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A hospital-based, hazardous materials decontamination and treatment unit: utilization patterns over a nine-month period.

Federal [U.S.] law and the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations mandate plans and mechanisms for response by hospitals to hazardous material incidents/accidents be developed and implemented. This paper describes the response of the University Hospitals of Cleveland to these regulations and to the anticipated needs of the community and local industry. The physical plant constructed and its relationship to the emergency department personnel for staffing this unit are described. Utilization patterns since implementation of this program are presented.

Decontamination↗

Decontamination of aflatoxin-forming fungus and elimination of aflatoxin mutagenicity with electrolyzed NaCl anode solution.

Electrolysis of a 0.1% (17.1 mM) solution of NaCl using separate anode and cathode compartments gives rise to solutions containing active chemical species. The strongly acidic "anode solution" (EW+) has high levels of dissolved oxygen and available chlorine in a form of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) with a strong potential for sterilization, which we have investigated here. Exposing Aspergillus parasiticus at an initial density of 10(3)spores in 10 microL to a 50-fold volume (500 microL) of EW+ containing ca. 390 micromol HOCl for 15 min at room temperature resulted in a complete inhibition of fungal growth, whereas the cathode solution (EW-) had negligible inhibitory effects. Moreover, the mutagenicity of aflatoxin B(1) (AFB(1)) for Salmonella typhimurium TA-98 and TA-100 strains was strongly reduced after AFB(1) exposure to the EW+ but not with the EW-. In high-performance liquid chromatography analysis, the peak corresponding to AFB(1) disappeared after treatment with the EW+, indicating decomposition of the aflatoxin. In contrast, the routinely used disinfectant sodium hypochlorite, NaOCl, of the same available chlorine content as that of EW+ but in a different chemical form, hypochlorite (OCl-) ion, did not decompose AFB(1) at pH 11. However, NaOCl did decompose AFB(1) at pH 3, which indicated that the principle chemical formula to participate in the decomposition of AFB(1) is not the OCl- ion but HOCl. Furthermore, because the decomposition of AFB(1) was suppressed by pretreating the EW+ with the OH radical scavenger thiourea, the chemical species responsible for the AFB(1)-decomposing property of the EW+ should be at least due to the OH radical originated from HOCl. The OH in EW+ was proved by electron spin resonance analysis.

Aflatoxins↗

Lethal photosensitization for decontamination of implant surfaces in the treatment of peri-implantitis.

Peri-implantitis is considered to be a multifactorial process involving bacterial contamination of the implant surface. A previous study demonstrated that a combination of toluidine blue O (100 microgram/ml) and irradiation with a diode soft laser with a wavelength of 905 nm results in an elimination of Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis), Prevotella intermedia (P. intermedia), and Actinobacillus actinomycetemcomitans (A. actinomycetemcomitans) on different implant surfaces (machined, plasma-flame-sprayed, etched, hydroxyapatite-coated). The aim of this study was to examine the laser effect in vivo. In 15 patients with IMZ implants who showed clinical and radiographic signs of peri-implantitis, toluidine blue O was applied to the implant surface for 1 min and the surface was then irradiated with a diode soft laser with a wavelength of 690 nm for 60 s. Bacterial samples were taken before and after application of the dye and after lasing. The cultures were evaluated semiquantitatively for A. actinomycetemcomitans, P. gingivalis, and P. intermedia. It was found that the combined treatment reduced the bacterial counts by 2 log steps on average. The application of TBO and laser resulted in a significant reduction (P<0.0001) of the initial values in all 3 groups of bacteria. Complete elimination of bacteria was not achieved.

Adult↗

PCNA-expression of cementoblasts and fibroblasts on the root surface after extraoral rinsing for decontamination.

Periodontal cells capable of proliferation were studied immunohistochemically on extracted human teeth after 2-min irrigation with saline or ozonized water and marking of Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA). All specimens expressed PCNA. The labelling index (LI), i.e. the number of positive cells compared to the total number of cells, was 6.6% after irrigation with saline and 7.8% after irrigation with ozone. There was no difference in number and distribution of PCNA-positive cells from the coronal to the apical thirds of the roots. Irrigation with ozonized water showed higher labelling indices in comparison with saline, but this could not be statistically substantiated (P = 0.24). Ozonized water, not being isotonic, had no negative effect on periodontal cells remaining on the tooth surface after irrigation for 2 min.

Cell Division↗

Decontamination of dental unit water systems: a review of current recommendations.

It is now recognised that water delivered to dental handpieces and air/water syringes via dental unit water systems may become significantly contaminated with micro-organisms which originate from the incoming water supply and, to a lesser extent, with oral micro-organisms. The purpose of this article is to review the literature relating to the risks associated with contamination of dental unit water systems and methods which may be used to minimise these risks.

Biofilms↗

Acephate exposure and decontamination on tobacco harvesters' hands.

Agricultural workers manually harvesting tobacco have the potential for high dermal fexposure to pesticides, particularly on the hands. Often gloves are not worn as it hinders the harvesters' ability to harvest the tobacco leaves. To enable harvesters to remove pesticide residue on the hands and decrease absorbed doses, the EPA Worker Protection Standard requires growers to have hand-wash stations available in the field. The purpose of this study was to measure the concentration of acephate residue on the hands of tobacco harvesters, and the effectiveness of hand washing in reducing the acephate residue. Hand-wipes from the hands of 12 tobacco harvesters were collected at the end of the morning and at the end of the afternoon over 2 consecutive days. Each harvester had one hand-wiped prior to washing his hands, and the other hand-wiped after washing his hands with soap and water. In addition to the hand-wipe samples, leaf-wipe samples were collected from 15 tobacco plants to determine the amount of acephate residue on the plants. The average acephate level in leaf-wipe samples was 1.4 ng/cm(2). The geometric mean prewash and postwash acephate levels on the hands were 10.5 and 0.4 ng/cm(2), respectively. Both prewash (P-value=0.0009) and postwash hand (P-value=0.01) samples were positively correlated with leaf-wipe concentrations. Tobacco harvester position tended to influence hand exposure. Hand washing significantly reduced acephate levels on the hand, after adjusting for sampling period, hand sampled, job position, and leaf-wipe concentration (P-value< or =0.0001) with levels reduced by 96%. A substantial amount of acephate was transferred to the hands, and while hand washing significantly reduced the amount of residue on the hands, not all residue was removed.

Agriculture↗

Decontamination of laryngoscopes: a survey of national practice.

We conducted a postal questionnaire to survey methods of laryngoscope cleaning in units throughout Great Britain. We found that there was great variation in practice. Most units autoclave laryngoscope blades at some time, but less than one-quarter do so between each case. A wide range of methods is used to clean the blade in units where autoclaving was not undertaken. Most units had no guidelines relating to laryngoscope treatment between uses.

Cross Infection↗

Decontamination of pork carcasses during scalding and the prevention of Salmonella cross-contamination.

AIMS: The objective of this study was to establish critical temperature limits to prevent cross-contamination of pork carcasses during scalding. METHODS AND RESULTS: Mixtures of antibiotic-resistant mutants of Salmonella species were heat treated at 50, 55 and 60 degrees C in samples of commercial scald tank water. Surviving cell numbers were estimated by plating treated suspensions on (i). tryptone soya agar (TSA) and (ii). on TSA, overlaid with brilliant green agar plus nalidixic acid and streptomycin sulphate and used to estimate D-values for the treated mixed cell suspensions. CONCLUSIONS: A time-temperature combination of 1.4 min at 60 degrees C is required to achieve a 1 log reduction in Salmonella in scald tank water. The predicted equivalent at 65 degrees C is 0.18 min. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study provides data and a model to enable pork processors to identify and apply processing parameters to limit the risks of transfer of Salmonella between pig carcasses during commercial scalding operations.

Animals↗

In situ decontamination of medical wastes using oxidative agents: a 16-month study in a polyvalent intensive care unit.

Over a 16-month period from September 1997 to December 1998, a prospective study was made of an on-site treatment of medical wastes in a 10-bed intensive care unit. First, the wastes were ground and then, a high concentration of ozone in air was repeatedly injected into the ground wastes. The study analysed the practical application of the system and its microbiological efficiency. Inactivation experiments were made with reference strains of Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus hirae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Mycobacterium smegmatis, Bacillus subtilis var niger, Bacillus stearothermophilus, Candida albicans and Aspergillus niger. Two thousand eight hundred treatment cycles, i.e. 84,000 grindings and 140,000 ozone injections gave a treatment capacity of 50 kg of waste per day with a good staff acceptability. All kinds of medical devices used in an intensive care unit were treated. In untreated ground wastes, the median bacterial load was 105.86 (range 10(2.35)-10(8.05)) cfu/g. After ozone treatment, bacteria and fungi were reduced by a factor of 10(5). Aero-contamination of the ward was unchanged. Computer control allowed all events to be tracked. On-site medical waste treatment appears to be an efficient alternative to the usual centralized collection and treatment.

Decontamination↗