Particles
10/01/2004
Compiled by Steve Smith
Fume-fighting fuel cells
VANCOUVER, B.C.—Ballard Power Systems (www.ballard.com) is providing three heavy-duty fuel cell engines to Daimler Chrysler to help combat air pollution from Mercedes-Benz Citaro buses used in Beijing, China. The two-year demonstration program seeks to support further development of fuel cell technology and to demonstrate the viability of fuel cell power for buses in heavily congested areas. Fuel cells and hydrogen are seen as critical to achieving a sustainable transportation strategy in China where increased demand for automobiles has had a significant impact on urban air quality.
Thirty-three other buses in 11 cities worldwide are already running on 205-kW fuel cell engines. Ballard says it also has had successful demonstrations of fuel cell-powered buses in Chicago, Palm Springs, Calif., and Vancouver.
Single-source safety solutions
MURRAY HILL, N.J.—Combining anti-microbial technologies and consulting services under one hat, Intervent—the food safety technology and consulting arm of the BOC Group (www.boc.com)—is providing food and beverage manufacturers with a single source for addressing food safety issues. Intervent offers ozone and ultraviolet light technologies targeted for use in food and beverage plants, and also provides HACCP and food science consulting services. The combination, says BOC business manager Mark DiMaggio, "provides a powerful weapon for food processors to meet HACCP performance thresholds and federal directives for Listeria and E. coli."
FDA finds firms' flaws
ROCKVILLE, Md.—The Food and Drug Administration (FDA; www.fda.gov), citing contamination control violations following inspections, recently seized suspicious food products at a Tennessee food processor and sought an injunction against a Utah medical device manufacturer to cease production and distribution of its devices. In mid-August, U.S. Marshals seized various articles of foods at Hung Hua Trading Inc. in Mount Juliet, Tenn., after the FDA said it found evidence of rodent infestation throughout the processor's warehouse and cold storage facilities. Hung Hua Trading stores and distributes institutional-sized packages of foods and ingredients typically used in preparation of restaurant foods.
Also in August, the FDA filed a complaint against Utah Medical (Midvale, Utah) to halt manufacturing and distribution of its medical devices until the firm had demonstrated that it has corrected deviations from current Good Manufacturing Practice as set forth in the Quality System regulation. The deviations were discovered during FDA inspections over the past three years. A firm's failure to comply with the regulation decreases the level of assurance that its products are safe and effective. During its most recent inspection, the FDA says it found, among other things, "failure to establish that manufacturing processes were adequately controlled."
Purification products partnership
EAST HILLS, N.Y.—Pall Corp. (www.pall.com) and Matheson Tri-Gas Inc. (Parsippany, N.J.; www.mathesontrigas.com) will jointly produce and sell gas purifiers to the semiconductor industry. Both companies will have access to the other's purification media as they cooperate to eliminate particulate and molecular contaminants, including oxygen, moisture and hydrocarbons from process gases used in semi manufacturing. The companies will team to develop new technologies to meet increasingly stringent contamination control needs in the industry.