Although cleaners represent a significant part of the working population worldwide, they remain a relatively understudied occupational group. Epidemiological studies have shown an association between cleaning work and asthma, but the risk factors are uncertain. Cleaning workers are exposed to a large variety of cleaning products containing both irritants and sensitizers, as well as to common in...

Superhydrophobic (SH) materials are essential for a myriad of applications such as anti-icing and self-cleaning due to their extreme water repellency. A single, robust material simultaneously possessing melt-coatability, bulk water repellency, self-cleanability, self-healability, self-refreshability, and adhesiveness has been remaining an elusive goal. We demonstrate a unique class of melt-proc...

TiO₂ sol was produced by the sol-gel method through the hydrolysis and the aging of tetrabutyl titanate and the TiO₂ film was obtained by dipping and uniform lifting of the acid-treated and ultrasound-treated clean glass slides into the TiO₂ sol followed by aging, drying, and calcination. The effect of the hydrolysis control agents to the formed sol was researched and the crystalline state, the...

A spatial dataset is consistent if it satisfies a set of integrity constraints. Although consistency is a desirable property of databases, enforcing the satisfaction of integrity constraints might not be always feasible. In such cases the presence of inconsistent data may have a negative effect on the results of data analysis and processing and, in consequence, there is an important need for da...

[1] A down-core comparison of two commonly applied foraminiferal cleaning procedures for Mg/Ca paleothermometry has been conducted using well-preserved Globigerinoides ruber white (250–300 mm) from core material deposited under varying terrigenous-input and bottom water conditions. This study demonstrates that in the majority of investigated core materials, both cleaning methods yield fairly co...

Wet work is the main cause of occupational contact dermatitis in the cleaning industry. Dermatologists and occupational physicians need to base their primary and secondary prevention for workers in the cleaning industry on the characteristics of wet work exposures. We quantified the burden of wet work in professional office cleaning activities with a continuous standardized observation by train...

The vast majority of dry cleaners worldwide use the toxic chemical perchloroethylene (PCE), which is associated with a number of adverse health and environmental impacts. Professional wet cleaning was developed as a nontoxic alternative to PCE dry cleaning but has not been widely adopted as substitute technology. In the greater Los Angeles, CA, region, a demonstration project was set up to show...

Two new methods for the laser cleaning using a Q-swihed Nd:YAG laser have been developed and investigated. These offer increased efficiency and reduction in possible substrate damage for a wide range of substrate/encrustation combinations. In angular laser cleaning, it is shown that by controlling the angle of incidence of the cleaning laser, significant improvement in the efficiency of cleanin...

The manufacturing industry today uses many kinds of chemicals in its cleaning processes. The industrial cleaners often contain some sort of degreasing chemical to clean parts and components before the main processes, for instance assembly or surface treatment. These types of cleaning methods are often expensive and involve hazardous handling of chemicals in manufacturing, as well as in the tran...