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Dear Stan, With regard to the article about the proposed use of hydroxyl radicals headline 'New weapon in swine flu fight' - GulfWeekly, Issue 36.

To use this in schools and hospitals is, in my opinion, outright dangerous as this will only work in closed rooms that cannot be used for quite some time after being treated.

There are products on the market that do not cause harm to the environment.

According to Life Extension magazine, December 1995: 'The Dangerous Hydroxyl Radical' https://www.lef.org/ magazine/mag95/95dec2b.htm 'the uncontrolled action of hydroxyl radicals, the most damaging free radical by far, can have devastating effects within the body'.

Jameela Mohanna,

Bahrain.

Dear Stan,

I have asked the UK manufacturer's chief scientific officer, Ian Widger of Inov8 Science Ltd, to respond.

He said: "The AD unit designed and produced by Inov8 Science has been proven to kill air-borne organisms including drug-resistant strains of MRSA, C. difficile and E.coli.

"Outdoors, these organisms are destroyed by the germ-killing properties of fresh air. However, in enclosed spaces like hospital wards, these organisms persist and, until now, there has been no safe way to kill them, particularly when wards are occupied.

"The AD, which has been tested by the Health Protection Agency, (HPA) and other independent experts including Leeds University, draws on British government research from the 1960s carried out at Porton Down. Scientists then identified the so called Open Air Factor (OAF) as the hydroxyl radical (OH).

"These radicals are produced every day in the human body as an essential part of its natural defence against invading organisms.

"In the fresh air OH is produced by the reaction of ozone and olefins, the natural scents of flowers and plants. The AD is able to generate OH in a way that is entirely safe to humans but which kills air-borne bacteria and viruses.

"The unit operates on a continuous basis and using a specially formulated olefin mixture (d-limonene), quenches the ozone generated internally to produce just air, the faint scent of plants or flowers and the hydroxyl radical.

"The device has currently been running in several UK hospitals over the past two years and in all cases positive benefits have been reported, both in terms of reduction in cross infection and also patient re-infection.

"Contrary to the reader's letter, the AD unit is completely safe to use continuously indoors, having undergone extensive toxicological testing.

"If it is considered unsafe, then the natural outdoor environment is equally so! Indeed, leading microbiologist Professor Hugh Pennington commented on the technology in 2006, stating that: 'The evidence that I have seen indicated that the device produced a continuous cascade of hydroxyl radicals which, in an enclosed space, had a significant effect'.

"The market is currently adrift with an array of machines capable of deep cleaning rooms, using agents such as H2O2 but these can only be used where rooms are completely cleared. Once people are reintroduced, so are the microorganisms.

"Inov8 has also provided a stack of supporting data which is posted on our website: www.rezahygiene.com/item_details.aspx/585/301

Kind regards,

Malcolm Palmer,

Reza Hygiene.

Dear Stan,

I READ in one local daily newspaper that 22 health centres were opened for H1N1 victims. Great news, but where are they actually located?

If everyone knew it would stop several hundred patients each day fearing they may have the swine flu inundating Salmaniya Medical Complex's A&E Department. Instead they will go immediately to their nearest swine flu health centre.

Come on all you Bahrain editors, don't just print eye catching announcements, give the Bahrain public a helping hand by regularly publishing each health centre's precise location in the newspapers.

Alan Pitt, By email.

Editor's note: GulfWeekly always tries to be a really-useful newspaper. See below the list of health centres which can also be found on our website ... www.gulfweekly.com

Muharraq Health Centre (17460999)

Shaikh Salman Health Centre (17348666)

NBB Health Centre-Dair (17478999)

NBB Health Centre-Arad (17463999)

Al Hoora Health Centre (17516999)

Al Razi Health Centre (17265888)

Ibn Sinna Health Centre (17516999)

Sabah Al Salem Health Centre (17821999)

Al Naim Health Centre (17285999)

Bilad Al Kadem Health Centre (17408999)

Isa Town Health Centre (17480999)

A'Ali Health Centre (17648999)

Hamad Kanoo Health Centre (17768666)

Zallaq Health Centre (17637999)

Jaw & Askar Clinic (17830667)

Sitra Health Centre (17459777)

Hamad Town Health Centre (17418999)

Mohamed Jasim Kanoo Health Centre (17431777)

Budaiya Health Centre (17698999)

Jidhafs Health Centre (17558999)

Kuwait Health Centre (17608999)

East Riffa Health Centre (17768999)

For more information contact the swine flu hotline on 17246769.

Dear Stan,

WHAT a great ending to Bahrain's match against Saudi Arabia, and excellent news for the Kingdom of Bahrain - they have a real chance of qualifying for the World Cup Finals.

Our CEO here in Bahrain is a Kiwi and he has changed his schedule so he can make the game, so I'm expecting quite a turnout from DHL for the game - mostly following Bahrain, of course!

I would appreciate any help about where I can get tickets for the first leg at the National Stadium - I assume the ground is an all-seater?

Paul Bicknell,

Head of facilities

and engineering,

DHL Express EEMEA, Bahrain.

Editor's note: A spokesman for the Bahrain Football Association said that planning for the fixture was on-going and a decision over ticket pricing for the away supporters and other arrangements including kick-off time on October 10 would be announced closer to the date. The Bahrain National Stadium is located on the outskirts of Riffa and is close to the Isa Town Traffic Directorate. Although built in 1982 its seats and roof have been renovated and it can accommodate 35,000 supporters.

Dear Stan,

With reference to the World Cup play-off second leg between New Zealand and Bahrain.

If you and your readers are interested, sales for the Bahrain supporters section of Westpac Stadium in Wellington have just gone on sale at https://premier.ticketek.co.nz/shows/show.aspx?sh=ALLWHITE09. Tickets are $39 (BD10) - $19 (BD5) for children. Tickets can also be purchased over the phone (+64 4 384 3840).

In terms of a visa, I believe Bahraini passport holders do not need a visa for a visit less than three months but you can find more information at www.immigration.govt.nz

Jamie Scott, media

and communications manager, NZ Football.

Dear Stan,

READERS can give the gift of sight by donating their old frames with prescription lenses or sunglasses to any Bahrain Optician branch.

Each store has a collection point and there is an extra incentive to those wishing to buy new prescription frames with a host of great deals on many designer items.

All of the frames and sunglasses collected will be sent to an established international eyewear charity that specialises in cleaning and distributing glasses and sunglasses to those who need them most across the globe.

This is the first time a Bahrain-based optical service provider has initiated collecting used eyewear for charity, however, this supports our sense of care in the community.

Angela Fanton, PR and marketing manager, Bahrain Optician.

Dear Stan,

A_Few months have now passed since the start of the recent Gaza conflict but the population is still in desperate need of help.

Despite the ceasefire, the people of Gaza are struggling to meet their basic needs and are heavily dependent on humanitarian aid.

Hundreds of families have no proper housing and many are still living in tents amongst the rubble of their former homes.

Others have sought refuge in overcrowded rooms in the homes of friends and relatives.

Poverty is widespread in Gaza and it is made worse by the fact that so many people have no source of income after their livelihoods were destroyed.

Food shortages are still common as people are unable to afford what little is on offer in the markets.

Many health clinics and hospitals were seriously damaged during the conflict and undertaking the necessary repairs has been difficult as building supplies cannot get into Gaza.

The blockade has also restricted the access of medicines and equipment into the Gaza Strip, hampering the delivery of essential healthcare.

We are requesting your support in order for us to contribute to the people in need.

To make it as easy and as safe as possible for people to give, we are accepting donations online.

Your assistance in this matter is highly appreciated and we would like to thank you in advance. Your donation can save their lives.

Help us to help them.

Delltone Charity Org,

www.delltonecharity.org

Dear Stan,

I take exception to the comments I read in last week's GulfWeekly, suggesting that the Heritage Village was 'fake' and was officially built as a 'one-off' attraction around 18 years ago.

Manar Mohammed Sirriyeh also stated in the article: 'It is a stage set up so we have not demolished anything historical. We don't want people to think that this is some kind of heritage of Bahrain. In fact, we want to introduce people to true traditional Bahrain villages'.

If construction begins next spring, why did it have to be destroyed in July? It could have been the site of several more heavily attended, festive events. The bulldozing only took two days to complete.

In 2004, I held a photographic exhibition in the Bahrain National Museum, hosted by the Minister of Culture. What was supposed to have been a three-week event continued for four months as a result of its popularity.

Interestingly, the bulk of the 64 photos exhibited were based on the unique, historically dying Bahrain, taken in the very 'fake' Heritage Village that is now a flattened area.

I went to the exhibition many times and was taken aback by the interest the photographs generated. Curious and delighted by the reaction, I placed a book for people to jot down their views.

Around 99 per cent of the comments were in Arabic so I had Bahraini friends pour over them. The overriding opinion was 'how can this Westerner see what we had no idea has existed among us for all these years'.

The Heritage Village and beautiful people involved in it made the exhibition what it was, and they were not fake!

It's gone now, so no need to worry about it any more. But, where exactly will the average Bahraini and expatriate - who may have heard so much about the unique culture of Bahrain - go to enjoy National Day and various other significant events on the island?

With all due respect, in what villages will I be able to see and photograph men singing their solemn pearl-diving songs, be generously offered a plate of chicken biriyani by shrouded women, watch nimble fingers prepare traditional wicker chicken baskets or hear the laughter of children playing with 90-year-old wooden toys?

As a photographer I would be happy to go to these places, guided by someone who can find what the Heritage Village had, shoot many photos and prepare some sort of advertising to show people where they can go to replace what has been scraped off the face of Bahrain.

In my opinion these places don't exist anymore. I have been to every corner of Bahrain and have photographed everything - it is all gone with a few minor exceptions.

I wish I could have enjoyed one more celebration at the Heritage Village as it provided the most endearing flashback of traditional Bahraini culture.

I will be watching how long it takes to begin the new theatre project and I will make it a point to come and enjoy the first event in the new glass, cement, and acoustically perfect venue, not to listen, but to fondly drift back and remember that on this very site I really got to know the true Bahrain, not a fake Bahrain, but one that is gone forever.

T. D. Walczyk, by email.