Lögberg-Heimskringla - 15.03.2007, Blaðsíða 3

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Lögberg-Heimskringla • 15. mars 2007 • 3
Reprinted from Morgunblaðið with permission. Translated by David Jón Fuller.
The Icelandic National League
of North America
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Vikings in Canada
Archaeologist Dr. Birgitta
Wallace wrote the cover story
to a recent issue of The Beaver,
Canada’s History Magazine,
called “Viking Farewell.” The
article examines North Ameri-
can settlements by Icelandic and
Greenlandic explorers around the
year 1000. She considers physi-
cal evidence as well as accounts
from the Icelandic sagas, and ex-
plores the likely reasons the set-
tlers abandoned their colonies.
Dr. Wallace recently spoke to
the Leif Eiriksson Icelandic Club
of Calgary on the same subject.
Meðferð
hættulegra efna
í grunnskólum
ábótavant
Mikið er um að unnið sé með gömul efni
og varnaðarmerkta efnavöru sem jafnvel eru
hættulegar heilsu í grunnskólum landsins.
Þetta kemur fram í nýútkominni skýrslu Um-
hverfi sstofnunar og Heil-
brigðiseftirlits sveitarfélaga.
Þá segir í skýrslunni að mikið
vanti upp á að merkingar séu
í samræmi við reglur, þ.e. á
íslenskaðar.
Skýrslan var unnin á
vegum Umhverfi sstofnunar,
Heilbrigðiseftirlits Norður-
lands vestra, Heilbrigðiseft-
irlits Suðurnesja og Heil-
brigðiseftirlits Vestfjarða.
Farið var í alls 63 grunnskóla
og aðstæður kannaðar, en alls
eru 183 á landinu öllu.
Segir m.a. að mun fátíðara
sé að læst geymsla sé fyrir
hættuleg efni í smíðastofum
en efnafræðistofum í skólum,
þótt verið sé að vinna með eða
geyma álíka hættuleg efni.
Stinkskápur eða samsvarandi búnaður var
aðeins til staðar í fáeinum af þeim smíðasto-
fum sem skoðaðar voru.
Þá þótti loftræsting léleg eða frekar léleg
í um helmingi þeirra skóla sem könnunin nær
til, en viðunandi eða góð í um helmingi.
Í skýrslunni er mælt með að námskeið
verði haldin fyrir grunnskólakennara um
notkun og merkingar hættulegra efna, og að
samdar verði leiðbeinandi reglur um meðferð
slikra efna.
Þá er mælt með því að athugað verði hvort
nauðsynlegt sé að nota efni sem fl okkuð eru
sem eitur, og að skipt verði út hættulegum ef-
num fyrir hættuminni. Auk þess er mælst til
þess að aðstaða til að geyma og nota hættu-
leg efni í myndmenntastofum grunnskólanna
verði skoðuð og bætt úr aðstöðu.
Much is to be done concerning old materi-
als, and equally dangerous products with warn-
ing labels, in Iceland’s elementary schools.
This is revealed in a recent report of the Envi-
ronment Institute and commu-
nity Public Health Authorities.
The report says that much is
needed in order for the label-
ling to be in accordance with
regulations, that is, translated
into Icelandic.
The report was carried out
under the auspices of the En-
vironment Institute, the North-
west Public Health Authority,
Suðurnes Public Health Au-
thority and Westfjords Public
Health Authority. In all, 63 el-
ementary schools were visited
and their conditions assessed;
there are a total of 183 in the
entire country.
Among other things, locked
storage was more rare for dan-
gerous materials in construc-
tion rooms than in chemistry
labs, though similar dangerous substances are
worked with or stored there. Secure closets or
equivalent equipment were only available in
very few of the work rooms examined.
Ventilation was deemed poor or very poor
in half of the schools that the investigation got
to, but satisfactory or good in half.
In the report it is recommended that a
course be held for elementary school teach-
ers on the use and labelling of dangerous sub-
stances, and that guidelines be set for the way
such substances are treated.
Also recommended is studying whether
it is necessary to use a substance classifi ed as
poison, and phasing out dangerous substances
to reduce risks. It is further recommended that
facilities to store and use harmful substances
in elementary school art clases be examined
and put right.
Handling of
dangerous
substances in
elementary
schools defi cient
LJÓSMYND/PHOTO: MBL.IS/ÁRNI TORFASON
Í skýrslunni er mælt með
því að kannað verði hvort
nauðsynlegt sé að nota
efni sem fl okkast sem ei-
tur i grunnskólum.
The report recommends
investigation whether it is
necessary to use substanc-
es classifi ed as poison in
elementary schools.
Whist in the afternoon
Linda Bjarnason
CALGARY, AB — The
Leif Eiriksson Icelandic Club of
Calgary (LEIC) held their fi rst
Whist Party of the year on Feb-
ruary 16 at the Calgary Scan-
dinavian Centre. This seniors’
event was well-attended, with
22 people participating in it.
Ten rounds of Whist were
played with many interesting
rules implemented to add more
fun to the card-playing. The af-
ternoon continued with cards
and conversation until each per-
son was able to complete their
Whist form. A light lunch of
sandwiches and desserts, served
with coffee and tea, followed
the cards.
Prizes were awarded to the
four top winners: Valerie Samp-
son, Lorne Bjarnason, Dorothy
Dorsey and Keith Sveinson.
Door prizes were also given
out to several lucky recipients.
This Whist event, organized by
Linda and Lorne Bjarnason, is
one of several club events that
is subsidized by LEIC casino
funds.
PHOTO COURTESY OF LINDA BJARNASON
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