Malta's bridges are falling down, falling down, falling down... say foreign engineers. "Oh no, they are not" say other foreign experts; well anyway, not yet!

Not long ago we were told that the Manwel Dimech Bridge on the Regional Road was in dire need of repair.

Foreign experts had concluded that the bridge needed a serious overhaul, because of "dangerous oscillations". That work will now take priority over other roadworks earmarked for EU funding. Now, according to The Times on Friday, another foreign expert has said that the Qormi Bridge next to Maltapost is at risk of collapsing unless "instant" remedial action is taken.

But the "roads authorities" are insisting that tests showed there was no "instant" cause for concern!

Which begs the question: "What does 'no instant' mean"? That the bridge is unlikely to collapse today or tomorrow? And, if there is cause for "instant" action should the work be done right now, or is it next week, or next month?

The German expert Jurgen Sixt said the bridge was breaking up "piece by piece" and he estimated that it could take between three or four years before possible collapse. Hardly instant.

So it looks like the experts are not disagreeing after all. The damage is certainly cause for concern but there is no imminent, or instant, danger.

What, however, needs to be done is control of the amount of traffic, the speed and weight of vehicles using this particular bridge.

When we experienced our first bridge scare, speed limits were imposed. And, I believe, heavy vehicles were rerouted.

I now read that it (Manwuel Dimech Bridge) "was recently established to be safe for the next 12 months, so long as current traffic measures are adhered to".

And it is the latter that concerns me. Despite the speed cameras, we were assured were not only set up, but are functioning, I constantly see overspeeding in the tunnels, and people still zigzag across the lanes.

Now, if people are being prosecuted for overspeeding and zigzagging in the tunnels and are being fined appropriately, maybe we could publicise it through the CMRU (the police press office). That should deter further infringement of the rules, and hopefully the bridge will not collapse before it is attended to.

Gas cylinders

It is good to see that the Enemalta Board is setting a good example and taking action on suspending and disciplining the people responsible for gross negligence in their evaluation, for choosing the sub-standard gas cylinders, as part of the tender selection board.

One employee will also face charges on accepting the cylinders.

The cylinders do not conform to the criteria set down in the contract with the supplier.

This comes hot on the heels of the PM's stance that all abuse will not be tolerated and dealt with severely.

If we can see a bit more of this sort of action, we can start judging politicians, and the boards they appoint, by what they do and not what they say.

Forensic Lab

Another body this time the Occupational Health and Safety Authority also deserve a pat on the back for responding to the hard-pressed employees at the Forensic Laboratory in Valletta.

The OHSA are finally beginning to show some teeth and acted swiftly in safeguarding the health of employees at the lab.

Perhaps the PM's call that all abuse will be dealt with promptly and his promise that all will be accountable is taking effect.

The employees at the lab had been complaining about the lack of adequate equipment and their dire and unsafe working conditions for about three years.

Their diligence towards their work was abused and exploited.

There was only one 20-year-old microscope; there were no drying chambers, safety and biological cabinets or a place where to store expensive drugs; the electrical sockets were archaic; and staff were not even supplied with surgical gloves and masks, according to press reports.

On September 3, the forensic experts wrote to the Attorney General and distributed copies to the Bench, to make them aware of the appalling conditions they were operating under. They also stated that they could not continue working in such conditions.

When all their pleas got them nowhere they contacted the OHSA, who to its credit, through Cedric Camilleri, did the biz.

The OHSA said it issued the order in view of "serious risks to health". The OHSA officer who carried out the inspection ordered all work to be stopped in the rooms where exhibits were being sorted and the GC-MS laboratory, where drug-related tests are carried out, until the necessary upgrading is implemented.

Boom, boom goes your heart

Anyone who reads this column knows how I feel about noise. I have always maintained that noise causes stress and distress, and although my instincts and reasoning also told me that our health was at risk, I did not have any backup to support my theory.

But new research has avenged my frequent nags on noise. At a recent ESC Congress in Berlin, a paper on noise was chosen as one of the highlights to make the newsletter distributed during the congress.

The wife of a Maltese cardiologist, who attended the conference, feels as strongly about noise as I do and sent me the details.

"Noise can cause heart attacks" ran the headline. "Human studies have suggested that chronic noise exposure results in stress reaction, where the release of catecholamines leads to rises in blood pressure and changes in plasma lipids that may contribute to the development of coronary artery disease."

Results of the study found that women exposed to annoying environmental noise were 50 per cent more likely to have suffered a heart attack than those who had not been exposed.

And although no difference was found in men between the two groups, men who were exposed to high levels of noise at work were 30 per cent more likely to suffer a heart attack than those who were not.

Reducing your exposure to noise may help to prevent coronary heart disease, according to the German researchers.

Stefan Willich and colleagues, of the Charites, University Medical Centre, Berlin, questioned 4,115 patients who were admitted to 32 Berlin hospitals between 1998 and 2001 with acute myocardial infarction.

They were asked how much they were annoyed by noise (on a continuous five-point scale).

Actual levels of environmental noise exposure using traffic noise exposure maps for the roads on which the patients lived were estimated, and they calculated 10-year noise exposures at work.

Willich explained: "It was important to develop methods for looking at both objective and subjective noise exposure, because if, for example, your neighbour is playing the piano, it may be extremely annoying despite a low noise level, while going to the opera may be extremely loud, but pleasurable."

What they are saying is that there is negative and positive noise. Positive noise like music can actually help one relax even when louder than negative noise, which causes distress and stress.

Unfortunately, what can be positive noise for some is negative for others. That is why it is such a controversial subject. Take the roar of racing cars; enthusiasts are probably the only people who find that noise invigorating.

That is why racing tracks are usually built far from residential areas. The pyrotechnic lot love their bangs to be louder and louder but, unfortunately, they are not held away from residential areas on a desert island.

It is the same with open-air rock concerts. Some people want to rest while others want to party.

However, since we live in a small, enclosed society, noise is a serious health hazard here. It is about time the police and local councils - indeed anyone involved in the issuing of permits - gave some serious thought to the problem before signing on the dotted line.

I have been approached by several readers to moot the idea of a Noise Abatement Society. Interested people can e-mail me on the address at the bottom of the page.

Quote of the week

UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown said in an article in the Financial Times that the EC's (European Community) demand for a 30 per cent boost in its own spending cast doubt on whether Brussels was genuinely resisting "grandiose but unrealistic ambitions".

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