During an outbreak of infections caused by methicillin-resistant (MR) Staphylococcus aureus in our burn unit, we conducted an extensive 10-week study to define the environmental epidemiology of the organism. The inanimate environment in patient rooms and adjacent areas was examined by using volumetric air samplers and Rodac plates. Airborne and surface level contamination with MR S. aureus was ...

Electron radiation induced hydrocarbon contamination can be either a problem or a useful tool in electron beam analyses and lithographies. We have used atomic force microscopy to study electron beam written contamination structures. Contamination is shown not only to arise from the primary electron beam but also from the energy scattered outside of the direct impingement area. The size of the c...

Regular tobacco use in the enclosed environment of a car raises concerns about longer-term contamination of a car's microenvironment with residual secondhand smoke pollutants. This study (a) developed and compared methods to measure residual contamination of cars with secondhand smoke, (b) examined whether cars of smokers and nonsmokers were contaminated by secondhand smoke, and (c) how smoking...

Otoliths are calcified structures in the head of fish that record environmental information about fish's life history. Gathering the elemental information from the core of an otolith corresponding to the juvenile period of fish's life is critical to discriminate the adult fish to their natal habitats reliably. A high resolution micromill has been used to isolate the otolith core from a whole ot...