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Results for “Containment of Biohazards”

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At least 415 records · Page 23Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

Community-based programs for safe disposal of used needles and syringes.

OBJECTIVES: To review issues related to discarded syringes in the community and to describe community-based programs for the safe disposal of used needles and syringes. METHODS: We used the medical literature and chain referral to identify community-based syringe disposal programs other than syringe exchange programs (SEPs). We held a workshop in June 1996 involving staff from disposal programs; manufacturers of syringes, sharps containers, and other disposal devices; solid waste companies; public health staff; and researchers. RESULTS: Fifteen programs for the safe disposal of syringes were identified in the United States, Canada, and Australia. Of these, 12 primarily served persons with diabetes who use insulin, and 3 primarily served injection drug users (IDUs). The programs used three major strategies: puncture-resistant containers discarded in trash, community drop boxes, and sharps containers turned in for biohazard disposal at community sites, hospitals, or pharmacies. Participants in the workshop described key points in developing syringe disposal programs. Programs should involve pharmacists, physicians, waste disposal companies, public health departments, hospitals, diabetes educators, persons with diabetes who use insulin, and IDUs. For IDUs, criminal penalties for possession of syringes are a substantial deterrent to participation in community efforts to safely dispose of used syringes. The multiple and sometimes conflicting local, state, and federal laws and regulations concerning medical waste hinder development of multistate or national approaches to the safe disposal of syringes. More information is needed on community-based syringe disposal programs. CONCLUSION: Communities in the United States, Canada, and Australia have developed different approaches to achieve safe disposal of used syringes.

Australia↗
PubMed1986

Medical surveillance for hazardous waste workers.

The efforts to clean up hazardous waste disposal sites have led to an increasing number of workers involved in these activities. Industrial hygiene surveys have demonstrated that these workers are potentially exposed to low levels of multiple contaminants during the work day and to high levels of some contaminants for very short time periods. Personal protective equipment and work practices are important components in protecting workers from these exposures. Medical monitoring for these workers is problematic. While monitoring for the potential health effects of these multiple exposures may be useful, any attempt to monitor for possible health effects of all potential exposures could lead to a long array of medical tests. The utility and effectiveness of this approach is doubtful. Screening for a worker's physical ability to conduct hazardous waste cleanup jobs while he wearing protective equipment is also important and may cause difficulties due to our limited knowledge in this area. These issues will be discussed in the context of various programs designed to monitor these workers.

Containment of Biohazards↗
PubMed1988

Acute occupational exposure to antineoplastic agents.

Antineoplastic agents may exhibit effects not only in patients therapeutically exposed, but also in health workers who prepare and administer these drugs. Concern to date has focused on long-term health consequences, including adverse reproductive outcomes, altered immunity, and increased cancer risk. The burgeoning use of these drugs for non-malignant illnesses has enlarged the health worker population at risk beyond oncology personnel to include professionals in immunology, rheumatology, nephrology, and dermatology. We report here two cases of hospital workers who experienced acute adverse health effects resulting from occupational exposure to antineoplastic drugs. We believe such acute events are under-reported, and that they demonstrate the need for physician awareness regarding their management.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

A primer on the requirements for select agents and toxins used in biomedical and agricultural research applications.

A basic overview of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture List of Regulated Select Agents and Toxins used in biomedical and agricultural research, as controlled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is presented. The objective of the primer is to introduce to the health physics community a brief history, discuss basic terminology, review current legislation, and describe rules and regulations for the possession, use, and transfer of select agents and toxins. As with many institutions facing staff and budget restrictions, there is increased frequency of health physics professionals being designated the Responsible Official. This summary is necessary since radiolabeled select agents and toxins are being utilized in research applications and require oversight by the health physicist.

Agriculture↗
PubMed2004

Complying with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard: implementing needleless systems and intravenous safety devices.

Preventing the transmission of bloodborne pathogens to healthcare workers has been a mission and a challenge of the healthcare industry for over 20 years. The development of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Bloodborne Pathogens Standard in 1991 and the passing of the Needlestick Safety Act in 2000 mandated hospitals to develop an Exposure Control Plan to protect workers from these pathogens. Children's Hospital Boston began implementation of a needleless system in 1993. Employees readily accepted these systems into practice, because they were convenient and easy to use. A marked decrease in exposures to bloodborne pathogens naturally followed, which is consistent with the national data. The transition to intravenous (i.v.) safety devices at Children's Hospital began in 2000 and proved to be more of a challenge. First, the clinicians must choose a safety product, which requires developing and implementing a trial plan with potential catheters. This selection process is especially difficult in pediatrics where successful placement of the smallest-gauge catheter, no. 24, is imperative. After choosing an i.v. safety product, successful transition is dependent upon the thoroughness of i.v. safety device training and a commitment by the clinicians to the use of these products. Although the number of needlestick injuries and subsequent transmission of bloodborne pathogens have been further reduced with the use of i.v. safety devices, needlestick injuries still occur. This results from a lack of familiarity with the engineering of the device and therefore poor technique or a failure to activate the safety mechanism. Staff resistance due to loss of expertise with the new device and patient care concerns are additional barriers to the use of these new products. Addressing these obstacles and providing adequate training for all clinicians were required for successful implementation of these i.v. safety devices.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2003

A dual lethal system to enhance containment of recombinant micro-organisms.

Active containment systems based on the controlled expression of a lethal gene are designed to increase containment of recombinant micro-organisms used for environmental applications. A major drawback in containment is the existence of mutations that generate surviving cells that cease to respond to the toxic effect of the lethal function. In this work the authors have developed for the first time a strategy to reduce the problem of mutations and increase the efficiency of containment based on the combination of two lethal functions acting on different cellular targets of major concern in containment, DNA and RNA, and whose expression is under control of different regulatory signals. To engineer the dual gene containment circuit, two toxin-antitoxin pairs, i.e. the colicin E3-immunity E3 and the EcoRI restriction-modification systems, were combined. The genes encoding the immunity E3 and the EcoRI methyltransferase proteins (antitoxins) were stably inserted into the chromosome of the host cell, whereas the broad-host-range lethal genes encoding the colicin E3 RNase and the EcoRI restriction endonuclease (toxins) were flanking the contained trait in a plasmid. This dual lethal cassette decreased gene transfer frequencies, through killing of the recipient cells, by eight orders of magnitude, which provides experimental evidence that the anticipated containment level due to the combination of single containment systems is generally achieved. Survivors that escaped killing were analysed and the mutational events involved were characterized.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1990

Open fronted safety cabinets in ventilated laboratories.

Open fronted Class I and II microbiological safety cabinets (MSCs) are required by the British Standard 5726 to provide similar levels of operator protection (viz. 10(5). In laboratories that are naturally ventilated large numbers of both types of cabinets have been shown to exceed this requirement consistently over a number of years. The designs of some mechanically ventilated laboratories, however, produce excessive turbulence and draughts that can prejudice containment at the front aperture. On-site commissioning tests to determine operator protection factor are now well established and are recognized as being essential to the setting up of all open fronted cabinets in both ventilated and unventilated laboratories. This paper shows that where environmental conditions induce unsatisfactory cabinet containment, adjustments to air supply and exhaust systems can be made which will enable both Class I and II cabinets to produce operator protection factors in excess of 10(5). When compatibility is achieved between the local environment and the cabinets it is demonstrated that disturbances at the front aperture, caused by operator working procedures or by disturbances due to personnel movement within the room, have similar effects on both Class I and II cabinets. Once performance levels have been satisfactorily achieved, regular containment testing has shown that consistent performance can be maintained. These aspects of open fronted safety cabinet performance are discussed in relation to ventilated laboratories suitable for work with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Of paramount importance in the future is the necessity to design laboratory air systems that will be compatible with satisfactory safety cabinet performance--a relatively new requirement in ventilation system specifications.

Bacteriological Techniques↗
PubMed1991

Continued successful operation of open-fronted microbiological safety cabinets in a force-ventilated laboratory.

The considerable refinements necessary to enable Class I and II microbiological safety cabinets to operate in a force-ventilated laboratory and to meet appropriate safety criteria have been reported previously. The continued successful operation of such cabinets without a deterioration of operator protection is described. The performance of two Class II units, one meeting and one failing the current British Standard applied to four head KI-discus testing, is compared and discussed. In addition, some further potential difficulties within the environment, which could compromise cabinet containment, are highlighted.

Containment of Biohazards↗
PubMed1994

Universal barrier to lateral spread of specific genes among microorganisms.

A genetic circuit to suppress the lateral spread of cloned genes from recombinant to indigenous microorganisms in the environment has been developed. It is based on the endonucleolytic activity of the bacterial toxin colicin E3, which has a distinct target at the 3' end of the 16S ribosomal RNA; this sequence is conserved in virtually all prokaryotic and many eukaryotic genera. Cleavage at this sequence separates the mRNA binding sites from the remainder of the 16S rRNA, thereby inhibiting protein synthesis. While host bacteria carrying the genes for both colicin production and colicin immunity are perfectly viable, lateral transfer of the E3 gene to non-immune recipients results in killing of such recipients. This genetic circuit decreases operational transfer frequencies of cloned genes linked to the E3 gene among a variety of bacterial genera by four to five orders of magnitude. In combination with transposon cloning vectors, the circuit is predicted to reduce the rate of lateral spread of specific genes to ecologically insignificant levels. This system therefore represents a useful tool both to explore the evolutionary and ecological consequences of experimentally reducing lateral gene spread among microorganisms, and to increase the ecological predictability of novel recombinant microorganisms.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1993

Enhancement in the safety of immune globulins prepared from high-risk plasma.

Hyperimmune gamma-globulins have proven efficacious in the prevention and treatment of viral infections, including those caused by hepatitis A and B viruses, cytomegalovirus, parvovirus. Interest in the prevention and/or treatment of infections caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has led to clinical trials with anti-HIV immune plasma and purified immune globulin prepared from donors who are actively infected with HIV. The handling and fractionation of this or other infectious plasma requires the construction and operation of virus containment facilities designed to protect fractionation employees and the immediate environment. This requirement would be reduced substantially by applying virucidal procedures prior to or during plasma pooling. We have shown that heating plasma at 56 degrees C for 1 h followed by treatment with 1% tri(n-butyl) phosphate (TNBP) and 1% Triton X-100 for 4 h at 30 degrees C resulted in the inactivation of > or = 10(12.1) tissue culture infectious doses (TCID50) of HIV. With this treatment, the recovery of IgG was 87 +/- 3%. Fractionation of treated plasma by cold ethanol precipitation proceeded normally, and overall recovery, purity, and potency against selected viral markers were unaffected. The additional treatment of plasma with 15 g/l Aerosil for 4 h at 45 degrees C removed 10(4.5) TCID50 of HIV but resulted in substantial IgG losses both prior to and following fractionation. We conclude that potentially infectious plasma can be treated at 56 degrees C for 1 h and by TNBP/Triton X-100 at 30 degrees C for 4 h prior to fractionation. These steps appear sufficient to assure safety and to permit routine fractionation of plasma.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adsorption↗
PubMed2005

The ethics of biodefense.

This essay reviews major areas of ethical debate with regard to biodefense, focusing on cases in which biodefense presents ethical problems that diverge from those presented by naturally-occurring outbreaks of infectious disease. It concludes with a call for ethicists to study not only the ethical issues raised in biodefense programs, but also the ethics of biodefense more generally.

Biological Warfare↗