Page 9 - aruba today 12aug2017

A9
WORLD NEWS Saturday 12 auguSt 2017

Amateur Danish submarine sinks, Fear spreads over tainted eggs despite
inventor held on murder charges
low risk to consumers

By JAN M. OLSEN problem with a ballast
Associated Press tank” — a compartment very attuned to perceive
COPENHAGEN, Denmark that holds water to pro- and respond emotionally
(AP) — The owner of an vide stability — “turned to negative information
amateur-built submarine into a major issue” that ul- such as potential health
was arrested on suspicion timately caused the sub- hazards or other threaten-
of murder Friday after his marine to sink. ing stimuli.”
vessel sank off Denmark’s “It took about 30 sec- In recent days, Dutch au-
coast and a journalist onds for Nautilus to sink, thorities blocked sales from
who had joined him for and I couldn’t close any about 180 infected farms
what was supposed to hatches or anything,” he treated by a company
be a short voyage was said. “But I guess that was suspected of illicitly using
reported missing, Copen- pretty good, because I Fipronil.
hagen police said. otherwise still would have Almost all lab tests show
Police said in a state- been down there.” that only very low levels of
ment Friday night that Swedish police said later Fipronil — seven to 10 times
the man denied killing in the day they were in- lower than the maximum
the missing woman and vestigating the where- A chicken farm employee pets a hen in Gaesti, southern Roma- permitted — have been
reported dropped her off abouts of a missing wom- nia, Friday, Aug. 11, 2017. The European Union said Friday that it detected in eggs from
on a redeveloped island an who had been on the plans to hold an extraordinary meeting late next month over a the treated chickens, al-
growing tainted egg scandal as it revealed that products con-
in Copenhagen’s harbor submarine at some point. taminated with an insecticide have now spread to 17 countries. though one test in Belgium
about 3 ½ hours into their “Whether the woman (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda) was above the European
Thursday night trip. was on board the subma- limit. Poisoning by small
The statement did not rine at the time of her dis- doses has few effects and
identify the submarine’s appearance is unclear,” By MIKE CORDER Fipronil is commonly used requires little treatment.
owner, Peter Madsen, police said in a state- Associated Press by veterinarians to treat Heavy and prolonged ex-
46, but the Danish inven- ment. AMSTERDAM (AP) — Experts fleas and ticks in pets, but posure can damage the
tor’s financing of the proj- The woman was a jour- say the risk of getting sick is banned by the European kidneys and liver or cause
ect through crowdfund- nalist writing about Mad- from eating an egg tainted Union for treating animals seizures.
ing and first launch of sen and his submarine, with insecticide is low. But like chickens that are part Dutch authorities warned
the UC3 Nautilus in 2008 Swedish and Danish me- that hasn’t stopped stores of the human food chain. that eggs from only one
made headlines. dia reported. in Germany and the Neth- The EU said contaminated farm should not be eaten
The 40-ton, nearly 18-me- “He told us that the erlands from stripping them eggs have been found and said children should
ter-long (60-foot-long) journalist who also had from supermarket shelves, at producers in Belgium, not eat eggs from dozens
vessel has been de- been on board had or prevented other Euro- France, Germany and the of other farms.
scribed as the largest pri- been dropped off Thurs- pean food safety agencies Netherlands. That sent consumers to
vately built submarine of day evening,” Danish from issuing warnings. It’s believed the Fipronil their refrigerators to check
its kind. navy spokesman Anders The story about the ille- got into the food chain the small codes printed
Before his arrest, Mad- Damgaard told The Asso- gal use of the insecticide when it was illegally added in red ink on the shells of
sen appeared on Dan- ciated Press. “They were Fipronil in spray to rid hens to a product used to spray eggs to see if they are from
ish television to discuss the only two on board of ticks, fleas and lice has poultry. one of the affected farms.
the submarine’s sinking yesterday.” gained traction across The impact for egg produc- Stores have pulled eggs
and his rescue. It was the Copenhagen Deputy Po- Europe. Fears about the ers has been staggering. from contaminated farms
journalist’s boyfriend who lice Inspector Jens Moller safety of an everyday food Since July 20, Dutch farm- off their shelves.
alerted authorities early Jensen says investigators staple along with some ers have destroyed millions The European Union said
Friday that the sub had are looking for witnesses less-than-optimal public in- of unsellable eggs and Friday that tainted eggs
not returned from a test who may have seen the formation have combined culled about 1 million hens, have been found so far in
run, police said. woman after the time to cast a shadow of suspi- said Hennie de Haan of 15 EU countries, plus Swit-
“I am fine, but sad be- Madsen reported she dis- cion over the humble egg. the Dutch union of poultry zerland and Hong Kong.
cause Nautilus went embarked. She also was Amsterdam shopper Karla farmers. In Germany, some super-
down,” Madsen told not identified by name. Spreekmeester said Friday But nobody has been re- markets stopped selling
Denmark’s TV2 chan- The police statement said that she only buys eggs ported to have fallen ill as a all Dutch eggs regardless
nel, which aired footage the submerged subma- from stores selling organic result of eating the tainted of whether they came
of him getting off what rine was lying in seven food products. eggs. from infected farms. British
appeared to be a pri- feet of water, but divers “I take it seriously,” she said “People are very suscep- authorities issued a warn-
vate boat and giving a had not been able to of the Dutch warning. “I’m tible to negative informa- ing about a small number
thumbs-up sign. enter it safely as of Friday not scared that I’ll collapse tion,” said Jan-Willem van of ready-made salads,
Madsen said “a minor night.q if I eat the wrong egg, but Prooijen, a social psycholo- sandwiches and spreads
if you can prevent some- gist at the Vrije Universiteit containing contaminated
thing ...” Amsterdam. “People are eggs. q