The Ecotoxicological Impact of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles on Pool Algae in the Presence and Absence of Disinfection Byproducts: a New Research Direction for the Public Health and Safety of Engineered Nanoparticles used in Consumer Products

2013 ◽  
Vol 224 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sung Hee Joo
Keyword(s):  
Metal Oxide Nanoparticles ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Research Direction ◽  
Disinfection Byproducts ◽  
Consumer Products ◽  
Engineered Nanoparticles ◽  
Oxide Nanoparticles ◽  
The Public ◽  
New Research ◽  
Public Health And Safety

Advances in understanding the transformation of engineered nanoparticles in the environment

2014 ◽  
Vol 86 (7) ◽  
pp. 1129-1140 ◽  
Author(s):  
Setare Tahmasebi Nick ◽  
Ali Bolandi ◽  
Tova A. Samuels ◽  
Sherine O. Obare
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Dissolved Organic Matter ◽  
Physical Properties ◽  
Recent Work ◽  
Environmental Remediation ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Green Manufacturing ◽  
Consumer Products ◽  
Engineered Nanoparticles ◽  
Proactive Study

AbstractEngineered nanoparticles (ENPs) are known to possess unique size and shape dependent chemical and physical properties. As a result of their properties, ENPs have been effective in several important applications including catalysis, sensor design, photonics, electronics, medicine, and the environmental remediation of toxic pollutants. Such properties and applications have led to an increase in the manufacture of ENPs and a rise in their presence in consumer products. The increase of ENPs in consumer products presents several opportunities and challenges, and necessitates a proactive study of their health and safety. This article highlights some recent work in which we have studied the effect of exposure of well-defined ENPs to pesticides and the effect of pH and dissolved organic matter. We also summarize our work and that of others who have studied the toxicity of ENPs with microorganisms. The results provide insights on the need for green manufacturing strategies of ENPs, their use and safe disposal practices.

scholarly journals Understanding Why Codes and Standards Fail

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen A. Batzer ◽  
John S. Morse ◽  
Dong Y. Don Lee
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Asymmetric Information ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Consumer Products ◽  
Best Interests ◽  
Information Cost ◽  
Minimal Level ◽  
Corporate Behavior ◽  
Adverse Impacts ◽  
Public Health And Safety

The enduring issues regarding codes and standards for consumer products and corporate behavior are discussed in this paper. It has been frequently asserted that the adherence of a product to a recognized government or private standard ensures that the product has a minimal level of safety, and that said product is therefore presumably non-defective. The agencies which promulgate these codes and standards are ostensibly impartial and informed, and have the public’s best interests in mind. This conviction is undoubtedly true in some instances, but is also unquestionably false in others. The issues regarding codes and standards and their impact upon products and the trusting public include, but are not limited to, asymmetric information, cost concerns, ethics, foreseeable misuses, non-alignment of interests, and technological advancements after the standards were adopted. In short, the adherence to the letter, rather than the spirit, of individual codes and standards is a manifestation of the Principal-Agent conflict, in which the agent, acting on behalf of the principal, has a different set of incentives than does the principal. This conflict and the underlying issues listed above are discussed. Case studies of numerous products with possible, known, and unforeseen adverse impacts upon public health and safety will be used as illustrations of products that were within the letter of the code or standard, but manifestly defective.

FROM WASTELAND TO PARKLAND: THE MAKING OF CORKTOWN COMMON

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 109-140
Author(s):  
Laura Solano
Keyword(s):  
Health And Safety ◽  
Natural World ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Public Realm ◽  
The Public ◽  
Public Benefits ◽  
Natural Landscapes ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Public Health And Safety

INTRODUCTION Density, public health and safety, quality of life, and sustainability are some of the most confounding issues that major cities face today as they expand in population and area. How do we bring urban populations closer together in the public realm, while still providing space for the individual psyche and also increasing the overall sense of positive connection to the natural world and to each other? Robust natural landscapes have sometimes been considered a luxury within a functioning city, but more and more they are being recognized for the vital role they play in making cities livable. The story of Corktown Common relates how a landscape built of necessity was also designed to deliver myriad public benefits, including enhanced urban ecology and sustainability.

VENDING SANITATION AND SAFETY-A CURRENT REPORT1

1969 ◽  
Vol 32 (12) ◽  
pp. 474-476
Author(s):  
David E. Hartley
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
World War Ii ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
National Standards ◽  
Full Time ◽  
The Public ◽  
Food And Beverages ◽  
Vending Machines ◽  
External Training ◽  
Public Health And Safety

While the automatic vending of food and beverages—and non-food merchandise—has been a part of The American scene since the late 1880's, problems of public health and safety did not enter the picture until the end of World War II when the first hot beverage vending machine went on location. In 1947, the vending industry and health officials first came together to discuss the development of uniform national standards for vending machines and vending operators. In 1957, after necessary research and preparation, The Public Health Service published The Vending of Food and Beverages—A Recommended Ordinance and Code. In the same year, the industry launched a full-time public health and safety program, guided by a nationally-constituted Health-Industry Council. The progress in sanitation and safety made as a result of cooperative industry and agency efforts over the past 12 years is discussed in terms of vending legislation, internal and external training, machine standardization and testing, and research. Concluding, a review of current problems in such matters as microwave safety, copper poisoning safeguards, temperature controls, icemaker design, and commissary layout is made, together with a “crystal ball” look at the future.

A RISMC Perspective of the Reasonable Risk-Protection Measures

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gangyang Zheng ◽  
Paul Nelson ◽  
Vera Moiseytseva ◽  
Ernie Kee ◽  
Fatma Yilmaz
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Safety Margin ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Cost Curve ◽  
Protection Measures ◽  
The Public ◽  
Core Damage ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Public Health And Safety

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is mandated to ensure “adequate protection” to the public health and safety, regardless of cost. It also has steadfastly declined to specify precisely what constitutes “adequate protection,” except that it does not mean “zero risk.” Rather it judges on a case-by-case basis whether the “adequate protection” standard has been met. NRC also seems to reserve the right to require an even higher level of protection, when that can be achieved in a manner that it judges to meet similarly imprecisely specified criteria such as “practicality” and “reasonableness.” In Regulatory Guide 1.174 NRC comes close to a concrete specification of “adequate protection,” albeit one that depends upon the historical licensing basis for a specific plant. And the technical portion of this paper begins with a description of how the approach of Regulatory Guide 1.174 can be viewed from the perspective of Risk-Informed Safety Margin Characterization. Meanwhile, in this research, in order to better understand the role of regulation, a microeconomic model of a price-taking nuclear power plant is constructed, particularly of the cost (C) of achieving any specified level of core damage frequency (CDF). Solution of this model reveals an economic optimum, at a point that balances plant value against risk of losing the plant via an accident involving core damage. For CDFs slightly smaller than this economic optimum there is scope for a regulatory mandate of even smaller CDF, should that be deemed either necessary to attain “adequate protection,” or reasonably attainable in order to achieve greater than adequate protection of the public health and safety. It is argued that regulatory bodies must have scope for discretionary decisions, because the information necessary to formulate a reasonable approximation to the cost curve C (fortunately) does not exist.

The Regulation of Dental Licensing: The Dark Ages?

1991 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 249-270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernard Friedland ◽  
Richard W. Valachovic
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Regulatory System ◽  
National Standards ◽  
State Laws ◽  
The Public ◽  
Freedom Of Movement ◽  
Current State ◽  
Dental Profession ◽  
Public Health And Safety

Current state laws regulating the licensure of dentists place severe restrictions upon the freedom of movement of practitioners. Most state laws were enacted during a period when a strong rationale for regulating public health and welfare existed. Today, these laws hamper the free movement of dentists and are anachronisms in an era of national standards and practices. The authors contend that the extant laws rest upon outdated assumptions and serve economic and protectionist goals rather than public health and safety.This Article examines the history and application of the traditional justifications for state licensure and their present ramifications. The authors suggest that replacing the current regulatory system with a national clinical examination and a national licensure program will best serve the interests of the public and the dental profession.

scholarly journals Bacteriological analysis of indoor and outdoor water parks in Wisconsin

2009 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 452-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracynda L. Davis ◽  
Jon H. Standridge ◽  
Alan J. Degnan
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Heterotrophic Bacteria ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Public ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Physical Injuries ◽  
Health Community ◽  
Bacteriological Testing ◽  
Public Health And Safety

Water parks are a rapidly growing element of the United States tourist industry. To reduce incidence of abrasion and impact injuries in such parks, designers are searching for padding materials that can withstand the harsh oxidative environments of chlorinated water. Although padded features help reduce physical injuries, they may also compromise the microbiological safety of water attractions. This study describes bacteriological testing performed on 31 different pad materials, play features and pools from 10 Wisconsin water parks. Materials and surrounding pool waters were sampled and tested quantitatively for total coliforms, Escherichia coli, E. coli 0157:H7, enterococci, staphylococci, heterotrophic bacteria, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, using standard methods. Each location was sampled during three visits, and results were averaged. Pool waters were within acceptable levels of target organisms and disinfectant residuals, but target organisms were found on water features, even those submerged in chlorinated water. Bacteria were detected more frequently in pools using pad materials compared with pools without. These findings provide data that will help the public health community understand the relations between designs, materials and maintenance of water features. Additionally, the information will help state regulators and owner/operators develop guidelines to improve public health and safety at water parks.

scholarly journals Disinfection Treatments of Disposable Respirators Influencing the Bactericidal/Bacteria Removal Efficiency, Filtration Performance, and Structural Integrity

Polymers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 45
Author(s):  
Seojin Jung ◽  
Tahmineh Hemmatian ◽  
Eugene Song ◽  
Kyeongeun Lee ◽  
Dongwan Seo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Surface Charges ◽  
Physical Damage ◽  
The Public ◽  
Filtration Performance ◽  
Attached Bacteria ◽  
Single Use ◽  
Public Health And Safety ◽  
Bacteria Removal

In the outbreak of COVID-19, the extended wear of single-use, disposable respirators was inevitable due to limited supplies. As a respirator is front-line protection against particulate matter, including bioaerosol and droplets, a comprehensive understanding for the reuse strategy is needed. In this study, eight different disinfection methods commonly applied for the reuse of respirators were compared for their influence on the filtration and bactericidal/bacteria removal performance, with in-depth discussion on the cause of effects. Treatments including oven-dry, ultraviolet irradiation (UV), microwaving, laundering with and without detergent, and immersion in hypochlorite, isopropanol, and ethanol were performed to respirators. Immersion in ethanol or isopropanol was effective for inactivation and removal of bacteria, yet such a treatment significantly deteriorated the filtration efficiency in about 20–28%, dissipating the surface charges. Laundering, while effective in removing the attached bacteria, triggered physical damage, leading to a possible reduction of filtration performance. A short-term oven-dry, UV irradiation, and microwaving mostly preserved the filtration performance, yet the drawback lied in the incomplete bactericidal efficiency. This study would contribute to the public health and safety by providing scientific background on the effect of disinfection treatment methods for respirators.

scholarly journals The UK’s hostile environment: Deputising immigration control

2021 ◽  
pp. 026101832098065
Author(s):  
Melanie Griffiths ◽  
Colin Yeo
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
European Economic Area ◽  
Hostile Environment ◽  
The Public ◽  
Irregular Migrants ◽  
Individual Vulnerability ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Public Health And Safety

In 2012, Home Secretary Theresa May told a newspaper that she wanted to create a ‘really hostile environment’ for irregular migrants in the UK. Although the phrase has since mutated to refer to generalised state-led marginalisation of immigrants, this article argues that the hostile environment is a specific policy approach, and one with profound significance for the UK’s border practices. We trace the ‘hostile environment’ phrase, exposing its origins in other policy realms, charting its evolution into immigration, identifying the key components and critically reviewing the corresponding legislation. The article analyses the impact and consequences of the hostile environment, appraising the costs to public health and safety, the public purse, individual vulnerability and marginalisation, and wider social relations. We conclude by identifying the fundamental flaws of the policy approach, arguing that they led to the 2018 Windrush scandal and risk creating similar problems for European Economic Area nationals after Brexit.

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