June 10, 2022

ChartWater™ and Calgon Carbon Announce Referral Agreement

ChartWater’s AdEdge Center of Excellence and Calgon Carbon signed an agreement to partner in offering drinking water treatment systems to under-resourced, rural communities.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, June 09, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ChartWater™ a division of Chart Industries, Inc. (“Chart”) (NYSE: GTLS), and Calgon Carbon Corporation (“Calgon Carbon”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kuraray Co., Ltd. (TYO: 3405) (“Kuraray”), today formally announced an agreement signed in 2021 to jointly offer drinking water systems, using granular activated carbon, to under-resourced rural areas.

The terms of the Agreement allow Calgon Carbon to refer all communities in the United States requiring treatment of up to approximately 175 gallons per minute to ChartWater’s AdEdge Water Technologies (AdEdge ), who will source all related GAC from Calgon Carbon. While both companies will continue to provide water treatment solutions for all flow rates, the Agreement enables the Companies to combine their capabilities for solutions that will cost-effectively provide safe drinking water to communities.

According to the U.S. EPA’s Safe Drinking Water Act, there are over 140,000 small drinking water systems in the United States. Many of these systems face challenges in meeting ever-changing and stringent regulations around drinking water contamination, making it difficult to provide consistently safe drinking water to customers. The new Agreement offers these small systems access to AdEdge’s variety of equipment offerings as well as Calgon Carbon’s premium product line, FILTRASORB^® GAC.

“We are excited to partner with Calgon Carbon to combine their decades of GAC experience with our experience providing complete, packaged treatment systems to municipalities around the United States,” said Chris Milligan, President of ChartWater™. “ChartWater’s AdEdge Center of Excellence provides solutions for municipal and industrial customers of all sizes. This relationship with Calgon Carbon will specifically strengthen our ability to serve smaller utilities with a world-class GAC solution for the removal of PFAS, TOC, disinfection byproducts, and any other contaminants that can be addressed with GAC.”

Since creating the first activated carbon products from bituminous coal in the 1940s, Calgon Carbon has been a pioneer in developing high performing granular activated carbon products for water purification.

“Calgon Carbon has provided GAC to hundreds of water suppliers for over 40 years, and we are enthusiastic about this Agreement,” said Nora Stockhausen, VP of the Drinking Water Solutions and Innovative Carbon Technologies business unit. “This collaboration allows our FILTRASORB^® GAC to be more accessible to smaller utilities through AdEdge’s reach in this market and we’re proud to work together to provide clean, safe drinking water to more Americans.”

About Chart Industries, Inc.

Chart Industries, Inc. is a leading independent global manufacturer of highly engineered equipment servicing multiple applications in the Energy and Industrial Gas markets. Our unique product portfolio is used in every phase of the liquid gas supply chain, including upfront engineering, service and repair. Being at the forefront of the clean energy transition, Chart is a leading provider of technology, equipment and services related to liquefied natural gas, hydrogen, biogas and CO2 Capture amongst other applications. We are committed to excellence in environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) issues both for our company as well as our customers. With over 25 global locations from the United States to Asia, Australia, India, Europe and South America, we maintain accountability and transparency to our team members, suppliers, customers and communities. To learn more, visit www.chartindustries.com.

About ChartWater^TM

ChartWater™, a division of Chart Industries, is a global manufacturer and service provider of engineered solutions for municipal water treatment and industrial process applications. Its portfolio of proven products, processes, and engineering expertise provides customers with single-point responsibility for complete solutions that enable water professionals to achieve their objectives with the lowest combination of risk and costs while driving enhanced outcomes for people, communities, and the planet. For more information, visit www.chartindustries.com/products/water-treatment

About AdEdge Water Technologies

Founded in 2002 and headquartered just north of Atlanta, Georgia, USA, AdEdge Water Technologies, LLC is a leading provider of advanced water treatment technologies and systems serving municipal, residential and industrial applications nationally and overseas for flow rates up to 15 MGD. AdEdge manufacturers fully integrated and custom water treatment systems to remove over twenty different contaminants from water, including arsenic, iron, manganese, fluoride, PFAS, TOC, and radionuclides. AdEdge also offers an ultra-high recovery reverse osmosis membrane solution for removal of TDS and multiple contaminants, using ROTEC’s Flow Reversal Reverse Osmosis. AdEdge was acquired by Chart Industries in August of 2021 as a ChartWater Center of Excellence. For more information, visit www.adedgetech.com.

About Calgon Carbon

Calgon Carbon, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kuraray Co., Ltd. (TYO: 3405) (Kuraray), is a global leader in the manufacture and/or distribution of innovative coal-, wood- and coconut-based activated carbon products – in granular, powdered, pelletized and cloth form – to meet the most challenging purification demands of customers throughout the world. Calgon Carbon provides purification solutions for more than 700 distinct applications, including drinking water, wastewater, pollution abatement, and a variety of industrial and commercial manufacturing processes. Headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Calgon Carbon employs approximately 1640 people and operates 20 manufacturing, reactivation, innovation and equipment fabrication facilities in the U.S., Asia, and in Europe, where Calgon Carbon is known as Chemviron. Calgon Carbon was acquired by Kuraray in March of 2018. With complementary products and services, the combined organization will continue to focus on providing the highest quality and most innovative activated carbon and filtration media products, equipment, and services to meet

Amanda Lofty
Calgon Carbon Corporation
724-541-2658
amanda.lofty@kuraray.com

June 10, 2022

La série de réunions du groupe de travail sur la santé du G20 en Indonésie exhorte les dirigeants du monde à se préparer à de futures pandémies

LOMBOK, Indonésie, 9 juin 2022/PRNewswire/ — La deuxième réunion du groupe de travail sur la santé (HWG) du G20 a réuni des dirigeants du monde pour lancer un nouveau fonds mondial d’urgence pour les futures pandémies et a mis l’accent sur la nécessité de mieux partager les données de séquençage génomique, ainsi que sur le fonctionnement du Fonds intermédiaire de financement (FIF) sous l’égide de la Banque mondiale pour se préparer aux futures pandémies.

Ministry of Health Republic of Indonesia discussed the Global Health System Resilience in the second Health Working Group (2nd HWG)

Le ministre de la Santé indonésien, Budi Gunadi Sadikin, a encouragé les États membres du G20 à ne pas laisser la pandémie progresser sans en tirer de précieuses leçons.

« Ce n’est que par de grands tremblements de terre que s’élèvent de hautes montagnes. Je crois que c’est vrai, non seulement pour les volcans, mais aussi pour notre humanité. Chaque crise crée de grandes occasions », a-t-il déclaré à Lombok, aux Petites îles de la Sonde occidentales, en Indonésie.

Les principales questions abordées lors de la réunion qui s’est déroulée du 6 au 8 juin 2022 avaient trait à la mobilisation de ressources financières pour les futures interventions en cas de pandémie.

Les États membres du G20 ont discuté des leçons à tirer des succès des initiatives de contre-mesures médicales, telles que COVAX et les accélérateurs ACT qui ont fonctionné efficacement pendant la pandémie pour introduire les vaccins, les traitements et les diagnostics.

Le G20 et ses partenaires, tels que le GISAID, cherchent désormais à optimiser la surveillance génomique et le partage de données fiables pour permettre au monde d’identifier rapidement de nouveaux pathogènes qui pourraient représenter de nouvelles menaces pour la sécurité sanitaire mondiale.

« Nous avons besoin d’une plateforme de coordination plus permanente qui puisse traiter les cinq points essentiels que sont l’accès aux contre-mesures, la coordination d’urgence, le renseignement collaboratif, la protection communautaire et les soins cliniques aux patients dans le besoin », a déclaré le ministre de la Santé.

L’Indonésie s’est engagée à verser 50 millions de dollars américains au FIF. Dans le cadre de son mandat à la présidence du G20, l’Indonésie exercera également des pressions sur les organisations et les donateurs pour s’assurer que le fonds profite aux pays cibles identifiés afin de prévenir les conflits d’intérêts avec les donateurs et les organisations.

Le docteur Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Secrétaire général de l’OMS, a été félicité par la présidence indonésienne pour avoir donné la priorité à l’établissement d’une architecture d’un système de santé mondial et l’avoir mis à l’ordre du jour du G20.

« Nous devons tirer les leçons de cette pandémie, car ce ne sera pas la dernière », a déclaré le docteur Tedros.

Pour visionner la cérémonie d’ouverture de la plénière du groupe de travail sur la santé et la conférence de presse, consultez https://www.youtube.com/c/KementerianKesehatanRI.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1835386/52125930441_50fc2d3444_6k.jpg

June 10, 2022

Early Detection Tools For Children With Developmental Delays And Disabilities: In The Middle East And North Africa

This technical brief was developed to support specialists in countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to select which early detection tools best fit their needs and context by comparing various tools that have been used in the region and lessons learned in using and adapting those tools to local contexts.

Background

Early detection of developmental delays and disabilities in children followed by early childhood intervention, can greatly help children with better outcomes throughout their life course. Since formal screening is essential to initiate early interventions, there are various tools that exist and are being used in the world for detecting developmental delays and disabilities and that target various professionals both working at facilities and in the community, and for parents and caregivers to ensure that children have the essential support needed to develop and thrive.1 While early detection and intervention are crucial for a child’s development, it is also important to be aware of the risks of screening and the followings need to be considered to mitigate risks: 1) review of tools and protocols by an authorised body, 2) accuracy and validity of tools, 3) referral pathway, and 4) protocols for the users on how to address specific situation such as critical health and nutrition issues, violence and abuse.

Current research globally suggests that detection of developmental delays and disabilities is lower than their actual prevalence, meaning that actions undertaken in detection of developmental delays are not sufficient. In MENA, there is late detection of developmental delays due to (1) the lack of policies and strategies on early detection, (2) the lack of data on developmental delays and disabilities to build evidence-based policies and strategies, (3) the scarcity of validated screening tools in the languages used in the region including Arabic2 , Farsi and French, (3) the scarcity of socially and culturally adapted tools according to contexts 2 3 , and (4) the gaps in availability and capacity of specialized services and trained service providers to support children and families with early diagnosis and intervention once a delay and a disability have been identified.

Source: UN Children’s Fund

June 10, 2022

One year into the bold new strategy on HIV/AIDS, it is vital to speed up progress, say UN Member States

One year after adopting a new Political Declaration on HIV and AIDS: Ending Inequalities and Getting on Track to End AIDS by 2030, United Nation’s Member States have highlighted the need to work together to speed up progress on implementation.

In advance of the meeting, the UN Secretary General released a report entitled Tackling inequalities to end the AIDS pandemic on the implementation of the political declaration on HIV/AIDS. The report sets out how inequalities and insufficient investment “leave the world dangerously underprepared to confront the pandemics of today and tomorrow”

The AIDS pandemic is responsible for more than 13,000 deaths every week.

The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) data show that HIV infections and AIDS-related deaths are not currently declining fast enough to end the pandemic by 2030 as pledged.

The Secretary General’s report highlights solutions including (a) HIV prevention and societal enablers; (b) community-led responses; (c) equitable access to medicines, vaccines and health technologies; (d) sustainable financing for the AIDS response and wider pandemic prevention, preparedness and response; (e) people-centered data systems and (f) strengthening global partnerships.

The UN Secretary General’s statement to the General Assembly, delivered by Chef de Cabinet Courtenay Rattray, outlined three immediate steps to reverse current trends and get back on track. “First, we need to tackle intersecting inequalities, discrimination and the marginalization of entire communities, which are often exacerbated by punitive laws, policies and practices”. He called for policy reforms to reduce the HIV risks of marginalised communities including sex workers, people who inject drugs, prisoners, transgender people and gay men. He noted how stigma is obstructing public health: “Stigmatization hurts everyone. Social solidarity protects everyone”.

The second step is ensuring the sharing of health technologies, including long-acting antiretrovirals, to make them available to people in all countries of the world.

The third step is to increase the resources made available to tackle AIDS. “Investments in AIDS are investments in global health security. They save lives — and money.”

In his opening remarks, the President of the General Assembly, Mr. Abdulla Shahid, noted that “equal access to healthcare is an essential human right to guarantee public health, for all. No one is safe until we are all safe. Striving to achieve the 2025 AIDS targets is an opportunity to work together to increase investments towards public health systems and pandemic responses, and to draw on the hard-learnt lessons from the HIV/AIDS crisis for our recovery from COVID-19, and vice versa.”

Over 35 Member States and Observers made statements during the AIDS review, which included contributions on behalf of the Africa Group, the Caribbean Community and the Central American Integration System and the European Union.

Statements emphasised the urgency of stepping up collective action to get on track to meet the 2025 targets, and the importance of an inequalities lens to ensure a successful HIV response.

The President of the General Assembly, the Secretary General, the Africa group, the EU and several Member States stressed the importance of fully financing the HIV response and strengthening investment in Global Health.

The Africa Group, along with many others, spoke about addressing stigma and discriminatory laws which keep people from accessing health care and social services.

The debate made clear that the end of AIDS is possible, but only if countries worked together and were courageous in addressing inequalities. “The most important message today,” noted the Secretary General’s conclusion, “is that if we work together to tackle the inequalities that perpetuate HIV/AIDS, we can still end it as a public health threat by 2030.”

Source: UNAIDS