scholarly journals Disinfection Treatments of Disposable Respirators Influencing the Bactericidal/Bacteria Removal Efficiency, Filtration Performance, and Structural Integrity

Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 45
Author(s):  
Seojin Jung ◽  
Tahmineh Hemmatian ◽  
Eugene Song ◽  
Kyeongeun Lee ◽  
Dongwan Seo ◽  
...  

In the outbreak of COVID-19, the extended wear of single-use, disposable respirators was inevitable due to limited supplies. As a respirator is front-line protection against particulate matter, including bioaerosol and droplets, a comprehensive understanding for the reuse strategy is needed. In this study, eight different disinfection methods commonly applied for the reuse of respirators were compared for their influence on the filtration and bactericidal/bacteria removal performance, with in-depth discussion on the cause of effects. Treatments including oven-dry, ultraviolet irradiation (UV), microwaving, laundering with and without detergent, and immersion in hypochlorite, isopropanol, and ethanol were performed to respirators. Immersion in ethanol or isopropanol was effective for inactivation and removal of bacteria, yet such a treatment significantly deteriorated the filtration efficiency in about 20–28%, dissipating the surface charges. Laundering, while effective in removing the attached bacteria, triggered physical damage, leading to a possible reduction of filtration performance. A short-term oven-dry, UV irradiation, and microwaving mostly preserved the filtration performance, yet the drawback lied in the incomplete bactericidal efficiency. This study would contribute to the public health and safety by providing scientific background on the effect of disinfection treatment methods for respirators.

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 109-140
Author(s):  
Laura Solano

INTRODUCTION Density, public health and safety, quality of life, and sustainability are some of the most confounding issues that major cities face today as they expand in population and area. How do we bring urban populations closer together in the public realm, while still providing space for the individual psyche and also increasing the overall sense of positive connection to the natural world and to each other? Robust natural landscapes have sometimes been considered a luxury within a functioning city, but more and more they are being recognized for the vital role they play in making cities livable. The story of Corktown Common relates how a landscape built of necessity was also designed to deliver myriad public benefits, including enhanced urban ecology and sustainability.


1969 ◽  
Vol 32 (12) ◽  
pp. 474-476
Author(s):  
David E. Hartley

While the automatic vending of food and beverages—and non-food merchandise—has been a part of The American scene since the late 1880's, problems of public health and safety did not enter the picture until the end of World War II when the first hot beverage vending machine went on location. In 1947, the vending industry and health officials first came together to discuss the development of uniform national standards for vending machines and vending operators. In 1957, after necessary research and preparation, The Public Health Service published The Vending of Food and Beverages—A Recommended Ordinance and Code. In the same year, the industry launched a full-time public health and safety program, guided by a nationally-constituted Health-Industry Council. The progress in sanitation and safety made as a result of cooperative industry and agency efforts over the past 12 years is discussed in terms of vending legislation, internal and external training, machine standardization and testing, and research. Concluding, a review of current problems in such matters as microwave safety, copper poisoning safeguards, temperature controls, icemaker design, and commissary layout is made, together with a “crystal ball” look at the future.


Author(s):  
Gangyang Zheng ◽  
Paul Nelson ◽  
Vera Moiseytseva ◽  
Ernie Kee ◽  
Fatma Yilmaz

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is mandated to ensure “adequate protection” to the public health and safety, regardless of cost. It also has steadfastly declined to specify precisely what constitutes “adequate protection,” except that it does not mean “zero risk.” Rather it judges on a case-by-case basis whether the “adequate protection” standard has been met. NRC also seems to reserve the right to require an even higher level of protection, when that can be achieved in a manner that it judges to meet similarly imprecisely specified criteria such as “practicality” and “reasonableness.” In Regulatory Guide 1.174 NRC comes close to a concrete specification of “adequate protection,” albeit one that depends upon the historical licensing basis for a specific plant. And the technical portion of this paper begins with a description of how the approach of Regulatory Guide 1.174 can be viewed from the perspective of Risk-Informed Safety Margin Characterization. Meanwhile, in this research, in order to better understand the role of regulation, a microeconomic model of a price-taking nuclear power plant is constructed, particularly of the cost (C) of achieving any specified level of core damage frequency (CDF). Solution of this model reveals an economic optimum, at a point that balances plant value against risk of losing the plant via an accident involving core damage. For CDFs slightly smaller than this economic optimum there is scope for a regulatory mandate of even smaller CDF, should that be deemed either necessary to attain “adequate protection,” or reasonably attainable in order to achieve greater than adequate protection of the public health and safety. It is argued that regulatory bodies must have scope for discretionary decisions, because the information necessary to formulate a reasonable approximation to the cost curve C (fortunately) does not exist.


1991 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 249-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernard Friedland ◽  
Richard W. Valachovic

Current state laws regulating the licensure of dentists place severe restrictions upon the freedom of movement of practitioners. Most state laws were enacted during a period when a strong rationale for regulating public health and welfare existed. Today, these laws hamper the free movement of dentists and are anachronisms in an era of national standards and practices. The authors contend that the extant laws rest upon outdated assumptions and serve economic and protectionist goals rather than public health and safety.This Article examines the history and application of the traditional justifications for state licensure and their present ramifications. The authors suggest that replacing the current regulatory system with a national clinical examination and a national licensure program will best serve the interests of the public and the dental profession.


2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 452-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracynda L. Davis ◽  
Jon H. Standridge ◽  
Alan J. Degnan

Water parks are a rapidly growing element of the United States tourist industry. To reduce incidence of abrasion and impact injuries in such parks, designers are searching for padding materials that can withstand the harsh oxidative environments of chlorinated water. Although padded features help reduce physical injuries, they may also compromise the microbiological safety of water attractions. This study describes bacteriological testing performed on 31 different pad materials, play features and pools from 10 Wisconsin water parks. Materials and surrounding pool waters were sampled and tested quantitatively for total coliforms, Escherichia coli, E. coli 0157:H7, enterococci, staphylococci, heterotrophic bacteria, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, using standard methods. Each location was sampled during three visits, and results were averaged. Pool waters were within acceptable levels of target organisms and disinfectant residuals, but target organisms were found on water features, even those submerged in chlorinated water. Bacteria were detected more frequently in pools using pad materials compared with pools without. These findings provide data that will help the public health community understand the relations between designs, materials and maintenance of water features. Additionally, the information will help state regulators and owner/operators develop guidelines to improve public health and safety at water parks.


2021 ◽  
pp. 026101832098065
Author(s):  
Melanie Griffiths ◽  
Colin Yeo

In 2012, Home Secretary Theresa May told a newspaper that she wanted to create a ‘really hostile environment’ for irregular migrants in the UK. Although the phrase has since mutated to refer to generalised state-led marginalisation of immigrants, this article argues that the hostile environment is a specific policy approach, and one with profound significance for the UK’s border practices. We trace the ‘hostile environment’ phrase, exposing its origins in other policy realms, charting its evolution into immigration, identifying the key components and critically reviewing the corresponding legislation. The article analyses the impact and consequences of the hostile environment, appraising the costs to public health and safety, the public purse, individual vulnerability and marginalisation, and wider social relations. We conclude by identifying the fundamental flaws of the policy approach, arguing that they led to the 2018 Windrush scandal and risk creating similar problems for European Economic Area nationals after Brexit.


2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 73
Author(s):  
Dzaa Imma Abdul Latif ◽  
Mohd Amirul Akhbar Mohd Zulkifli ◽  
Siti Nur Farah Faadiah Abd Ghani

Public Service Announcements (PSAs) are free announcements made to promote programs, activities, community interest and services from government and the non - government sector. As technology develops, many PSAs use animated characters in order to persuade and create high awareness among people. Animation is a simulation of movement created by displaying a series of pictures or frames such as cartoons on television. Research has shown that PSAs is effective in conveying the message. However, the influences of animated PSAs among students about health and safety messages are still unclear. Previous researchers were more interested to investigate the effects of PSAs to children and less research on animated PSAs towards adults. Therefore, the researcher is interested to study whether or not the animation should be utilized as an effective tool to educate the public. A sample of 285 students watched four animated PSAs and four live action PSAs. Two of each represented animated spoke characters and non spoke characters with a goal to evaluate students responses on positive attitudes. A correlation analysis was used to study the relationship between the positive response of animated PSAs and engagement with results that indicated moderate and high correlation. T tests were used to investigate the comparison between the students responses to animated PSAs versus non animated PSAs and animated spoke characters versus animated non spoke characters. The results emphasize that animated PSAs received better responses among students. Students acceptance towards animated PSAs and animated spoke characters received small but significantly better response.


2004 ◽  
Vol 30 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 155-188
Author(s):  
Jay D. Wexler

When scholars and policymakers think about the relationship between public health and environmental law and policy, they likely think first about controlling pollution and other toxic substances. As other articles have amply demonstrated, water pollution, air pollution, and other environmental toxins can have significant deleterious effects on the public's health. Scholars rightly pay serious attention to these relationships, and policymakers wisely devise methods and strategies to ameliorate the public health risks posed by these polluting substances.Although pollution control might be the most obvious and important intersection between environmental policy and public health, legal and policy decisions regarding the management and preservation of the nation's natural resources potentially also significantly affect the public's health. Preserving plant and animal species, allocating water resources, and managing the nation's public lands, just to name a few examples, all potentially bear on matters of public health and safety.


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