:38:00.000-08:00

The 1,500-room Stardust hotel-casino in Las Vegas is to be replaced by a $4-billion hotel-casino-shopping complex to be called Echelon Place.The new complex announced by Stardust owner Boyd Gaming Corp. is set to open in 2010 and will compete against the other mega-projects that have come up in the city, reports The Los Angeles Times.Echelon Place would consist of four hotels with a total of 5,300 rooms, plus shops, restaurants and a convention center. The Stardust would keep operating through this year and would be demolished in early 2007.Las Vegas has experienced an upscaling of its properties and the Stardust intends to be a participant in that, Bob Boughner, who would be Echelon's president, told the Times.The current dominant players on the Las Vegas Strip include the MGM Mirage, which owns the MGM Grand, the Bellagio and the Mirage, and Harrah's Entertainment Inc., whose resorts include Paris Las Vegas and Caesars Palace. MGM Mirage is planning a $5 billion complex called CityCenter that would include hotels, a casino, stores and condominiums, the report said.

Mitsubishi owner sues business associates

2006-01-05T01:14:00.000-08:00

The reasons for Alcoa Mitsubishi's abrupt November closure remain a mystery, but a new piece of the puzzle has surfaced in the form of a lawsuit.
A suit was filed last week in Blount County Circuit Court's Equity Division alleging fraud, conspiracy and shady business practices, but the suit was not filed by one of the many customers who say they have been hurt by the closure.
Instead, the suit was filed by one of the owners.
T. Scott Pack of Seymour, and his company P&M Automotive Corp., filed suit Dec. 29 against Robert W. Kent of Milledgeville, Ga., and his company K&M Automotive Group LLC. Also named as defendants are Darrell L. Cooper of Maryville and his company Cooper Automotive Group.
The lawsuit accuses the defendants of breach of contract, fraud, conspiracy and violation of the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act, among other allegations.
According to the suit, Kent and K&M Automotive contacted Pack in early 2005, offering to sell him an Alcoa Highway automotive dealership known as Alcoa Mitsubishi. Pack entered into an agreement to purchase the dealership on Feb. 23.
At the time of this agreement, the suit alleges, Kent and K&M ``did not disclose to (the plaintiff) Alcoa Mitsubishi's true financial condition, history of profitability or (defendant Kent and K&M's) scheme and conspiracy to use the capital of Pack and his corporation to remedy the defendants' prior business practices and financial improprieties.''
These ``improprieties,'' the suit says, resulted in Alcoa Mitsubishi ``being out of trust with its floor plan with Mitsubishi Motors Credit of America Inc.,'' which essentially means the dealership had not met certain obligations to Mitsubishi Motors Credit regarding a financing plan for its vehicle inventory.
The suit alleges that Kent and K&M ``failed to disclose material facts concerning their past activities and history that would have been important and relevant to a reasonable investor and, in fact, the defendants continued and conspired to keep this relevant and material information from Pack and P&M Automotive.''
The suit says Pack and P&M began operating the dealership in March 2005 and began paying for parts, equipment, tools and furnishings. P&M also assumed the lease on the Alcoa Highway property where the dealership sits.
As Pack and his company P&M Automotive took over the tasks of day-to-day operations, the lawsuit says they became aware ``that certain representations of the defendants, K&M and Kent, were untrue.''
In addition to learning about unmet financial obligations to Mitsubishi Motors Credit, the plaintiff claims he then learned of around $60,000 worth of customer trade-in vehicles that had not been paid off and an outstanding sales tax obligation to the state of Tennessee in excess of $154,000.
Pack, meanwhile, was applying for a ``floor plan,'' a financing plan for inventory, from Mitsubishi Motors Credit -- an application that was ultimately refused, the suit says.
The suit alleges that Pack was denied a floor plan because of the previous owners' unmet financial obligations.
Amended agreement
When Mitsubishi Motors Credit rejected the floor plan, Pack's P&M and Kent's K&M amended their original purchase agreement to extend the closing date by a year, allowing Pack more time to satisfy Mitsubishi's requirements.
To meet Mitsubishi's capitalization requirements, Pack borrowed $425,000 from his mother, Sandra Williams, the suit says. Also in response to Mitsubishi's requirements, Pack hired Darrell L. Cooper to assist him with the business.
Cooper then expressed his own interest in acquiring the business, the suit claims, and entered into a purchase agreement with K&M.
Cooper's agreement with K&M violated Pack's agreement with the Georgia-based company, the lawsuit claims.
The suit goes on to allege that Cooper and Kent conspired to defraud Pack -- using his capital to solve the dealership's financial problems while providing him with nothing in return.
The suit seeks $925,000 in compensatory damages and $3 million in punitive damages.
State investigation
Meanwhile, the state Motor Vehicle Commission continues to investigate the dealership, its business practices and its abrupt closure.
The investigation, in part, is to determine whether criminal charges can be brought against any of the involved parties.
Blount County District Attorney Mike Flynn said Tuesday he has not personally received any results from the state's investigation but noted that Nicole Bass, an assistant district attorney, has met with state regulators and received ``some materials'' related to the investigation.
Barry Woody, executive director of the state Motor Vehicle Commission, said Tuesday the investigation is on-going.
Attorney Joe Nicholson, who filed the Circuit Court suit on behalf of Pack and P&M Automotive, declined to comment on the suit or its allegations.
Asked about the state's on-going investigation, however, he said his client voluntarily contacted the state and turned over relevant documentation