Most new office buildings in Nordic countries are equipped with balanced mechanical ventilation systems. The purpose of is to provide thermal control by supplying cold or warm air for adequate indoor quality. However, the role preventing virus transmission and maintaining a sufficient fresh supply obtain low level through dilution not currently well defined. Ventilation expected contribute spre...

BACKGROUND Up-to-date studies are needed on the protection provided by face masks used by dentists. We assessed the relative filtering efficacy of two currently used surgical face masks (one a molded mask, the other a tie-on mask) and a certified personal particulate respirator, all made by a single manufacturer. METHODS The authors sprayed bicarbonate particulate against a porcelain surface ...

Agricultural workers have higher rates of long-term sick leave associated with respiratory disease than any other worker groups. There is currently no published data on the extent to which Irish agricultural workers are exposed to occupational respiratory hazards. This investigation focused on Irish swine farm workers in concentrated animal feeding operations and measured their occupational exp...

BACKGROUND Ski waxes are applied onto the skis to improve the performance. They contain different chemical substances, e.g. perfluoro-n-alkanes. Due to evaporation and sublimation processes as well as mechanically generated dust, vapours, fumes, and particulates can contaminate the workroom atmosphere. The number of professional ski waxers is increasing, but occupational exposure assessments am...

BACKGROUND Airborne pathogens play an important role in a hospital air quality. Respiratory infections are the most common occupational disease among the health care staff. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of ventilation system parameters and patient bed arrangements on concentration of airborne pathogens in indoor air of an isolation room. MATERIALS AND METHODS A single-bed ...

Eight swine confinement buildings, selected to cover the widest possible range of cleanliness, were visited twice during winter and once during summer to verify the range, seasonal variations, and correlations between biological and chemical contaminants. Physical aspects were graded for dirtiness (1 = clean, 10 = dirty), ventilation, air temperature, number of animals, building, and room size....

Hospital operating rooms are among the most infection-sensitive environments in healthcare facilities. Surgical procedures increase patient vulnerability to pathogens transmitted from surgical personnel, surgical equipment, the air and a patient’s own skin flora. Despite advancements in surgical techniques and infection-prevention methods, two out of every 100 surgeries in the U.S. result in su...

Airborne contaminants, e.g., bacterial spores, are usually analyzed by time-consuming microscopic, chemical, and biological assays. Current research into real-time laser spectroscopic detectors of such contaminants is based on e.g., resonance fluorescence. The present approach derives from recent experiments in which atoms and molecules are prepared by one (or more) coherent laser(s) and probed...

The wettability of graphene is both fundamental and crucial for interfacing in most applications, but a detailed understanding of its time evolution remains elusive. Here we systematically investigate the wettability of metal-supported, chemical vapor deposited graphene films as a function of ambient air exposure time using water and various other test liquids with widely different surface tens...