Gas-generating devices of chlorine dioxide (ClO2) are used as deodorant of rooms. We happened to use a commercial tabletop deodorant canister that releases extremely low-concentration ClO2 gas in a school classroom as deodorant. We found retrospectively and unexpectedly that during a period of 38 consecutive school days the rate of school children absent from the school was markedly lower (1.5%...

Crystalline stanous chloride dihydrate (SCD), more descriptively named dichloroaquatin(II) monohy­ drate SnCl2(OH2) • H20 [1, 2], is not a very stable compound. The vapour pressure of its crystal water is appreciable already at room temperature. If the com­ pound is stored in a dry atmosphere or under vacuum it quickly loses water and becomes highly reactive at its surface. One of the usual met...

The gas-phase dissociation of perchloroethene (PCE), trichloroethene (TCE), and cis-dichloroethene (cis-DCE) on zerovalent iron Fe(110) was investigated using periodic density functional theory (DFT) with the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and climbing image nudged elastic band method (CI-NEB). Activation energies and dechlorination rate constants for reductive beta-elimination of the...

The authors present quantum scattering calculations of rate coefficients for the spin-orbit relaxation of F(2P1/2) atoms in a gas of H2 molecules and Cl(2P1/2) atoms in a gas of H2 and D2 molecules. Their calculation of the thermally averaged rate coefficient for the electronic relaxation of chlorine in H2 agrees very well with an experimental measurement at room temperature. It is found that t...

The efficacy of currently available decontamination strategies for the treatment of indoor furnishings contaminated with bioterrorism agents is poorly understood. Efficacy testing of decontamination products in a controlled environment is needed to ensure that effective methods are used to decontaminate domestic and workplace settings. An experimental room supplied with materials used in office...

Mercury (Hg) is a toxic air pollutant with coal-fired utility plants being the largest anthropogenic Hg emission source in the United States. The extent that Hg can be removed from power plants using conventional air pollution control devices (APCDs) is significantly affected by Hg speciation in flue gas. Oxidized Hg (Hg) is preferable to elemental Hg (Hg) in that Hg is less volatile and solubl...

In June 2015, personnel from California's Contra Costa Health Services Environmental Health and Hazardous Materials (hazmat) divisions were alerted to a possible chemical release at a swimming pool in an outdoor municipal water park. Approximately 50 bathers were in the pool when symptoms began; 34 (68%) experienced vomiting, coughing, or eye irritation. Among these persons, 17 (50%) were treat...

The heterogeneous reaction of Cl q radicals with submicron palmitic acid (PA) particles was studied in an aerosol flow tube in the presence or in the absence of O2. Fine particles were generated by homogeneous condensation of PA vapours and introduced into the reactor, where chlorine atoms were produced by photolysis of Cl2 using UV lamps surrounding the reactor. The effective reactive uptake c...

Background. Classification of pulmonary disease into obstructive, restrictive, and mixed patterns is based on 2005 ATS/ERS guidelines and modified GOLD criteria by Mannino et al. (2003), but these guidelines are of limited use for simple spirometry in situations involving mass casualties. Aim. The purpose of this study was to apply these guidelines to patients who underwent simple spirometry fo...

Several decontamination agents including water, sodium hypochlorite, peroxyacetic acid, neutral electrolyzed oxidizing water, and chlorine dioxide gas were tested for their effectiveness to reduce the natural microflora on grated carrots. Microbial reductions of the total aerobic count obtained after the different treatments varied between 0.11 and 3.29 log colony-forming units (cfu)/g. Whether...