PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

H L Gibbons

Publications and source records attributed to H L Gibbons.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1988

Alcohol, aviation, and safety revisited: a historical review and a suggestion.

A 1964 study by Harper and Albers initiated a new era of alcohol, aviation, and safety interest. Studies by the author agreed with the Harper and Albers data. Educational efforts that followed, and the apparent effects, are described. A study commissioned by the author confirmed the effect of low levels of alcohol on flying performance. Impairment from other effects of alcohol, such as alcohol-induced hypoglycemia (AIH), post-alcohol impairment (PAI), and positional alcohol nystagmus (PAN) are mentioned. It is suggested that the effects of PAN may play a role in spatial disorientation. It is also suggested that the ingestion of alcohol days before an accident may be demonstrated by laboratory procedures. The feasibility and implementation of this should be established. If the association between previous alcohol ingestion, and spatial disorientation or other impairment becomes evident, it should provide a basis for extensive education regarding aviation and safety.

Accident Prevention↗
PubMed1986

A review of the medical standards for civilian airmen. Synopsis of a two-year study.

This article summarizes the report of a comprehensive review by the American Medical Association (AMA) of the medical standards for civilian airmen. The present standards were promulgated by the Federal Aviation Administration in 1959; the alcoholism and cardiovascular standards were revised in 1982. The AMA report recommends new or revised standards for cardiovascular, mental and behavioral, visual, endocrine, respiratory, hematological, hearing and equilibrium, musculoskeletal, and nervous system disorders. It also provides guidance for the medical certification of airmen with conditions not covered specifically by the standards and recommends a new medical history and examination form for use by aviation medical examiners. Risk factors for the development of sudden incapacitating disease, such as coronary heart disease and stroke, receive special attention. Final standards will be developed by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Respiratory effects of mesquite broiling.

Mesquite wood charcoal has been widely promoted for the unique taste it imparts to broiled food. We recently examined a 21-year-old mesquite broiler cook with evidence suggestive of respiratory allergy or irritation following exposure to mesquite broiler smoke in a Salt Lake City restaurant. We subsequently surveyed 13 mesquite and 17 gas-flame ("charcoal") broiler cooks to determine the prevalence of respiratory symptoms among workers exposed to broiler smoke. The survey demonstrated statistically significant (P less than or equal to .05) respiratory irritation in the mesquite broiler group compared with the gas-flame broiler group in one of four symptom categories. Two other symptom categories strongly suggested the presence of (P less than .10) respiratory irritation in the mesquite broiler group. Personal air sampling was conducted or two mesquite broiler cooks and two gas-flame broiler cooks and compared. Unidentified saturated and unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbons (C8 through C12) with high molecular weights from 108 to 182 were present in air samples from the mesquite broiler cooks and not in the air samples from the gas-flame broiler cooks.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

A nationwide survey of civilian air ambulance services.

To identify and characterize civilian air ambulance services, a questionnaire was mailed nationwide to 583 prospective air ambulance services, with 154 responding. Our survey identified differences between hospital, hospital-affiliated, and private air ambulance services as to aircraft ownership, availability, types of aircraft, types of patients being transported, types of medical personnel and equipment, aircraft retrofit, and their feelings regarding air ambulance regulations. We found that hospital air ambulances are better suited for transporting critically ill patients while many private air ambulances appear better suited to transport nonemergency patients. Hospital-affiliated air ambulance services, although not as consistent in providing the specialized care of hospital air ambulances, appear better able to provide critical care than private air ambulance services. Based upon this data, we recommend that air ambulance regulations be directed at levels of patient care. Such regulations and guidelines will assist patient safety during aeromedical transports without jeopardizing currently operating air ambulance services.

Aircraft↗
PubMed1984

Removal and inactivation of bacteria during alum treatment of a lake.

Flocculation and removal of bacteria were observed during two separate aluminum sulfate (alum) treatments for removal of phosphorus from a eutrophic recreational lake. In addition, die-off and release of bacteria from alum floc were studied in columns under laboratory conditions. Membrane filtration and spread plates were used to determine concentrations of indicator species and total cultivatable bacteria, respectively. During the alum treatment of the lake, 90% of the fecal coliform (FC) population and ca. 70% of the fecal streptococci population were removed from the water column within 72 h. Numbers of FC in the floc on the lake bottom exceeded 2,400/100 ml at 120 h compared with the pretreatment concentration of 30 FC/100 ml. Inactivation of FC in the floc proceeded at a rate of 200 FC/100 ml per 24 h. In a second alum application to the lake, 95% of the total culturable bacterial population was removed from the water column. In a laboratory column study of survival and release rates, over 90% of an Escherichia coli suspension was concentrated in a floc formed at the bottom. E. coli was not released from the floc. The numbers of and survival of E. coli in the floc suggest the probable concentration of other enteric organisms, including pathogens. Thus, the floc poses a potential human health risk if ingested by swimmers or if others use the lake as a potable water source.

Alum Compounds↗
PubMed1984

Pneumoconiosis and exposures of dental laboratory technicians.

One hundred and seventy-eight dental laboratory technicians and 69 non-exposed controls participated in an epidemiological respiratory study. Eight technicians who had a mean of 28 years' grinding nonprecious metal alloys were diagnosed as having a simple pneumoconiosis by chest radiograph. Mean values for per cent predicted FVC and FEV1 were reduced among male nonsmoker technicians compared to male nonsmoker controls; after controlling for age, there was also a reduction in spirometry with increasing work-years. An industrial hygiene survey was conducted in 13 laboratories randomly selected from 42 laboratories stratified by size and type of operation in the Salt Lake City, Utah metropolitan area. Personal exposures to beryllium and cobalt exceeded the Threshold Limit Values (TLVs) in one laboratory. Occupational exposures in dental laboratories need to be controlled to prevent beryllium-related lung disorders as well as simple pneumoconiosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Regulations and the air ambulance.

The recent biopolitical history of air ambulance development and the need for regulations is reviewed. There has been significant interaction between Aerospace Medical Association committees, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the Civil Aeronautics Board. The Federal Aviation Administration's Advanced Notice and Withdrawal of Proposed Rulemaking, the latter based on the FAA supposition that the "majority" of states had enacted regulations and guidelines, is compared to actual data that only seven states have regulations and two have guidelines. The precedence for FAA to act on regulations is established. The Aerospace Medical Association and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration - not the FAA - have established and documented excellent guidelines. The FAA is providing a valuable service to aviation in general and air ambulance operations specifically through physiological training at military facilities which can provide information to promote patient protection in air ambulance operations.

Accident Prevention↗
PubMed1977

Carbon dioxide hazards in general aviation.

There are numerous reports of carbon dioxide fire extinguishers or significant loads of dry ice causing actual or potential carbon dioxide intoxication leading to accidents or incidents, both in the military and in the airlines. To evaluate the significance of the problem in general aviation, dry ice sublimation reported in literature and measured sublimation was theoretically applied to general aviation aircraft, and carbon dioxide from fire extinguishers was measured, both in static and flight condition. The results indicate that the use of carbon dioxide fire extinguishers or the transportation under some conditions of dry ice could produce levels which could cause severe anxiety due to respiratory stimulation or actually produce pilot impairment and contribute to or cause accidents.

Aircraft↗