UK: Gwynedd Wales bird show sudden deaths of 38 prize budgies

[Roehl_JC]

Bird lovers and exhibitors watched in horror as 38 prize budgies keeled over and died during a show.

Owners and organisers rushed about getting their cages outside into the fresh air as the budgerigars began plummeting from their perches.
Fanciers feared a gas leak caused the tragedy.

But after investigations by plumbers, gas workers, fire authorities and environmental health officers, there was no explanation for what happened at the village hall event in Gwynedd, North Wales.

Retired pet shop owner Dave Cottrell, 55, who lost 10 birds at the show, said: 'I was preparing the certificates as the birds were being put in order when a steward came over and said he had a dead one.

'Then another steward came over said he had two or three dead.

'And within seconds a third steward said he had more dead.'

Mr Cottrell, who has 200 birds and been a fancier for 35 years, thinks a boiler or oven flue could have been temporarily blocked, forcing out fumes.

Robert Hughes, 34, - who organised the annual Gwynedd Budgerigar Society Open Show - said: 'The birds were spread across the hall.

'Five minutes after the first one died eleven more had gone, one was mine.

'We made the decision to get everything out of the hall because we had 350 cages so we saved a lot of birds.'

Small birds are especially vulnerable because of their tiny, sensitive respiratory systems.

Canaries were traditionally used by miners to test whether there were dangerous levels of carbon monoxide below ground.

Mr Hughes said: 'Nobody in the community has seen nor heard anything like this before. The hall has been given the all clear.

'It's bizarre. It has been really difficult to get over it.'It takes a year to organise the show and it's a lot of work - but that's nothing compared to how you feel for some of the people who lost birds.'

A vet carried out checks on two casualties revealing they died from congestion and haemorrhaging of the lungs

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz0X2Uh8uUc

 

[Commonground]

Re: UK: Gwynned Wales bird show sudden deaths of 38 prize budgies

Re: UK: Gwynned Wales bird show sudden deaths of 38 prize budgies

I didn't see a diagnosis of H5N1 in the story, and the link isn't working anymore......

 

[alert]

Re: UK: Gwynned Wales bird show sudden deaths of 38 prize budgies

Re: UK: Gwynned Wales bird show sudden deaths of 38 prize budgies

I didn't see a diagnosis of H5N1 in the story, and the link isn't working anymore......

The whole mess seems to have taken place within about five minutes. That doesn't sound like H5N1 or any infectious disease at all.

 

[Sally Furniss]

Re: UK: Gwynned Wales bird show sudden deaths of 38 prize budgies

Re: UK: Gwynned Wales bird show sudden deaths of 38 prize budgies

No indication of H5N1. Moved to different forum

 

[alert]

Re: UK: Gwynned Wales bird show sudden deaths of 38 prize budgies

Re: UK: Gwynned Wales bird show sudden deaths of 38 prize budgies

http://www.promedmail.org/pls/otn/f..._BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,80123

Archive Number 20091117.3962
Published Date 17-NOV-2009
Subject PRO/AH/EDR> Undiagnosed deaths, avian - UK: (Wales)


UNDIAGNOSED DEATHS, AVIAN - UK: (WALES)
***************************************
A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>

[1]
Date: Mon 16 Nov 2009
Source: Telegraph [edited]
<http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/howaboutthat/6579010/Dozens-of-budgies-drop-dead-during-country-show.html>


Dozens of budgies drop dead during country show
------------------------------------------------
The birds were among hundreds lined up in their cages ready to be
judged at the Gwynedd Budgerigar Society Open Show in North Wales
when disaster struck. One toppled off his perch then others began
"dropping like dominoes", according to the organisers.

Owners fearing a gas leak -- canaries have highly sensitive
respiratory systems and were once used down mines to detect leaks --
grabbed their cages and ran for the door.

Some of the birds, which are worth around GBP 1000 [approx USD 1700]
each -- were revived outside but in total 38 died. "After 5 or 10
minutes as many as 12 had died. I lost one bird myself," organiser
Rob Hughes said. "We saved the majority but what happened was utterly
horrible. It was a freak event. We may never know the exact cause."

Retired pet shop boss Dave Cottrell, 55, lost 10 birds at the event,
at the end of last month [October 2009]. "They were dying by the
second," he said. "The odd thing is, I have asthma but I was unaware
of anything."

Plumbers and gas board officials who were called in found no trace of
a leak, and inspections by the fire brigade and environmental health
officers also proved inconclusive.

A necropsy on 2 casualties revealed they died from congestion and
hemorrhaging of the lungs.

The organisers believe a boiler flue may have become temporarily
blocked by leaves, causing it to emit noxious fumes.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

******
[2]
Date: Mon 16 Nov 2009
Source: BBC news [edited]
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/north_west/8362619.stm>

Upset as 38 budgies die at show
-------------------------------
Mystery surrounds the deaths of up to 38 prize budgies during a show
at a church hall. Owners and organisers rushed to get around 350
cages outside after the birds began falling off their perches at Y
Felinheli, Gwynedd.

Show organisers said the dead birds were spread across the hall. A
member of the Parochial Church Council said thorough investigations
had been carried out, and no cause for the deaths had been discovered.

Retired pet shop owner Dave Cottrell, 55, who lost 10 birds at the
show, said: "I was preparing the certificates as the birds were being
put in order when the steward came over and said he had a dead one.
Then another steward came over and said he had 2 or 3 dead. And
within seconds a 3rd steward said he had more dead," he said.

Mr Cottrell, who has 200 birds and been a fancier for 35 years,
thinks a boiler or oven flue could have been temporarily blocked,
forcing out fumes.

Robert Hughes, 34, who organised the annual open show said: "The
birds were spread across the hall. 5 minutes after the 1st one died
11 more had gone, 1 was mine."

Mr Hughes said the decision was taken to remove all the 350 cages
from the hall into the fresh air, which probably saved a lot of other
birds. "Nobody in the community has seen or heard anything like this
before," he added. "It's been bizarre -- and very difficult to get over it."

Len Williams, who is a member of the Parochial Church Council in the
village, said the hall had been closed whilst checks were carried
out. He said that despite carbon monoxide detectors being put near
all the gas heaters, along with the cooker and water heater, nothing
could be found which could have caused the deaths.

"We'd heard it was up to 18 birds which had died, but we were more
concerned about the cause," he said.

Mr Williams said the heating had been off at the time of the show at
the request of the organisers, who did not want it too warm for the birds.

"The hall has now been given the all-clear by health and safety, and
we are taking bookings again," he added.

--
Communicated by:
ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>

[This is clearly a case of the most sensitive species used as a
sentinel animal. Canaries were once used in the mines to detect
noxious gases because they were so sensitive, that when they quit
singing or fell dead the miners knew there was unseen gaseous danger
and they needed to get out.

Although it may have been carbon monoxide from the heaters or a
boiler, the exact cause is not clear. If it were carbon monoxide then
the detectors are clearly not as sensitive as the birds.

If it is some other noxious gas then it needs to be located and
corrected. Perhaps that has already happened.

It is indeed sad for the show and especially sad for owners of these
fine birds. But it is fortunate that no humans lost their life. - Mod.TG]

[The village of Y Felinheli is located between Bangor and Caernarfon
in Gwynedd, north-west Wales and can be seen via the
HealthMap/ProMED-mail interactive map of the UK at
<http://healthmap.org/r/00-o>. - Sr.Tech.Ed.MJ]
...................................tg/mj/dk

 

[tropical]

Re: UK: Gwynned Wales bird show sudden deaths of 38 prize budgies

Re: UK: Gwynned Wales bird show sudden deaths of 38 prize budgies

Maybe some guys there have a teflon barbeque roastbeef party ...

learn:

___

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=78814303047&v=info


http://profile.ak.fbcdn.net/object3/405/19/n78814303047_3909.jpg


Information

<dl class="info"><dt>Category:</dt><dd>Common Interest - Food & Drink</dd><dt>Description:</dt><dd>This group was created to help educate people about the dangers of Teflon and nonstick cookware in your kitchen.

In two to five minutes on a conventional stovetop, cookware coated with Teflon and other nonstick surfaces can exceed temperatures at which the coating breaks apart and emits toxic particles and gases linked to hundreds, perhaps thousands, of pet bird deaths and an unknown number of human illnesses each year.

In tests conducted by a university food safety professor, a generic non-stick frying pan preheated on a conventional, electric stovetop burner reached 736°F in three minutes and 20 seconds, with temperatures still rising when the tests were terminated. A Teflon pan reached 721°F in just five minutes under the same test conditions, as measured by a commercially available infrared thermometer.

DuPont studies show that the Teflon offgases toxic particulates at 464°F. At 680°F Teflon pans release at least six toxic gases, including two carcinogens, two global pollutants, and MFA, a chemical lethal to humans at low doses. At temperatures that DuPont scientists claim are reached on stovetop drip pans (1000°F), non-stick coatings break down to a chemical warfare agent known as PFIB, and a chemical analog of the WWII nerve gas phosgene.

For the past fifty years DuPont has claimed that their Teflon coatings do not emit hazardous chemicals through normal use. In a recent press release, DuPont wrote that "significant decomposition of the coating will occur only when temperatures exceed about 660 degrees F (340 degrees C). These temperatures alone are well above the normal cooking range."

In cases of "Teflon toxicosis," as the bird poisonings are called, the lungs of exposed birds hemorrhage and fill with fluid, leading to suffocation. DuPont acknowledges that the fumes can also sicken people, a condition called "polymer fume fever." DuPont has never studied the incidence of the fever among users of the billions of non-stick pots and pans sold around the world. Neither has the company studied the long-term effects from the sickness, or the extent to which Teflon exposures lead to human illnesses believed erroneously to be the common flu.

The government has not assessed the safety of nonstick cookware. According to a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) food safety scientist: "You won't find a regulation anywhere on the books that specifically addresses cookwares," although the FDA approved Teflon for contact with food in 1960 based on a food frying study that found higher levels of Teflon chemicals in hamburger cooked on heat-aged and old pans. At the time, FDA judged these levels to be of little health significance.

Of the 6.9 million bird-owning households in the US that claim an estimated 19 million pet birds, many don't know know that Teflon poses an acute hazard to birds. Most non-stick cookware carries no warning label. DuPont publicly acknowledges that Teflon can kill birds, but the company-produced public service brochure on bird safety discusses the hazards of ceiling fans, mirrors, toilets, and cats before mentioning the dangers of Teflon fumes.

Chemicals used to make nonstick cookware are spreading around the world and turning up in surprising places, everywhere from wildlife and drinking water supplies to human blood and even breast milk.


So if you are cooking me food, please don't use Teflon or non-stick pots & pans because I won't eat it.


Learn more @
Canaries in the Kitchen: Teflon Toxicosis
http://www.ewg.org/reports/toxicteflon
http://www.ewg.org/alternative-cookware

Chemicals From Teflon Found in Human Breast Milk:
http://www.naturalnews.com/023231.html

Teflon Out of the Frying Pan
http://www.theecologist.org/PAGES/archive_detail.asp?content_id=2302
http://missvickie.com/resources/cookware/1teflon.html
(read less)
This group was created to help educate people about the dangers of Teflon and nonstick cookware in your kitchen.

In two to five minutes on a conventional stovetop, cookware coated with Teflon and other nonstick surfaces can exceed temperatures at which the coating breaks apart and emits toxic particles and gases linked to hundreds, perhaps thousands, of pet bird deaths and an unknown number of human illnesses each year.

In tests conducted by a university food safety professor, a generic... (read more)
</dd><dt>Privacy Type:</dt><dd>Open: All content is public.</dd></dl>

 

[Roehl_JC]

Re: UK: Gwynned Wales bird show sudden deaths of 38 prize budgies

Re: UK: Gwynned Wales bird show sudden deaths of 38 prize budgies

Retired pet shop boss Dave Cottrell, 55, lost 10 birds at the event,
at the end of last month [October 2009]. "They were dying by the
second," he said. "The odd thing is, I have asthma but I was unaware
of anything."

Plumbers and gas board officials who were called in found no trace of
a leak, and inspections by the fire brigade and environmental health
officers also proved inconclusive.
ProMed Report

Although it may have been carbon monoxide from the heaters or a
boiler, the exact cause is not clear. If it were carbon monoxide then
the detectors are clearly not as sensitive as the birds.
---ProMed report

Apologies to all, as I didn't really know where to place this story, but the detectors at the hall did not trip or dysfunction IMO so I do not think it was CO or some other noxious gas. It may or may not be an infectious agent, and that's why I placed it with the avian flu area...sorry if it turns out not to be the case. Still a mystery with an interesting tinge of personal concern highlighted as I loved raising all sorts of birds, and as to the 5-minutes, I think it was over a longer period than that, but yes I've heard of birds dying from viral infections very very suddenly and startlingly quickly like a whisp of something spreading invisibly among flocks...so hopefully we'll learn more sooner or later.

 

[Sally Furniss]

Re: UK: Gwynedd Wales bird show sudden deaths of 38 prize budgies

More about birds and teflon

Birds die an extremely painful and agonizing death when exposed to these fumes. This product may not kill all the birds at the same time. The toxins travel on air currants. The currant can by-pass one bird and come in contact with another. The fumes swirl on these air currants similar to the way that smoke would. The bird does not have to be in the room where the fumes originate as they can be carried into various parts of the house on these air currants. Smaller birds can take less of the fumes than a larger bird, but even a small amount of exposure can kill a large bird.
When the report first circulated about Teflon causing bird deaths, it was thought that very high heat was needed to release the deadly fumes. Now there are reports that temperatures as low as 285 degrees can cause death to birds.
Teflon starts emitting fumes from the start of heating. It does not have to be a high temperature or for an extended length of time to cause death to your bird. Small birds breathing these fumes for only a few seconds took as long as 24 hours to die.



http://theaviary.com/teflon.shtml

 

[B.C.]

Re: UK: Gwynedd Wales bird show sudden deaths of 38 prize budgies

Being in the bird world for some years I know bird owners especially breeders and those that have flocks know what harm teflon does. I would be surprised to hear that this is the case.

 

[Sally Furniss]

Re: UK: Gwynedd Wales bird show sudden deaths of 38 prize budgies

Agreed. Also these birds appeared to have died very quickly. Not consistent with teflon poisoning.

 

[Ronan Kelly]

Re: UK: Gwynedd Wales bird show sudden deaths of 38 prize budgies

Some of the people involved are discussing the event here:

http://www.budgerigars.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?p=354877

They seem as much in the dark as everyone else.