Transportation
Update From Johns Hopkins Medicine: Coronavirus Face Masks & Protection FAQs Including Frequent Hands Washing!
Can I create my own filter? Some people buy or create masks with a pocket inside to hold a filter, such as a coffee filter. When using other materials to make your own filter, such as unused vacuum cleaner bags, HEPA furnace filters, HVAC anti-allergy filters or other air filters, make sure you sandwich the filter between at least two layers of fabric to cut down on the risk of inhaling potentially harmful fibers from these materials. There are not yet conclusive data on whether or not filters provide added protection, but studies are underway. Please make sure that you can breathe easily when wearing the mask, and do not use a filter if it makes you feel short of breath. more »
From Harvard Law: Top 20 Regulatory Rollbacks to Watch in 2020
One National Program which blocks California from setting its own greenhouse gas standards for vehicles and blocks Zero Emission Vehicle programs in all states. A final rule limiting the science EPA can consider would significantly impact EPA’s decision-making and rulemaking process, potentially leading the agency to ignore significant scientific findings that should inform its regulatory programs. The release of a final rule rescinding emissions limits for methane on oil and gas production and processing. more »
And Now For Something Completely Different: Daddy Long-Legs — A Weird and Wonderful Railway
Construction started in 1894 and the railway was opened in November 1896. Passengers were carried in a large tramcar-like carriage on a deck mounted on long stilts. It was named ‘Pioneer’ but popularly known as ‘daddy long-legs’. It was equipped with a lifeboat and lifebelts, and had to be operated by a qualified sea captain. The series includes six images of a unique electric seaside railway by Magnus Volk, the electrical engineer who designed and built Volk’s Electric Railway which opened on the seafront at Brighton in 1883 and is still in operation to this day. more »
From the National Institutes of Health (NIH): New Coronavirus Stable for Hours on Surfaces Including Copper, Cardboard, Plastics and Stainless Steel
The scientists found that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was detectable in aerosols for up to three hours, up to four hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel. The results provide key information about the stability of SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19 disease, and suggests that people may acquire the virus through the air and after touching contaminated objects. The study information was widely shared during the past two weeks after the researchers placed the contents on a preprint server to quickly share their data with colleagues. more »