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Fumes from a fish tank hospitalise 10
Chemicals were released from coral in the tank whilst it was being cleaned.
Chemical released from coral inside the tank

Fumes from a fish tank in Oxfordshire left 10 people in hospital on Monday evening.

According to BBC News, the chemicals were released from coral in the tank whilst it was being cleaned. An emergency response unit, including a hazardous area response team, attended the incident.

Scientist Dr Mike Leahy, who was in the area at the time, said on Twitter that the incident was likely to have been caused by “palytoxin” - one of the deadliest naturally occurring toxins in the world.

"In the main, they're absolutely harmless but sometimes if you stress certain types of coral, they can produce a toxin," he told the BBC.

Four firefighters and six family members were taken to hospital. A further three family members remained in hospital overnight after suffering eye irritation and contracting “flu-like symptoms”.

Firefighters in full body suits also removed two dogs from the house whilst the remaining coral was dealt with.

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Applications open for MMI research grants

News Story 1
 RCVS' Mind Matters Initiative (MMI) has launched round two of its veterinary mental health research grants.

Researchers have until 11.59pm on Wednesday, 28 May 2025 to apply for a grant for research which reflects MMI's 2025 focus areas.

Only one Impact Grant was awarded last year, and so this year there are two Discovery Grants and one Impact Grants available. Each Discovery Grant is worth £5,000 and the Impact Grant is worth £15,000.

For more information or to apply, email researchgrants@rcvs.org.uk to contact the MMI team.

 

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News Shorts
Germany livestock import ban lifted

The UK government has amended its ban on the import of livestock, meat and dairy products from Germany.

Defra said the decision follows 'rigorous technical assessment' of the measures applied and the current situation. "If the situation changes, we will not hesitate to take necessary action in response to the FMD outbreaks in the European Union to protect our domestic biosecurity," it said.

The ban was implemented in January following an outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD) near Berlin. Personal imports of meat, milk and dairy products will remain in place at a country level.