Members are sweating and breathing hard over the equipment, only wiping it down quickly with a strip of paper towel — if they remember to wipe it down at all. To make sure you stay healthy every time you go for a workout, you should read these tips to protect yourself.
Wash Your Fitness Gear
Before you worry about the treadmills and locker rooms, you need to take a look at your gym bag. You could be harboring bacteria and germs in your athletic gear.
Moisture and bacteria will build up in your gym shoes, especially if you only wear one pair. This situation can lead to powerful foot odor, along with frustrating problems like foot fungus, toe fungus and blisters. Swap your shoes after every use to let them dry out. If you’ve been using the shoes for a while, you should replace the old dirty insoles. Click here to see where you can get custom orthotics in Toronto so that you can get the perfect fit for these supportive accessories.
Don’t re-wear clothes after a workout. Even if you think you didn’t sweat much, you should clean them. When you put those dirty clothes into the washing machine, toss your gym bag in there, too.
Wipe down Gym Equipment
If you think your equipment is dirty, just imagine what lies on the gym’s equipment. People have been touching it and sweating on it day-in and day-out, and you can’t be sure if they’ve been kind enough to clean up after themselves.
If you’re worried about getting sick, the microbiologist Jason Tetro recommends that anyone using gym equipment follows these simple rules to avoid bacteria and viruses:
Shower before and after the workout
Take 15 seconds to wipe down equipment before and after using it
Wash your hands often
Don’t touch your mouth or face
Don’t Go Barefoot
You need to wear shower shoes when you go into damp areas like the swimming pool deck, the locker room, the sauna, and, of course, the showers. These floors are covered with germs. The protective footwear will keep you from picking up an embarrassing infection like athlete’s foot or plantar warts.
You can get the same foot conditions from a borrowed yoga mat because people like to practice in their bare feet and they often forget to clean the material when they’re done using it. You should wipe down a borrowed mat before and after your yoga classes and use grippy socks as protective barriers. Better yet, buy your own mat and bring it from home.
Avoid gym mat germs.
These are all ways that you can protect yourself from germs at the gym. Luckily, they’re also ways that you can stop everyone else from catching a virus or bacterial infection. By cleaning up after yourself, you’ve given other members a better chance of staying healthy, too.
You should always avoid the gym when you’re not feeling well. Don’t push yourself to go for a jog or to do a round of sun salutations when you have the sniffles. Your determination to fight your illness and fit in a workout can make other members sick.
The Reinvention of Coley’s Toxins by Donald H. MacAdam is a fascinating read. If you are expecting a dry and brooding book you are in for a treat because MacAdam has a dynamic flair for presenting facts and characters in an enjoyable story telling fashion.
The history leading up to the formation of MBVax is remarkable and includes robotics, human genome sequencing and electronics distribution. The twists and turns that ultimately lead to the reinvention and production of modern day Coley’s Toxins makes for a satisfying journey- one which not only parallels the experimental nature of scientific discovery but also its necessity for serendipity.
Coley’s Toxins were invented in 1893 by Dr. William Coley when he was 29 years old. In the following 43 years Dr. Coley treated about one thousand inoperable (incurable) cancer patients with better results than would be expected for a comparable group of patients today.
Until the last pharmaceutical manufacturer ceased production in 1951, Coley’s Toxins was a mainstream cancer therapy with thousands of physicians treating many tens of thousands of patients. Outcomes were respectable but not as good as achieved by Dr. Coley.
Dr. Coley’s patients fared better than those treated by other physicians because Coley’s Toxins prepared for Dr. Coley’s personal use were more effective than the commercially available formulations.
Beginning back in 2006, the small Canadian company MBVax Bioscience produced a modern version of the formulation used by Dr. Coley and provided it free of charge to physicians anywhere in the world who could legally import the product and administer treatment.
Clinical results included complete regressions (cures) of inoperable and/or metastatic breast cancer, lymphoma, melanoma, lung cancer, esophageal cancer and stomach cancer. I worked for a time alongside Mr. MacAdam at MBVax Bioscience and based on the visits of patients being treated and planning on being treated via our vaccine, I can attest to its genuinity and appreciation.
In spite of the clinical results and the support of leading cancer researchers- medical regulators in Canada, Europe and the U.S. denied permission to commence clinical trials.
While spring brings warmer weather, sunnier days, and beautiful flowers, it also brings the reminder that it’s time to air out, declutter our homes, and do some spring cleaning. At the same time, it might be tempting to spray our homes with disinfectants, a lot of common household cleaning products are actually pretty toxic to our health. This is why we’ve provided you with some tips on how to get your home sparkling, but not at the cost of your health.
When it comes to cleaning products, we Canadians buy a lot of them.
In 2014 alone, we spent more than $641 million on products like window sprays and floor cleaners. When you break that down, we’re spending $200-$300 per household annually on products that we think help us maintain healthy homes, when in fact they could be doing the opposite.
Some of Canada’s most popular cleaning products contain harsh chemicals and fragrance ingredients that can harm you and your family’s health. (Tell the Canadian government that we need better protections from toxics in our personal care and cleaning products.)
We tested the homes of 14 volunteers and found that indoor air quality quickly deteriorates when some conventional cleaning products are applied.
The good news is that safer options are widely available. Even better, DIY alternatives for many spring cleaning items are not only easy to make, they can provide significant cost savings over store brands.
How concerned should we be about the impacts of cleaning products on indoor air?
We put some of Canada’s most popular cleaning products as well as certified green products and products that had non-verifiable green claims to the test! We sampled the air in volunteers’ homes while they cleaned their kitchens for half an hour to test for VOCs.
Things are pretty much the same in the United States.
(Volatile organic compounds, or VOCs for short, are a common type of air pollutant. VOCs are a broad category of chemicals, some of which are linked to asthma and other health conditions, including cancer. A key concern with VOCs is that some of them can react with other pollutants present in the air, and form other contaminants that are even more toxic).
So, what did we find?
For the nine homes where conventional cleaners were used, total VOCs increased by an average of 120 per cent.
For the three homes cleaned with certified green products with full disclosure labels, the VOCs increased by an average of only 35 per cent.
For the two homes cleaned with products that made a green claim on the label but did not disclose ingredients, total VOCs averaged 100 per cent.
Handy tips to keep your indoor air quality in good shape while getting the job done:
Choose green products that list their ingredients in full. Companies are not currently required to fully list their ingredients, but some forward thinking businesses offer this information to customers voluntarily.
Avoid cleaning products that list “fragrance” as an ingredient.
Keep rooms ventilated by opening windows or turning on fans during and after cleaning. This is especially important if you live in a condo or an apartment. Better air circulation will keep harmful VOC levels from building up.
Try some simple DIY recipes with two simple ingredients: water and vinegar.
Following these tips, and choosing green products, or making your own when possible, are great (and toxic-free) ways to get your spring cleaning done without dirtying the planet and your health!
For the Silo, Sarah Jamal Program Coordinator, Toxics environmentaldefence.ca
With new cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) still being reported every day across the globe, we are starkly reminded that handling or coming into close contact with wildlife, their body parts, and excreta poses a risk of spillover of the pathogens [viruses, bacteria, parasites, and fungi] they host and maintain in nature, and to which we humans might be susceptible.
The illnesses animals spread to humans are known as zoonotic diseases, or zoonoses.
It is estimated that, globally, about one billion cases of human illness and millions of deaths occur every year from zoonoses. Some 60 percent of emerging infectious diseases that are reported globally are zoonoses and of the more than 30 new human pathogens detected in the last three decades, 75 percent have originated in animals.
A wide variety of vertebrates are carriers of zoonotic agents. Rodents, the most abundant mammal, also represent an abundant source of zoonotic diseases, carrying at least 180 unique zoonotic pathogens[1]. Because of their size, the ability to fly and their unique immune system, bats represent an important virus reservoir, though presently they are known to carry only about a third of the zoonotic pathogens that rodents do.
While there are fewer species of primates when compared to rodents and bats, a great proportion are zoonotic hosts. The risk that pathogens can infect humans increases with species more closely related to us. For example, the spillover of HIV to humans occurred from chimpanzees and sooty mangabeys, most likely through butchering and consumption of their meat. To date, HIV-AIDS has infected 75 million people and caused 32 million deaths[2].
Graphic design: Sarah Markes/WCS.
The persistent lethal capacity of zoonotic pathogens can also reside in its evolutionary strategies. Plague is a bacterial, vector-born disease transmitted by fleas from rodents –its natural reservoir– to humans and subsequently also from humans to humans that has impacted the history of mankind through multiple pandemics causing tens of millions of deaths worldwide. The responsible bacterial agent has evolved virulence factors that have allowed it to repeatedly and successfully evade the immune system of the mammalian host[3].
“Coming into close contact with wildlife — including their body parts and excreta — poses a risk of spillover of the pathogens they host, to which we humans might be susceptible.”
Zoonoses may exist in various forms: The most common, endemic zoonoses, are widespread in developing countries affect many people and animals and are by comparison mostly neglected by the international community, epidemic zoonoses vary widely in their duration and distribution and emerging and re-emerging zoonoses may or may not have occurred previously in a given population, but are generally observed to expand in new species, populations or areas.
Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) and particularly zoonotic ones are a significant and growing threat to global health, global economy and global security. Analyses of their trends suggest that their frequency and economic impact are on the rise.
The conditions of so-called “wet markets” are ideal for incubating new diseases and bolster their transmission. Photo credit: Elizabeth L. Bennett/WCS
Recent examples of such emerging or re-emerging zoonoses include Rift Valley fever, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), pandemic influenza, Yellow fever, Avian Influenza, West Nile virus, the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS), and most recently COVID-19.
However, our current knowledge of zoonotic diseases and spillover mechanisms is still at its infancy. It is estimated that less than 0.1% of all viruses that may pose a threat to global health are now known to have been transmitted from animals to humans[4].
More than 300,000 viruses are estimated to await discovery in mammals, many of them bearing zoonotic potential. In the U.S.-funded PREDICT program, researchers estimate that there are more than 1.6 million unknown viral species in mammals and birds, 700,000 of which could pose a disease risk to humans, based on years of information gathering.
“In wet markets across the globe, live and dead animals — including many wildlife species — are sold for human consumption.”
Facing such a vast, unknown and unpredictable universe of zoonotic agents, we firmly believe that limiting the chances of contact between human and wild animals is the most effective way to reduce the risk of emergence of new zoonotic diseases.
In “wet markets” across the globe, live and dead animals — including many wildlife species — are sold for human consumption. In close quarters, a mix of saliva, blood, urine and other bodily fluids brush up against vendors and consumers alike. The conditions of these markets are ideal for incubating new diseases and bolster their transmission. They form one of the most detrimental bridges created by man over the natural barriers that previously separated humans and wild animals.
Destruction of nature is increasingly putting humans in contact with pathogens for which they have no natural immunity. Photo credit: Nick Hawkins
For example, in 2016, two officials from the Department of Livestock and Fisheries in Lao PDR, Drs. Bounlom Douangngeun and Watthana Theppangna along with One Health experts authored a paper which documented that wild mammals from 12 taxonomic families and capable of hosting 36 different known zoonotic pathogens were traded in only seven markets[5]. It is a similar situation that has enabled the emergence of the previously unknown SARS in central Guangdong Province in November 2002 and now COVID-19 coronavirus in Wuhan, China.
“Ignoring the danger posed by wildlife markets is a massive global public health liability for a healthy world.”
The interface within these wet markets has been largely ignored as a public health topic, but COVID-19 coronavirus has brought this interface back to the forefront and reminded us that ignoring the danger posed by wildlife markets is a massive global public health liability for a healthy world.
As Dr. Christian Walzer emphasized recently this is a “global health priority that cannot be ignored.” It is important to continue calling for three solutions to prevent this complex global challenge: close live animal markets that sell wildlife; strengthen efforts to combat trafficking of wild animals within countries and across borders; and work to change dangerous wildlife consumption behaviors, especially in cities.
For the Silo, Stephen Sautner- Executive Director of Communications, Wildlife Conservation Society- Bronx Zoo
NOTES
[1] Cleaveland et al. 2001. Diseases of humans and their domestic mammals: pathogen characteristics, host rage and the risk of emergence. Phil Trans R Soc Lond B 356, 991–999
[2] Huet T, Cheynier R, Meyerhans A. et al. « Genetic organization of a chimpanzee lentivirus related to HIV-1 » Nature 1990, 345;356–9.
Everyone experiences sporadic digestive symptoms such as an upset stomach, heartburn, nausea, gas, diarrhea, or dreaded constipation. Symptoms often go away on their own; however, they can cause major disruptions to your life when they occur frequently.
Fortunately, lifestyle and diet changes can have a positive influence on your gut health and some simple home remedies may ease discomfort.
In this article, we discuss a few ways that can help you to have better digestive health. Enjoy reading!
Relax (Manage Stress)
Anxiety and stress can affect the digestive system. Many people have a nervous stomach before a big event or important occasion, but sustained stress can affect the connection between the brain and the gut, causing continuing problems. There is a bond between physical and mental health, and reducing stress can positively impact both.
When you’re having a busy day, it can be tempting to rush your meals, but that can cause indigestion and stomach discomfort. Make the time to relax, especially before and after eating.
In addition, reducing stress by seeking support and making lifestyle changes may improve problems with digestion. It is well known that meditation, cognitive-behavioral therapy, acupuncture, and yoga have improved digestive symptoms.
Include Fermented Foods in Your Diet
Fermented foods are partially or wholly broken down by microorganisms such as bacteria. These microorganisms work to preserve food, and they can also benefit your gut health.
Kimchi- Lactic acid produced by bacteria during fermentation creates a tangy, pungent flavor similar to that of sauerkraut.
Bacteria occur naturally in the gut. There are good bacteria that help digest food, but there are bad ones that can cause problems with digestion if there are too many in the body. Furthermore, fermented foods contain good bacteria (probiotics) that may help you maintain a healthy digestive system. You can easily increase your probiotic intake by incorporating these fermented foods into your diet: probiotic yogurt, sourdough bread, sauerkraut, kefir, or miso.
Probiotic yogurt is particularly known as a good choice in a fight with gastrointestinal disorders. Moreover, it’s an easy way to meet your daily probiotics goal, and it contributes to healthy gut flora.
Stay Hydrated
Low fluid consumption is a frequent cause of constipation. Experts recommend drinking 50–66 oz. (1.5–2 liters) of non-caffeinated drinks per day to prevent constipation.
An additional way to help fulfill your daily fluid intake needs is to include vegetables and fruits high in water, such as cucumber, zucchini, peaches, tomatoes, melons, celery, strawberries, and grapefruit.
Chew Your Food
We all know digestion starts in your mouth. Your teeth break down the food into smaller pieces, and that way, they support the enzymes in your digestive system to also break it down better.
So keep this in mind next time you eat. Remember to chew your food slowly and make it ready for digestion!
To sum up, simple diet and lifestyle changes may help improve your digestion if you experience occasional, frequent, or even chronic digestive symptoms. In order to relieve some of these symptoms, try our suggestions from above. You will be surprised by the results!
Five years ago more than 40 babies born in Jamaican hospitals became infected with lethal bacteria – half of them died. The bacteria Klebsiella, like the coronavirus, is spread from person-to-person or via contaminated surfaces. It can be killed by hand-washing with warm soapy water.The situation caught the attention of technology student Rayvon Stewart based in Jamaica who set about finding a way to curb the spread of harmful germs. “I made a determined decision that I was going to find a solution to limit the transfer of pathogens to multiple surfaces, thereby saving lives,” says Rayvon.
Patricia Scotland
Young innovators in health I met Rayvon at the Commonwealth Health Ministers Meeting (CHMM) in Geneva last year. He was among the finalists shortlisted for last year’s Commonwealth Health Innovation Awards. He took part in an exhibition on the theme ‘Universal Health Coverage: Reaching the unreached, ensuring that no-one is left behind’ which highlighted how young people are tackling age-old challenges with modern technology and disruptive thinking.
The event underlined Commonwealth commitment to empowering young people as outlined in our charter and also our contribution to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. I spoke to five extraordinary innovators who made it as finalists of the Commonwealth Health Innovation Awards which recognize outstanding young people whose groundbreaking projects have made a real impact in helping their countries achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3, which is to ‘ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages’.
William Wasswa was working on a digital pathology platform for automated diagnosis and classification of cervical cancer from pap-smear images. Then there was Midia Hassan using 3D printing technology to provide prosthetics to amputees living in refugee camps and poverty zones. Another timely invention is that of Nitash Jangir who was one of 15 finalists at our SDG innovation awards. Nitash invented a neonatal breathing support device for low resource settings, with multiple powering options. It maintains respiration and oxygenation in premature neonates with Respiratory Distress Syndrome by providing constant airflow and pressure to keep the lungs open during transport to a tertiary care setting.
I was struck by the ability of young minds to find solutions to real problems in their communities, and their persistence in finding support to scale-up their projects.In Rayvon’s case, he focused on the most common places where bacteria and viruses could easily be left by one person and picked up directly by another. He came up with what he calls ‘Xermosol’- a simple-to-install device that automatically disinfects door knobs and handles after each use.
The innovation uses ultraviolet light to target and specifically kill harmful microorganisms, while being harmless to human beings.
The potential to save lives The potential impact of Rayvon’s invention could now be even more important than when he first conceived it, as the world battles the frightening COVID-19 pandemic. The coronavirus lives up to two or three days on stainless steel and metal, and several hours on fabric depending on factors such as temperature and humidity. Field and laboratory testing has validated Xermosol’s efficiency in killing more than 99.9% of deadly pathogens. In addition to health facilities, Rayvon hopes it could help reduce transmission of germs in other public spaces such as schools and businesses.
Tests carried out in conjunction with University of Technology, Jamaica and University of the West Indies show Xermosol destroys organisms such as MRSA and E-coli and destroys viral cells such as influenza virus H1N1.This is a huge step in the fight against microorganisms and offers new ways of thinking around combatting viral cells such as Coronavirus.
Supporting young people to innovate Rayvon says the recognition he received from the Commonwealth Health Innovation Awards was a key moment in Xermosol’s progress, generating immense interest in the project. But now the production of Xermosol faces a number of considerable challenges – from development funding to finding a manufacturer to mass produce. Financing options are mostly focused on large-scale innovation, but the Commonwealth is exploring and proposing that all 54 member-countries go into partnership with the Global Innovation Fund to help young innovators like Rayvon.
Over the past two years, the Commonwealth Youth Health Network has worked closely with the Commonwealth Secretariat and member states to leverage the unique capabilities of young people and drive forward progress toward SDG3 (which includes a bold commitment to end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other communicable diseases) and health-related development goals. Citizens aged under 30 comprise 60 per cent of the Commonwealth’s population – a proportion that is 10 per cent higher than the global average.
In the course of my interaction in and with our member countries I am continually impressed by the drive of these 1.4 billion young people. They have the ideas, energy and talent to make a huge difference in their communities – and they are doing so. For the Silo, Patricia Scotland, Commonwealth Secretary-General. Featured image: mock up of one type of door handle with integrated UV light.
According to experts, the weaponization of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program began in the early-1960s or early-1970s. 1 And yet, it was not until October 2002, during high-level meetings in Pyongyang with Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs James A. Kelly, that North Korean officials admitted they were pursuing a nuclear weapon. 2 Four years later, on October 9, 2006, North Korea became the eighth nation — or perhaps ninth 3 — to conducted a nuclear test.
To date, North Korea has conducted three underground nuclear tests. The nuclear fuel used — plutonium and perhaps highly enriched uranium (HEU) — was produced at the Yongbyon Nuclear Research Center about 55 miles north of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital. In 2000, a female nuclear researcher who had worked at the Bungang branch of the Yongbyon Nuclear Research Center defected. And in June 2002, she was interviewed by RENK (“Rescue! The North Korean People”), a Tokyo-based Japanese civic organization supporting North Korean defectors. Using the alias Lee Mi (“beautiful plum”), Ms. Dong Chun-ok’s answers to thirteen questions were then published on RENK’s website in Japanese. 4
Although excerpts from Dong Chun-ok’s interview appeared in the South Korean press 5 and large portions were later translated into English and published in Korean Web Weekly, 6 the website of North Korean-born nuclear physicist Young Sik Kim, an English translation of Ms. Dong’s entire interview has never before appeared in print or on any website. Although some of the “facts” in the interview “are not accurate,” Dr. Kim said, “the general picture described is correct as far as I know.” 7 Born in Hamhung, North Korea in 1935, Dr. Young Sik Kim emigrated to the United States in 1955 after serving with U.N. Forces during the Korean War. He earned his B.S. in Physics at Brigham Young University and his Ph.D. in High Energy Nuclear Physics from Purdue University in 1962. Dr. Kim was an Associate Professor of Physics at Ohio State University until 1980, after which he spent considerable time as a Visiting Scientist at the Argonne National Laboratory outside of Chicago. He also conducted additional research at the Brookhaven National Laboratory (Long Island, NY), CERN (Switzerland) and at Rutherford Laboratory (England).
Dong Chun-ok’s Interview Question #1: State your personal identities, education, career and experiences, the names of North Koreans who are in the field of nuclear project. Under whom have you studied and who were the ones you have spent your working life together? Answer #1: Name: Dong Chun-ok Sex: Female DOB: August 2, 1955 Birth place: Pungseo County, Yangkang Province Family status: Father; Dong Mun-wha died November 27, 1957. Mother: Lee Ok-tan, worked at #66 Project Office of Atomic Science Committee, Bungang District. Retired in 1995. Elder sister: Dong Sang-ok worked at Atomic Science Committee Dong Sang-ok’s husband (brother-in-law): Kim Sang-beom Chief of #1 Special Team, #66 Project Office of Atomic Science Committee. Younger sister: Dong Bun-ok Myeong-cheon County, North Hamkyung Province Dong Bun-ok’s husband: Tae Cheol-su, Party clerk at Chilbosan Foreigners Tourist Hotel, Myung-chun County, North Hamkyung Province. Education: Attended Bungang People’s School (+elementary); March 1, 1962 – 1965 Bungang High School; March 1, 1965 – 1969 Pyongbuk Physics University: 1969 – 1974 Graduated Experiences: After my father died on January 27, 1957 in Oro-county, South Hamkyung Province (now, Yeonggwang county), my mother was secretly summoned by the Central Party in the summer of 1960 and moved into a special base of Bungang Atomic Energy and Science Committee, Yongbyon County, North Pyeongan Province. Since my graduation from the university in the summer of 1974, at #25 – Branch Office, and #304-Research Center of Atomic and Science Committee.
June 15, 1977: Married to an officer at Air Command Center and moved to Pyongyang.
April 25, 1978: My first boy was born.
Until 1980, lived as a military family at Air Command Center
Starting from the summer of 1980, worked as a planning leader of Management Department, Metropolitan Pyongyang.
Starting from 1982, worked as a booking clerk of Pyongyang City Railroad Department.
Starting from 1983, became a leader for the safety of residence registration for the Railroad Region, as recommended by the Management Department of the Railroad.
October 1990, moved to Yangkang Province as husband was discharged from the service.
June 1991, divorced husband. Lived in my mother’s house in Bungang Region, Yongbyon County, North Pyongan Province, but moved to Hyesan City, Yangkang Province due to children’s problem.
Starting from October 1995, assumed the position as Leader of Trade, Yangkang Province of People’s Military/Political Division
February 21, 1999, received order to suspend work.
September 2000; escaped to China.
Before the inspection, the chairman of the Atomic and Science Committee was Pak Gwan-oh (currently President of Kim il-sung Integrated University). After the investigation it received direct control of Kim Jong-il but after Kim Il-sung’s death in 1994, the supply and control have weakened. Currently it is being reinforced and strengthened.
Secrecy is guaranteed in the field of nuclear and the researchers were paid extra 20 to 30% for the living expense as the price for the secrecy guarantee cost.
All the research institutes are being called by secret numbers; 101-laboratory, 304, 206-laboratories, 175-business office, 66-business center, August-enterprise, February-enterprise, or using a disguised name such as, for the meaning of often utilized, “Utilization Research Laboratory” generally used in a variety of applications. Each research laboratory cannot contact others and they are under strict control and regulations. The 304-research center where I used to work; Chief: Do Won-son PhD, (Kidnapped from South Korea in 1950) Head of laboratory: Kim Dol-su, PhD, (Studied at Dubna in Russia) Party Secretary: Pak Min-jon, PhD, (Studied abroad for 15 years) Hwang Jun-man, PhD, (Studied in Russia) Kim Jun-bok, PhD, (Studied at Dubna) Kim Dong-su, PhD, (Studied at Dubna) Kim Kyong-sun, Third class researcher (Studied at Dubna) Hyon Chul, (Studied repeatedly at Dubna) Kim Dong-hwi (Studied in Czechoslovakia) Kim Ok-nyo (Studied in Russia) Responsible person of the Regional Party of Bungang Region: Kim Yong-sik who used to work as a 304-researcher. Pyongbuk Physics University President: Kim Myong-hwan Teacher in charge: Kang Sin-jo (The materials I’ve confirmed up to the year 1998)
Question #2: Please state the functions, organizations and important personnel names of 101, 206, 304 Research Center and other facilities in Yongbyon. Answer #2: All the important facilities, buildings for the research laboratories, related features, and nuclear reactor were built under the supervision of Russia and by Russian materials and equipment while they were there. After Kim Il-sung had grabbed the regime, for the purpose of developing nuclear arms, he had ordered the double-agent and republic’s spy hero Lee Hak-mun to abduct Dr. Lee Seung-ki, Dr. Do Won-sun, Do Sang-rok researcher, etc. from South Korea, and he did. After that, the Atomic and Science Committee, which was located in Hamhung, was expanded to Bungang Region in Yongbyon County, North Pyongan Province starting in late 1950. The one at Hamhung was established mainly by Dr. Lee Seung-ki as a branch institute while making Bungang Region as the home research center, for which Do Won-sun [may be read as Do Won-sop] and Kim Do-sul played as the main organizer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiJNO3jQuZ8
Question #3: Please state the functions, organization and facilities and the products of 175-factory, August-business and other enterprises in Yongbyon. Answer #3: 304-research: The center is important laboratory among the laboratories in Bungang region, and it is the main research center for nuclear weapons development as well as for chemical arms development. Over 70 percent of the researchers of the group have studied overseas and restudied for the research. The emphasis is placed on the nuclear weapons development but they also participated in the chemical weapons development. Total number is about 150 persons. Every room of the researchers is guaranteed with laboratory, shower and modern facilities. Assistant is assigned to every doctorial researcher and research worker. About 70 to 80 percent of the researchers at 206-research center are professionals in the physics field. And it is the important research center for the nuclear weapons development in the Bungang region. Yiyong research center: Although the name implies “economical utilization” it produces a variety of facilities including general weapons by locating a branch laboratory in Pakch’on. The number of personnel is about 150. 175-factory: The factory produces appliances for laboratory experiments needed at Bungang Research Center. August-enterprise: It was newly built research center after the surveillance by United States (of 1990s’ nuclear inspection). It has installed railroad from Bungang Region which is hidden in a forest outside the perimeter. It supplies the laboratory testing requisites after directly processing uranium supplied from Pakch’on branch laboratory. 101-research center: For the purpose as research center, it’s the same as 304 or 206. The number of personnel is about 100. 66-business office: Responsible for the construction of living quarters, and maintenance of the facilities and supply of materials in the premises. It employs about 20,000 personnel. February-enterprise: The enterprise was newly made after the 1990’s surveillance, which holds nuclear reactor, so I heard from a research colleague with whom I’ve worked. Export/Import Material Company: This organization supplements materials for the research center by importing them from foreign countries.
Question #4: Please state the functions, organization, facilities and the storing capacity of underground nuclear facilities in Yaksan Dongdae and Mt. Sotaek. And, describe in details when the underground facilities were dug, constructed, and the conditions of the entrance, etc. as much accurately as you remember. It would be much helpful if you could draw sketches showing exterior of the entrance, shape and location. When and why did you visit the underground facilities? Answer #4: I was mobilized to a simulation exercise conducted in the summer of 1976 and I went inside of the place. The underground facilities at Yaksan Dongdae were built by 66-business center. There were many human casualties by accidents during the construction stage so that the Chairman’s fund was poured into all the material needs including cement. It was constructed after 1965 and the work was completed before 1970. I still remember that the facilities were unusually large and inside of all the caves were branched out in various shapes. The entrance to the cave was very large. The surface of the cave entrance was paved by finely finished cement and the inside was lighted. [The use of the underground facilities] The cave was built to accommodate all the materials and laboratory testing equipment and important systems when an emergency or surveillance is being proposed. Anticipating inspection by International Atomic Organization, all the equipment in the research centers had been relocated when the inspection was actually conducted. The news of possible inspection had been informed to all the researchers in advance and when the inspection was made, it was ready to be inspected. [Sotaek-san] Mt. Sotaek is located in a residential area. It is located behind a hospital and has two entrances. It’s an emergency shelter for the nuclear researchers and it was lighted. The inside is branched out to several offshoots caves. I entered there during a simulated exercise in 1976. The cave is under control after that, and couldn’t enter.
Question #5: Please describe in details the names, location, organization and its facilities of the science university you’ve once stated. Answer #5: Its name is Pyongbuk Physics University. The president is Dr. Kim Myong-hwan. It is located, passing through a manned gate, at next to a hospital in residential area, and there are two high rise apartments. The university is for the education of researchers in the field of nuclear engineering who are mainly of children of nuclear professionals at Bungang. Especially brilliant persons from all over the country, if they fully understand the basics of politics, the university is accepting some in recent years. Now it’s directly controlled by the Central Party. The number of students is 300 and it’s gradually increasing. The number of teaching staff is about 50 and they are chosen from the researchers at the basic research center.
Question #6: Are you aware of the progress of relocation of the researchers and the nuclear facilities from Yongbyon to other location? If there was relocation, please explain how researchers were reassigned and to which facilities, when, and why it’s relocated, and the name of the new location. Tell us, if the nuclear reactor was relocated from the center of Yongbyon before the International Atomic Organization conducted its inspection, why it was relocated. Where is the nuclear reactor now? Do you know if it was ready to show a part of North Korean nuclear program for inspection by the International Atomic Organization? If it was ready for the inspection, for what purpose and what kind of preparations were ready? Answer #6: When it foresaw the inspection while the world kicked up a fuss about North Korea’s having nuclear arm in 1990, some of the peoples in Bungang area were asked to wear military uniform, putting shoulder straps on the labor class, officer’s uniform on the executives and researchers, and together with their families they were secretly moved. New base was relocated to Pyongsan County, South Hwanghae Province (error for North Hwanghae Province), and at that time, even internally in the business region, it was kept as top secret. My elder sister’s husband was responsible person and directed the relocation and went there several times. All the materials to be sheltered were evacuated into cave when it received the inspection. Currently the nuclear reactor is located at February Enterprise of 304 Research Center.
Question #7: How much does the personnel and scientists know about the leakage of nuclear radiation? Answer #7: Until presently, physical damages have shown on some of the researchers and persons who are related and unnatural babies were born. It is generally recognized as it was not a big accident.
Question #8: If you know about compositions of the nuclear arms program of North Korea, please explain their details and from where you’ve heard. How much do you know in addition to the past efforts on the production of plutonium at Yongbyon, about the efforts put on for other fissional material? If you know please describe in detail about its essential activities, the time, and the locations. Are there any retreatment facilities for nuclear fuel besides the radiation chemical experimental laboratory? Have the North Korean scientists ever showed interest in uranium enrichment? If so, please state it in detail. Answer #8: The research center at Bungang region is the research organization specialized in modernized military arms and the (illegible) produced by each laboratory at Bungang is not produced within the Bungang region. The researchers bring their own research products to the experimental factory or arsenal for its tests, and generally all of the research products are sent to section chiefs or managers who are doctoral researchers, and finally it was handled by the deliberative committee, after passing through strict seminars. It will be actually tested only after having recognized at this committee. There is chemical factory within the arsenal for the production of important arms. Pakch’on laboratory handles all the materials of nuclear division, besides Yongbyon. It is thought that the base for the production of nuclear division and arms is hidden at Pyongsan in North Hwanghae Province which was classified before the inspection.
Question #9: Do you know anything about travels to foreign countries or training by nuclear scientists or engineers? If you are aware of it, please describe purposes of study and travels. Do you know anything about travels or reallocation of foreign scientists or professionals in North Korea? If you know, what were the purposes of travels and relocation and the timing and what were the specialties of the foreign scientists or specialists? Answer #9: Bungang Nuclear Science Committee was established in late 1950s by the scientists and advisors of Russians who came to Bungang in concentration. They, with their families, built villas along the bank of Kuryong River and shuttled to and from the research center. Training studies by researchers were made mainly in Russia and China, and they were physics and chemical specialty fields of students at a various nations’ universities. And many of them went back to restudy at Dubna Science Center in Russia, when research center is built again. The scientists are prohibited to make private exist and entry within the country or from and to overseas countries and they are forbidden to meet outsiders. Depending on the themes of the studies, and when it is decided that it’s impossible to solve the posed questions within the country, then a requisition may be filed for overseas study and gets its approval. When many anti-national activities are exposed and when they were sent to political prisoners’ camp, after that, at some time, the overseas study had been regulated. After the war of 1950, for the purpose of development of nuclear weapon by Kim Il-sung, Lee Hak-mun (hero of the republic’s double reconnaissance) had kidnapped from South Korea Dr. Lee Seung-gi, Do Sang-rok, Dr. Do Won-sun and so on. After the war ended in 1953, they first started to build research center in Hamhung City, and later it was developed to “Atomic Science Committee” officially, and then established “Nuclear Science Committee” in the geographically fitting basin of Bungang. A total number of Russian advisors and foreigners are about 200. I do not know the exact figure. Before 1970, all secrete and Russian advisors’ materials were pulled out of strongbox and photo copied, and then all the foreigners were withdrawn from the country. After having established Security Squadron and military guard posts of People’s Military Division, the country sustained itself since. In my childhood years, my mother took me to foreigner’s resort villa, and I received some gifts and played with the children’s of foreign advisors in the perimeters. A person named Alexander of the research center especially loved me. After that, I stayed at mother’s home for 40 days in August 1998, and I saw Russians coming in and out of the restricted area.
Question #10: Please state, if you know anything about the origin, administration, and fuel supply of the nuclear reactor for research use that was provided by Russia. Answer #10: The nuclear reactor located in Bungang was installed at the same time with the construction of Bungang Research Center. After that, Pakch’on branch laboratory and February Enterprise’s were built after the inspection. Fuel supply is also coming from Pakch’on branch laboratory. As I understand, all the supplies are conducted by Russia, and some are coming from China in recent several years. Each Section and by each Research center, they are classified as confidential. Question #11: Please state names, organizations, locations and the functions of nuclear related facilities other than Yongbyon area.
Answer #11: Establishing Bungang nuclear base as the basis, the largest branch laboratories are Hamhung branch and Pakch’on branch. Dr. Lee Seung-ki was the principal at Hamhung branch. It trains newly growing modern researchers and basically specialize the development of chemical weapon and organisms. It has testing laboratories and so on which are needed for the incubation of bacteria, etc. At the first stage, they use rabbits or mouse and squirrels for animal tests, but for the first hand experiments, they employ prisoners or felons by using injections. Pakch’on branch: Directly handles basic uranium Hyewon branch: Studies basically about China and its purpose is for the researches of China’s radiation and air contamination.
Question #12: Please describe about falsehood efforts and plots related with the North Korea’s nuclear program. Answer #12: After the inspection, they covered the chain of Yaksan Mountains with trees, and newly built February Enterprise and August Enterprise. In order to prevent taking high altitude photos from sky, they created many wooden houses in steps, and opened in the woods outside the perimeters. At Pakch’on branch too, they installed many woods, locating them by the foot of crag sides so that they cannot be distinguished. By a glance it looks nothing is there, but it’s there behind the hill.
Question #13: You said the children of Prof. Kim at work place of 304 Research Center did work for their father and they have received education at outside the country, please tell us where and the names they used to get the study. You’ve also mentioned that their children are participating with the Daepodong program, please state about the Daepodong program, the purpose of Daepodong, and the kind of relationships with the Room 304. Answer #13: The name of Prof. Kim’s son is Dr. Kim So-in and is about 30 years old. Prof. Kim and his wife are both nuclear specialist and his brother works as direct assistant to Dr. Kim So-in. Dr. Kim So-in was born while studying in Russia, in Dubna, and returned to Bungang when he was 3 years old (currently his birth place is listed at Chunggu region, Pyongyang City), and entered Bungang Senior Middle School when he was 7 years old but he was so genius that the teachers couldn’t teach him. As reported to Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-il, he was recruited to Special and Science Colleges of Kim Il-sung Synthesis University and received private tutoring. He met his parents when he was 13 years old and secretly sent to study at a foreign country (it was kept secret which country). He received a semi-doctorial degree at the age of 19, and received doctor’s degree when he was 21 years old. Dr. Kim So-in was a doctor who deliberately raised by Kim Il-sung and is the successor of Dr. Lee Seung-gi of Hamhung branch. Kim Jong-il is secretly nourishing some 20 young doctors in his hands to raise them as military specialists in the modern warfare providing with them the highest quality treatments. In the group, it includes the son-in-law of Dr. Lee Seung-ki and his grandson and the core among the researchers for the modernization of military is Dr. Kim So-in. His private and working life is kept as a top secrete and completely shut out from the outside world, and he receives orders directly from Kim Jong-il. The word of Kim Jong-il goes: “I’ll unify the fatherland by these 20 young scientists of new generation.” His father is at 304 research center. There is no relation with his father except he is son of nuclear specialist. The alias of Nuclear Science Committee (Atomic Committee) is “Chosun Pyongyang #204,” and 304 Research Center is #19, 66 Enterprise is #17, and it starts with #26 for the numbers of telephone and vehicles. The Commander of Security Squadron for Social Safety Division of Bungang Nuclear Science Base is Ra Chang-sik The Nuclear Science Committee is recently being reinforced. END OF INTERVIEW
Sang S. Nam, a resident of Seoul, is a Korean-Japanese-English translator. He translated Ms. Dong Chun-ok’s interview from Japanese into English. He also drew the sketch of the Yongbyon Nuclear Research Center from public sources and from information derived from Ms. Dong’s interview and sketch such as the location of Yongbyon’s secret cave.
1 Dr. Kang Ho-je, a South Korean authority on North Korean science and technology. 2 An admission they later denied. 3 See Weiss, Leonard. “The 1979 South Atlantic Flash: The Case for an Israeli Nuclear Test,” Stanford University, July 30, 2011. 4http://www.bekkoame.ne.jp/ro/renk (now defunct) 5 Yonhap news agency, Seoul (in English), Oct 17, 2002. 6http://www.kimsoft.com/2002/nk-nuke4.htm (now defunct) 7 In a message from Kim Young-sik to Joseph S. Bermudez, Jr., an internationally recognized analyst, author and lecturer on North Korean defense and intelligence affairs. (Oct. 20, 2002)
It doesn’t take a lot of imagination of smarts to understand that toxins can travel in water. Ohio and Southwestern Michigan which have notified the public of the water crisis are dangerously close to other Lake Erie shoreline communities. Some communities such as Norfolk County already have beaches posted with bacteria warnings and notices that the water is NOT tested by local health officials.
The Silo @thesiloteam · now
What are implications for #Oxford#NorfolkCounty#Haldimand County communities water supply? Bacteria/ Algae signs already posted on beaches
Graphic design: Sarah Markes/WCS.
The conditions of so-called “wet markets” are ideal for incubating new diseases and bolster their transmission. Photo credit: Elizabeth L. Bennett/WCS
