SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Containment of Biohazards”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

PubMedDate not supplied

Lunar exploration and development--a sustainable model.

A long-term goal of space exploration is the development of a lunar settlement that will not only be largely self-sufficient but also contribute to the economy of the Earth-Moon system. Proposals for lunar mining and materials processing developments, as well as tourism-based applications, have appeared in the literature for many years. However, so great are the technical and financial difficulties associated with sustained lunar development that, more than 30 years after the end of the Apollo programme, there have been no practical advances towards this goal. While this may soon be remedied by a series of proposed unmanned orbiters, landers and rovers, the philosophy of lunar exploration and development remains the same as it has for decades: conquer, exploit, and ignore the consequences. By contrasting the well-recognised problems of Earth orbital debris and the barely recognised issue of intentional spacecraft impacts on the lunar surface, this paper illustrates the need for a new model for lunar exploration and development. This new paradigm would assign a value to the lunar environment and provide a balance between protection and exploitation, creating, in effect, a philosophy of sustainable development for the Moon. It is suggested that this new philosophy should be an integral part of any future strategy for lunar colonisation.

Containment of Biohazards↗

PubMed2005

Estimation and assessment of Mars contamination.

Since the beginning of the exploration of Mars, more than fourty years ago, thirty-six missions have been launched, including fifty-nine different space systems such as fly-by spacecraft, orbiters, cruise modules, landing or penetrating systems. Taking into account failures at launch, about three missions out of four have been successfully sent toward the Red Planet. The fact today is that Mars orbital environment includes orbiters and perhaps debris, and that its atmosphere and its surface include terrestrial compounds and dormant microorganisms. Coming from the UN Outer Space Treaty [United Nations Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (the "Outer Space Treaty") referenced 610 UNTS 205 - resolution 2222(XXI) of December 1966] and according to the COSPAR planetary protection policy recommendations [COSPAR Planetary Protection Policy (20 October 2002), accepted by the Council and Bureau, as moved for adoption by SC F and PPP, prepared by the COSPAR/IAU Workshop on Planetary Protection, 4/02 with updates 10/0, 2002], Mars environment has to be preserved so as not to jeopardize the scientific investigations, and the level of terrestrial material brought on and around Mars theoretically has to comply with this policy. It is useful to evaluate what and how many materials, compounds and microorganisms are on Mars, to list what is in orbit and to identify where all these items are. Considering assumptions about materials, spores and gas location and dispersion on Mars, average contamination levels can be estimated. It is clear now that as long as missions are sent to other extraterrestrial bodies, it is not possible to keep them perfectly clean. Mars is one of the most concerned body, and the large number of missions achieved, on-going and planned now raise the question about its possible contamination, not necessarily from a biological point of view, but with respect to all types of contamination. Answering this question, will help to assess the potential effects of such contamination on scientific results and will address concerns relative to any ethical considerations about the contamination of other planets.

Containment of Biohazards↗

PubMed2006

Clinical laboratories, the select agent program, and biological surety (biosurety).

The threat of bioterrorism has led to increased concerns over the availability of biological select agents and toxins (BSAT). Congress has implemented several public laws that have led to the development of federal regulations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the US Department of Agriculture. The CDC regulation 42 CFR 73 has a direct impact on all clinical laboratories that may at some time identify BSAT in a clinical specimen. The Department of Defense has imposed a more stringent layer of regulation called biological surety (biosurety) on top of the requirements of 42 CFR 73 for military laboratories that possess BSAT. However,42 CFR 73 falls into the framework of biosurety. Both sets of regulations have four pillars (safety, physical security, agent account-ability, and personnel reliability) that are built on a foundation of training and covered by a roof of management (operations and plans).

Bioterrorism↗

PubMed2004

Biosecurity and biocontainment of bovine viral diarrhea virus.

Infection of cattle with BVDV results in a variety of clinical illnesses costly to the cattle industry worldwide. The reservoir and primary source of transmission is cattle born PI with BVDV after transplacental infection in early gestation. It is a challenge to determine with certainty whether or not BVDV is circulating among a herd of cattle. If the virus is present in a herd,then biocontainment strategies are used to eliminate the virus by testing to removing PI cattle, preventing exposure of pregnant cattle to the virus, and increasing resistance to infection using vaccination. If it is clear that the virus is not present in a herd then, biosecurity actions must be taken to prevent introducing the virus into the herd.

Animal Husbandry↗

PubMed2006

TuBaFrost 2: Standardising tissue collection and quality control procedures for a European virtual frozen tissue bank network.

Tumour Bank Networking presents a great challenge for oncological research as in order to carry out large-scale, multi-centre studies with minimal intrinsic bias, each tumour bank in the network must have some fundamental similarities and be using the same standardised and validated procedures. The European Human Frozen Tumour Tissue Bank (TuBaFrost) has responded to this need by the promotion of an integrated platform of tumour banks in Europe. The operational framework for TuBaFrost has drawn upon the best practice of standard workflows and operating procedures employed by members of the TuBaFrost project and key initiatives worldwide.

Biological Specimen Banks↗

PubMed2004

Chelator induced phytoextraction and in situ soil washing of Cu.

In a soil column experiment, we investigated the effect of 5 mmol kg(-1) soil addition of citric acid, ethylenediamine tetraacetate (EDTA), diethylenetriamine-pentaacetate (DTPA) and [S,S]-stereoisomer of ethylenediamine-disuccinate (EDDS) on phytoextraction of Cu from a vineyard soil with 162.6 mg kg(-1) Cu, into the test plant Brassica rapa var. pekinensis. We also examined the use of a horizontal permeable barrier, composed of layers of nutrient enriched sawdust and apatite, for reduction of chelator induced Cu leaching. The addition of all chelators, except citric acid, enhanced Cu mobility and caused leaching of 19.5-23% of initial total Cu from the soil column. However, Cu plant uptake did not increase accordingly; the most effective was the EDDS treatment, in which plant Cu concentration reached 37.8 +/-1.3 mg kg(-1) Cu and increased by 3.3-times over the control treatment. The addition of none of the chelators in the concentration range from 5 to 15 mmol kg(-1) exerted any toxic effect on respiratory soil microorganisms. When EDDS was applied into the columns with horizontal permeable barriers, only 0.53 +/- 0.32% of the initial total Cu was leached. Cu (36.7%) was washed from the 18 cm soil layer above the barrier and accumulated in the barrier. Our results indicate that rather than for a reduction of Cu leaching during rather ineffective chelate induced Cu phytoextraction, horizontal permeable barriers could be more effective in a new remediation technique of controlled in situ soil washing of Cu with biodegradable chelates.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗

PubMed2005

Metal-contaminated soil remediation by means of paper mill sludges addition: chemical and ecotoxicological evaluation.

Metal pollution of soils is a great environmental problem. The major risks due to metal pollution of soil consist of leaching to groundwater and potential toxicity to plants and/or animals. The objective of this study is to evaluate by means of chemical and ecotoxicological approach the effects of paper mill sludge addition on the mobile metal fraction of polluted metal soils. The study was carried out on acidic soil derived from mining activities and thus polluted with heavy metals, and on two paper mill sludges having different chemical features. The results obtained by leaching experiments showed that the addition of a paper mill sludge, consisting mainly of carbonates, silicates and organic matter, to a heavy-metal polluted soil produces a decrease of available metal forms. The carbonate content seems to play a key role in the chemical stabilisation of metals and consequently in a decrease of toxicity of soil. The leached solutions have a non-toxic effect. The mild remediation by addition of sludge has moreover a lasting effect.

Carbonates↗

PubMed2005

ARAMIS project: a comprehensive methodology for the identification of reference accident scenarios in process industries.

In the frame of the Accidental Risk Assessment Methodology for Industries (ARAMIS) project, this paper aims at presenting the work carried out in the part of the project devoted to the definition of accident scenarios. This topic is a key-point in risk assessment and serves as basis for the whole risk quantification. The first result of the work is the building of a methodology for the identification of major accident hazards (MIMAH), which is carried out with the development of generic fault and event trees based on a typology of equipment and substances. The term "major accidents" must be understood as the worst accidents likely to occur on the equipment, assuming that no safety systems are installed. A second methodology, called methodology for the identification of reference accident scenarios (MIRAS) takes into account the influence of safety systems on both the frequencies and possible consequences of accidents. This methodology leads to identify more realistic accident scenarios. The reference accident scenarios are chosen with the help of a tool called "risk matrix", crossing the frequency and the consequences of accidents. This paper presents both methodologies and an application on an ethylene oxide storage.

Accidents, Occupational↗

PubMed2005

Land use planning in India.

India was the first country to provide for the protection and improvement of environment in its constitution. Land use planning (LUP) or siting of industries has been taken up at the State and Central (Federal) levels over the last few decades. LUP is critical for all types of industries and new residential colonies, but is especially so for the chemical industries. With the experience gained, more coherence in LUP policies is emerging. A few prominent cases of siting of industry, some mixed with public outcry, that have affected the policies are noted in the text. Various factors which affect LUP in India are: population density, infrastructure (roads, power, communication, etc.), level of industrialization in different parts, need for creation of jobs, eco-sensitive regions, tribal regions, historical monuments, etc. This paper discusses the current scene in India and the near future aspects.

Building Codes↗

PubMed2005

The accidental risk assessment methodology for industries (ARAMIS)/layer of protection analysis (LOPA) methodology: a step forward towards convergent practices in risk assessment?

In the last ten years, layer of protection analysis (LOPA) emerged as a simplified form of quantitative risk assessment (QRA). The European Commission funded project Accidental Risk Assessment Methodology for Industries in the context of the Seveso 2 Directive (ARAMIS) has recently been completed. ARAMIS has several modules which give a consistent simplified approach to risk assessment which does not approach the complexity or expense of full QRA. LOPA is potentially a means of carrying out the assessment of barriers required in ARAMIS. This paper attempts to explain the principles of LOPA and the means by which it can be used within ARAMIS.

Accidents, Occupational↗

PubMed2005

ARAMIS project: a more explicit demonstration of risk control through the use of bow-tie diagrams and the evaluation of safety barrier performance.

Over the last two decades a growing interest for risk analysis has been noted in the industries. The ARAMIS project has defined a methodology for risk assessment. This methodology has been built to help the industrialist to demonstrate that they have a sufficient risk control on their site. Risk analysis consists first in the identification of all the major accidents, assuming that safety functions in place are inefficient. This step of identification of the major accidents uses bow-tie diagrams. Secondly, the safety barriers really implemented on the site are taken into account. The barriers are identified on the bow-ties. An evaluation of their performance (response time, efficiency, and level of confidence) is performed to validate that they are relevant for the expected safety function. At last, the evaluation of their probability of failure enables to assess the frequency of occurrence of the accident. The demonstration of the risk control based on a couple gravity/frequency of occurrence is also possible for all the accident scenarios. During the risk analysis, a practical tool called risk graph is used to assess if the number and the reliability of the safety functions for a given cause are sufficient to reach a good risk control.

Accidents, Occupational↗

PubMed2005

The development of an audit technique to assess the quality of safety barrier management.

This paper describes the development of a management model to control barriers devised to prevent major hazard scenarios. Additionally, an audit technique is explained that assesses the quality of such a management system. The final purpose of the audit technique is to quantify those aspects of the management system that have a direct impact on the reliability and effectiveness of the barriers and, hence, the probability of the scenarios involved. First, an outline of the management model is given and its elements are explained. Then, the development of the audit technique is described. Because the audit technique uses actual major hazard scenarios and barriers within these as its focus, the technique achieves a concreteness and clarity that many other techniques often lack. However, this strength is also its limitation, since the full safety management system is not covered with the technique. Finally, some preliminary experiences obtained from several test sites are compiled and discussed.

Accidents, Occupational↗

PubMed2005

Quantifying the influence of safety management on the reliability of safety barriers.

A methodology is described that enables to use safety management audit assessments and safety culture questionnaire results for estimating the reductions in the reliability of safety barriers in major hazard plants. The critical issue is the establishment of weight factors in combination with the anchoring of "good" safety management. A method is proposed to derive weight factors from statistical accident analysis in combination with a statistical analysis of safety management assessments at a representative sample of major hazard industries. A preliminary set of weight factors is presented with some examples of resulting reductions in reliability--this demonstration confirms that the set of weight factors needs further development.

Accidents, Occupational↗

PubMed2005

A risk severity index for industrial plants and sites.

A risk index (Risk Severity Index, S) has been devised to allow the assessment of the risk level originated by a given installation or site over the affected zone. A set of threshold levels for thermal radiation, toxic concentration and overpressure, together with the probabilities and frequencies associated to critical events and their effects have been the basis for calculating the values of S. A computer tool has been designed to perform a quick calculation of the diverse Risk Severity Indexes (for a critical event, for a dangerous phenomenon, for a type of effect and for the whole installation) and to plot a map of the risk severity levels around the site. The methodology has been applied to diverse test cases and it has proved to be useful for risk assessment, for comparative studies and for land use planning.

Accidents, Occupational↗

PubMed2005

Environmental vulnerability assessment in the vicinity of an industrial site in the frame of ARAMIS European project.

This work has been carried out in the framework of the ARAMIS project, which aims at developing a comprehensive procedure for assessing the risk level associated to an industrial site with respect to the surrounding environment. To this end, an index is defined which consists of the contribution of three terms, expressing the severity of the scenario consequences, the efficiency of the safety management and the vulnerability of the surrounding environment. The present work focuses on this last aspect concerning the determination of the vulnerability, of the area in the vicinity of an industrial site, of human, environmental (or natural) and material stakes. The applied methodology consists in identifying and quantifying the targets by the means of a geographical information system (GIS) and in assessing the contribution of each target on the basis of a multicriteria decision approach (Saaty method). The result is an operational tool allowing competent authorities, industrialists and risk experts to assess the vulnerability of the area surrounding an industrial site.

Causality↗

PubMed2006

Safety and reliability analysis in a polyvinyl chloride batch process using dynamic simulator-case study: Loss of containment incident.

In this paper, a novel methodology in batch plant safety and reliability analysis is proposed using a dynamic simulator. A batch process involving several safety objects (e.g. sensors, controller, valves, etc.) is activated during the operational stage. The performance of the safety objects is evaluated by the dynamic simulation and a fault propagation model is generated. By using the fault propagation model, an improved fault tree analysis (FTA) method using switching signal mode (SSM) is developed for estimating the probability of failures. The timely dependent failures can be considered as unavailability of safety objects that can cause the accidents in a plant. Finally, the rank of safety object is formulated as performance index (PI) and can be estimated using the importance measures. PI shows the prioritization of safety objects that should be investigated for safety improvement program in the plants. The output of this method can be used for optimal policy in safety object improvement and maintenance. The dynamic simulator was constructed using Visual Modeler (VM, the plant simulator, developed by Omega Simulation Corp., Japan). A case study is focused on the loss of containment (LOC) incident at polyvinyl chloride (PVC) batch process which is consumed the hazardous material, vinyl chloride monomer (VCM).

Computer Simulation↗

PubMed2006

The containment of oil spills in porous media using xanthan/aluminum solutions, gelled by gaseous CO2 or by AlCl3 solutions.

The gelation in situ of polymers may be a method for temporarily containing organic solvents and other petroleum derived products, which may enter the subsurface. In order to create gels that are neither toxic to humans nor to the ecosystem, we have investigated on the use of the biopolymer xanthan gum with aluminum as a crosslinking agent. Firstly we have considered xanthan/sodium aluminate solutions, which upon preparation are strongly basic and do not gel. The gelation takes place in acid solutions so that Al(III) ions are released, and is instantaneous. Therefore, a special technique must be used for generating the gel structure in situ. The un-gelled solution must be injected and an acid must be added afterwards. We have investigated on the gelling reaction induced by gaseous carbon dioxide, which is an acid gas. The insufflation of CO(2) above the solution generates a layer of gel whose thickness progressively increases as CO(2) diffuses in the polymer solution. Secondly we have investigated on the use of aluminum chloride as the source of Al(III) ions. Also in this case, due to the full availability of Al(III) ions, the gelling reaction would be instantaneous. Therefore, the solution of AlCl(3) must be added on the top of the xanthan solution after its injection. For both gelling systems we have studied both theoretically and experimentally the rate of formation of the gel layer which progressively thickens after the insufflation of CO(2) or after the addition of the AlCl(3) solution.

Aluminum↗

PubMed2004

Containment testing of isolation rooms.

Results from the tracer containment testing of four 'state-of-the-art' airborne infection isolation rooms, in a new hospital, are presented. A testing technician exited an isolation room several minutes after a small quantity of tracer gas was injected over the patient bed in that room. Easily measurable tracer gas concentrations were then found in the anterooms outside the patient rooms and corridor outside the isolation room suites. Containment factors for the isolation rooms and dilution factors in the anterooms and corridor were calculated, based on the measured tracer concentrations. These results indicate the desirability of evidence-based design standards and guidelines for assessing performance of airborne infection isolation rooms. The study also demonstrates that the tracer testing procedure yields comparable results for equivalent isolation room suites, suggesting good reproducibility of the testing method.

Aerosols↗