Breathing Problems

Hundreds of people complaining of breathing problems flooded hospitals after an explosion at a Chevron Corp. refinery spewed black smoke over the area. The Thursday blast at the 97-year-old refinery on the edge of San Francisco Bay prompted Richmond officials to sound sirens, warning residents to stay indoors. An estimated 600 people went to three area hospitals. Some said they were nauseated and had a metallic taste in their mouths or a burning sensation in their throats.

NEW YORK - On the plus side, Jerome Williams did not end up in the emergency room after Saturday's game against the New York Yankees, like he did after his previous start, against San Francisco on June 18. So, the Angels right-hander had that going for him. Otherwise, it was a rather nondescript afternoon for Williams, who was neither very good nor very bad in a 5-3 loss in Yankee Stadium, the Angels' 17th loss in their last 22 games in the...

The president of Somalia was hospitalized Tuesday with breathing difficulties and a severe cough, but officials said that his condition did not appear life-threatening and that he planned to travel to London for further treatment. President Abdullahi Yusuf, 72, has a history of health problems. He underwent a liver transplant in 1996. Yusuf, a former military leader from northern Somalia who helped overthrow the dictatorship of Maj. Gen.

Most big leaguers don't start thinking about winter ball until September, but Peter Bourjos has already envisioned himself playing November games in the Dominican Republic or Venezuela. "It's crossed my mind," the Angels center fielder said. "There's always an option of getting some at-bats in winter ball if I had to. " At this point, winter ball may offer the best chance of regular playing time for Bourjos. With veteran Torii Hunter, young slugger Mark Trumbo and 20-year-old phenom Mike Trout entrenched in the outfield, Bourjos, a starter for all of 2011, has been marginalized to the point of near-irrelevancy.

Sometimes there's a clear reason we're wired, tired and desperate at 3 a.m. Work pressure. A broken relationship. Threats of terror. But very often people with chronic insomnia have no idea why they're waking up at night. "That's why they come and ask for help," said Dr. Barry Krakow, director of the Sleep and Human Health Institute, a research clinic in Albuquerque that specializes in the treatment of insomnia due to trauma-related stress.

Behind a chain-link fence, where someone hung a hand-lettered banner reading, "MT. DIOXIN," sits a 40-foot-high wall of contaminated soil covered with gray plastic. Surrounded by homes and businesses in the middle of Pensacola, the mound marks the site of a defunct plant where wooden utility and foundation poles were treated with creosote for 58 years, until the plant closed in 1982. Dioxin and other toxic chemicals, suspected of causing cancer, were dumped or leaked there.

A man in the custody of sheriff's deputies escaped when he was taken to a local hospital for treatment of breathing problems, authorities said. Joe Hernandez Ambriz, 38, managed to unstrap himself from a gurney at Antelope Valley Hospital Medical Center and walk out an unguarded door, Deputy Carl Deeley said. Ambriz, who was on parole for a burglary conviction, had been arrested on suspicion of receiving stolen property and booked into the Antelope Valley sheriff's station.

Orange Coast Memorial will host "Better Breathers," a free lecture for individuals who suffer from breathing problems, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Wednesday in Conference Room A of the hospital at 9920 Talbert Ave. Information: (888) 626-2662.

An agitated 31-year-old man wearing only a T-shirt died in custody early Sunday morning, shortly after Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies arrested him on suspicion of drug crimes. Just after midnight, deputies found Walter Duarte, 31, standing nearly naked outside a house in the 10900 block of Larch Avenue, Deputy Steve Suzuki said. Duarte, who was uncooperative as deputies tried to handcuff him, began having breathing problems when he was placed on the ground on his side, Suzuki said.

A man died after his sailboat collided with a yacht and sank in Long Island Sound near New Haven. Joachim Schulz-Heik, 61, went into cardiac arrest after his 35-foot sailboat went down after colliding with a 120-foot motorized yacht about 12:45 a.m. in heavy fog, said Coast Guard spokesman Robert Bilbo. All three people onboard the sailboat were pulled from the water by the yacht's crew, Bilbo said. Schulz-Heik then started having breathing problems and chest pains.

New York Times foreign correspondent Anthony Shadid died Thursday after suffering an apparent asthma attack while on assignment in Syria.  He was 43 years old. According to an Associated Press report, New York Times photographer Tyler Hicks, who was traveling with Shadid, said that thePulitzer Prize-winningreporter had also suffered a bout a week earlier. The attack Thursday was more severe: Shadid reportedly lost consciousness and collapsed.  His breathing became “very faint” and “very shallow,” Hicks said, and ceased completely after a few minutes.

Free asthma screenings will be offered in May around the country, including several in Los Angeles and Orange counties, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology . Allergists encourage anyone who has breathing problems such as coughing, wheezing or shortness of breath or uncontrolled asthma to attend a screening. This year, the Nationwide Asthma Screening Program includes a special initiative to identify people who have difficulty breathing during or immediately after exercise and may have a condition called exercise-induced bronchoconstriction.

There is disagreement on the potential health hazards of the spilled oil polluting the Gulf of Mexico. Some scientists predict medical problems among workers involved in the cleanup and even the general public. Others expect safety precautions ordered by the federal government to protect cleanup workers and the public from harm. Concerns over the health effects of the spill grew this week as more workers and residents of the coastal areas reported symptoms such as headaches and breathing problems.

Many parents slather Vicks VapoRub on their sniffling, coughing kids when they're sick -- because, by gosh, that's what their parents did to them. For children under the age of 2, the folksy remedy could be dangerous, researchers warned today.

The president of Somalia was hospitalized Tuesday with breathing difficulties and a severe cough, but officials said that his condition did not appear life-threatening and that he planned to travel to London for further treatment. President Abdullahi Yusuf, 72, has a history of health problems. He underwent a liver transplant in 1996. Yusuf, a former military leader from northern Somalia who helped overthrow the dictatorship of Maj. Gen.

An agitated 31-year-old man wearing only a T-shirt died in custody early Sunday morning, shortly after Los Angeles County sheriff's deputies arrested him on suspicion of drug crimes. Just after midnight, deputies found Walter Duarte, 31, standing nearly naked outside a house in the 10900 block of Larch Avenue, Deputy Steve Suzuki said. Duarte, who was uncooperative as deputies tried to handcuff him, began having breathing problems when he was placed on the ground on his side, Suzuki said.

A fire broke out at a Red Panther Chemical Co. pesticide plant before dawn today, driving 5,000 people from their homes and forcing officials to declare a state of emergency in the 2.8 square miles surrounding the plant. At least three people were treated for breathing problems caused by fumes. Firefighters brought the blaze under control three hours after it started and 3,000 of the evacuees were told they could return home by midday.

Nitric oxide, an ingredient in smog that is also used by the body to control blood pressure, kill tumor cells and boost erections, may help newborn babies with lung problems breathe more easily. Two studies in the Feb. 27 New England Journal of Medicine show that newborn babies with breathing difficulties did not need drastic treatment if they inhaled small amounts of the gas.

When 8-year-old Matthew Gonzalez grows up, he says, he is going to be an "artist, Marine, pet store owner and a police officer." He concedes that's a tall order. So maybe he'll just be an artist for the Marines. "I already know how to draw a German Panzer tank," he says proudly. Matthew shows off a photo from last Halloween of himself and his father, Gary Gonzalez, a Marine reservist serving his third deployment in Iraq.

As Catholics the world over offered prayers for his recovery, Pope John Paul II spent a second night in the hospital Wednesday and the Vatican said he would remain there for several days. The 84-year-old pontiff was rushed to a Rome hospital late Tuesday with flu- related breathing difficulties. His condition stabilized Wednesday and his breathing, heart rate and other vital signs were "within normal range," Vatican spokesman Joaquin Navarro-Valls said.