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Results for “Containment of Biohazards”

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PubMedDate not supplied

The non-contact monitoring of heart and respiratory rates using laser irradiation: an experimental simultaneous monitoring with and without clothes during biochemical hazards.

The purpose of this study is to develop a non-contact method to evaluate the heart and respiratory rates simultaneously using a single optical sensor which can be used without the removal of clothes before a decontamination procedure in biochemical hazards. We measured the heart and respiratory rates with and without clothes to assess the vital sign monitoring before decontamination. In order to monitor the heart and respiratory rates of rabbits simultaneously, the respiratory and cardiac peaks were separated using fast Fourier transform from a 5 mW helium-neon laser (wavelength 632.8 nm) reflected off the chest walls of rabbits. A cloth (50 mm x 50 mm, 2 mm thick) was placed on the chest of the rabbits to simulate the vital sign monitoring with clothes. The heart rate measured using this method agreed with the rate derived from an electrocardiogram (r = 0.82, p<0.05). The respiratory rate correlated with the manually measured respirator rate (r = 0.93, p<0.05). This method appears promising as a non-contact method for monitoring the heart and respiratory rates of patients under biochemically hazardous conditions.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Hazardous materials responses in a mid-sized metropolitan area.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the chemicals involved in fire department hazardous materials (hazmat) responses and analyze the concomitant emergency medical services' patient care needs. METHODS: The setting was a mid-sized metropolitan area in the southwestern United States with a population base of 400,000 and an incorporated area of 165 square miles. The authors conducted a retrospective evaluation of all fire department hazmat reports, with associated emergency medical services patient encounter forms, and in-patient hospital records from January 1, 1992, through December 31, 1994. RESULTS: The fire department hazardous materials control team responded to 468 hazmat incidents, involving 62 chemicals. The majority of incidents occurred on city streets, with a mean incident duration of 46 minutes. More than 70% of the responses involved flammable gases or liquids. A total of 32 incidents generated 85 patients, 53% of whom required transport for further evaluation and care. Most patients were exposed to airborne toxicants. Only two patients required hospital admission for carbon monoxide poisoning. CONCLUSION: Most hazmat incidents result in few exposed patients who require emergency medical services care. Most patients were exposed to airborne toxicants and very few required hospitalization. Routine data analysis such as this provides emergency response personnel with the opportunity to evaluate current emergency plans and identify areas where additional training may be necessary.

Catchment Area, Health↗
PubMed1983

Health, safety and environmental criteria for siting of laboratory facilities.

The development of applicable criteria for assessing the suitability of a site for construction of full and partial containment laboratories for the analysis of unknown and highly toxic chemicals is described. The criteria, based on considerations of health, safety and environmental factors, are used to define critical considerations in site selection to minimize the risk to non-laboratory personnel and the surrounding environment. Criteria are synthesized from several sources using the assumption of a worst-case chemical release. Mechanical failures, human failures, critical events and social/legal limitations are investigated, as are the characteristics of a site which may limit construction of such a facility. A detailed description is made of the various types of laboratories and the types of samples analyzed in them. The final recommendations are summarized for five typical laboratory settings; they are based primarily on the potential impacts on people, property and natural resources. A single occupancy building in a rural setting is recommended as the most suitable site for a full containment laboratory. A single occupancy building in an industrial park setting is acceptable, while multiple occupancy buildings and sites which are more highly developed are unacceptable. Similar recommendations are made for partial containment and conventional laboratories.

Containment of Biohazards↗
PubMed1991

Design modifications of a class II biological safety cabinet and user guidelines for enhancing safety.

Class II Biological Safety Cabinets (BSCs) are widely used in biological and chemical research for protection of the investigator, the environment, and the project. However, researchers' operational procedures are often inconsistent with BSC design limitations. While the Class II BSC is only a partial containment cabinet, better design and user training can improve containment, thereby increasing personnel protection. The authors developed design modifications for a Class II BSC to permit internal waste collection and to optimize the available work area. An internal recessed well for the waste receptacle, relocation of petcocks and electrical duplex, and installation of a new vacuum bottle make operation of the cabinet more efficient and potentially safer. To correct poor work practices, which can compromise the protective features of any BSC, precise guidelines and training programs should be relied on. Standardization of guidelines for operation of BSCs would be beneficial to the clinical and research community, given the frequent exchange of investigators among biomedical institutions.

Containment of Biohazards↗
PubMed1996

Performance-based exposure control limits for pharmaceutical active ingredients.

For many years pharmaceutical companies have established employee exposure limits for the active ingredients used in their products. Historically these limits were derived using traditional risk assessment methods. Because the trend in the pharmaceutical industry is to identify and develop more selective drugs of increasing potency, and because of the difficulty in identifying no-effect levels for certain drugs, a new performance-based approach for setting limits was developed. This method involves assigning materials into one of five hazard categories according to their inherent toxicological and pharmacological properties. The criteria used to assign compounds into performance-based exposure control limit (PB-ECL) categories focus on the degree to which exposure impacts human health. These assignments dictate the level of containment required to assure employee safety that is achieved through the use of engineering controls and safe handling practices. Several matrices were developed to specify general design concepts and controls for unit operations in laboratory and manufacturing operations. Containment options range from conventional handling practices for low potency (PB-ECL Category 1) materials, to technologically advanced systems that result in essentially no open handling for potent or toxic (PB-ECL Category 3) materials, to state-of-the-art facilities employing closed processes and use of robotics for extremely potent (PB-ECL Category 5) materials.

Containment of Biohazards↗
PubMed1997

Infectious waste management and laboratory design criteria.

Infectious waste management and laboratory design criteria are provided to help in recognizing what information needs to be included in an individual program and to develop an infectious waste management plan. Relevant engineering aspects of a containment laboratory are described in detail, and suggested equipment and operating procedures for collection, sterilization, and disposal of solid and liquid waste are discussed. The need for public awareness regarding infectious waste is discussed, including liability considerations associated with improper disposal. This study shows how proper management of infectious waste results in lower disposal cost, lower operating costs, reduction in liabilities, increased worker safety, and a cleaner environment.

Containment of Biohazards↗
PubMed2001

Countering the posteradication threat of smallpox and polio.

After eradication, there is a small but finite risk that smallpox and/or poliomyelitis viruses could accidentally escape from a laboratory or be released intentionally. The reintroduction of either virus into a highly susceptible population could develop into a serious catastrophe. To counter such an occurrence will require the use of vaccine, perhaps in substantial quantities. In the United States, new stocks of smallpox vaccine are being procured and arrangements are being made for a standby production facility. Similar provisions need to be considered for polio. To counter an epidemic of polio will require the use of the oral vaccine, which is presently the World Health Organization-recommended vaccine of choice for countries throughout the developing world. In these countries, its continued use is advised because of its ability to induce intestinal immunity, its ability to spread to other susceptible household members and to protect them, its ease of administration, and its low cost.

Bioterrorism↗
PubMed2005

Biosafety level 3 laboratory for autopsies of patients with severe acute respiratory syndrome: principles, practices, and prospects.

BACKGROUND: During the outbreak of the emergent severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) infection, >30% of the approximately 8000 infected persons were health care workers. The highly infectious nature of SARS coronavirus (SARS-CoV) compelled our pathologists to consider biosafety issues in the autopsy room and for tissue processing procedures. METHODS: A specially designed biosafety level 3 (BSL-3) autopsy laboratory was constructed and divided into a clean area, a semicontaminated area, a contaminated area, and 2 buffer zones. High-efficiency particulate air filters were placed in the air supply and exhaust systems. Laminar air flow was from the clean areas to the less clean areas. The negative pressures of the contaminated, semicontaminated, and clean areas were approximately -50 pa, -25 pa, and -5 pa, respectively. Personal protective equipment, including gas mask, impermeable protective clothing, and 3 layers of gloves worn during autopsies; the equipment was decontaminated before it was allowed to exit the facility. Strict BSL-3 practices were followed. RESULTS: When a given concentration of particulate sarin simulant was introduced into the contaminated area, it could not be detected in either the semicontaminated area or clean area, and particles >0.3 microm in size were not detected in the exhaust air. A total of 16 complete postmortem examinations for probable and suspected SARS were performed during a 2-month period. Of these, 7 reported confirmed cases of SARS. None of the 23 pathologists and technicians who participated in these autopsies was infected with SARS-CoV. CONCLUSIONS: Our experience suggests that BSL-3 laboratory operating principles should be among the special requirements for performing autopsies of contaminated bodies and that they can safeguard the clinicians and the environment involved in these procedures.

Autopsy↗
PubMed1995

An outbreak of needlestick injuries in hospital employees due to needles piercing infectious waste containers.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the cause of an outbreak of needlestick injuries (NSIs) in hospital employees. SETTING: A 700-bed university hospital. DESIGN: Outbreak investigation, laboratory evaluation of a medical waste disposal device, cost analysis. METHODS: Employee health department records were reviewed of workers suffering sticks from needles piercing fiberboard-contaminated material containers (CMCs). A laboratory evaluation of needle-puncture resistance properties of the CMCs was performed using a testing apparatus. The cost of a hospital waste disposal program using fiberboard CMCs was compared with the cost of a program using rigid plastic (polypropylene) boxes. RESULTS: During 40 months of surveillance in 1986 and from 1989 to 1991, only one NSI had occurred from a needle piercing a CMC. During 9 months in 1993, 13 NSIs occurred due to needles piercing CMCs (P < .001). No clinical illness resulted from the NSIs. The outbreak was halted by a temporary change to plastic (polypropylene) boxes for sharps disposal ($4.92 to $23.33/cu ft) until receipt of a box with a newly designed solid fiberboard liner ($1.25/cu ft). CMC liners used during the epidemic had a mean needle puncture resistance of 527 g, as compared with 660 g for liners used before the outbreak (P < .001). The new solid fiberboard liner has a mean puncture resistance of 1,765 g. A program of waste disposal using fiberboard CMCs was found to cost approximately one-seventh the cost of a program using plastic boxes for disposal of infectious waste. CONCLUSION: A program for infectious waste disposal using fiberboard CMCs can be safe and cost-effective if appropriate standards for puncture resistance are met.

Containment of Biohazards↗
PubMed1997

Accidental blood contact during orthopedic surgical procedures.

A questionnaire study was carried out of all orthopedic surgical procedures in the operating rooms of a teaching hospital over an 8-week period to describe the frequency and circumstances of accidental blood contact. Blood exposure occurred in 11% of the procedures. Contamination of intact skin was the most common incident (79%); percutaneous injury occurred in 13%. The majority of the incidents were believed to be preventable.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗