The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (Taiwan CDC) has established a 3-tier personal protective equipment (PPE) stockpiling framework that could maintain a minimum stockpile for the surge demand of PPE in the early stage of a pandemic. However, PPE stockpiling efforts must contend with increasing storage fees and expiration problems. In 2011, the Taiwan CDC initiated a stockpile replacement mo...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate Universal Precautions (UP) compliance in the operating room (OR). DESIGN Prospective observational cohort. Trained observers recorded information about (1) personal protective equipment used by OR staff; (2) eyewear, glove, or gown breaks; (3) the nature of sharps transfers; (4) risk-taking behaviors of the OR staff; and (5) needlestick injuries and other blood and body-...

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of personal protective equipment on the oxidant/antioxidant parameters and DNA damage in firefighters during training and recovery. [Subjects and Methods] Twelve male nonsmoking volunteer firefighters (35.1 ± 7.2 years) underwent two maximal treadmill training (9 METs, 6 km/h), within 2 weeks, one in regular clothes and one in...

IMPORTANCE Contamination of the skin and clothing of health care personnel during removal of personal protective equipment (PPE) contributes to dissemination of pathogens and places personnel at risk for infection. OBJECTIVES To determine the frequency and sites of contamination on the skin and clothing of personnel during PPE removal and to evaluate the effect of an intervention on the frequ...

Anyone seeking to control the risks from vibration transmitted to the hands and arms may contemplate the use of anti-vibration gloves. To make an informed decision about any type of personal protective equipment, it is necessary to have performance data that allow the degree of protection to be estimated. The information provided with an anti-vibration glove may not be easy to understand withou...

BACKGROUND In Germany, the first outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza A/H5N1 occurred among wild birds on the island of Ruegen between February and April 2006. The aim of this study was to investigate the use of recommended protective measures and to measure H5N1-seroprevalence among personnel tasked with bird collection. METHODS Inclusion criteria of our study were participation in ...

The knowledge, attitude and practice on using personal protective equipment (PPE) of rattan craftsmen to protect themselves from health effect related to sulfur dioxide exposure in Thuong Hien trade village at Kienxuong district, Thaibinh province, Vietnam was conducted using cross-sectional analytic study. The rattan craftsmen (n=403) were interviewed by face to face questionnaire. The results...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the capability of accident and emergency (A&E) departments in six health regions of England to safely decontaminate casualties exposed to hazardous chemicals. METHODS In January 1999 a postal questionnaire was sent to the clinical director of all A&E departments in Trent, North and South Thames, South and West, North West and, Anglia and Oxford Health Regions. The quest...

Synthetic pesticides are extensively used in agriculture to control harmful pests and prevent crop yield losses or product damage. Because of high biological activity and, in certain cases, long persistence in the environment, pesticides may cause undesirable effects to human health and to the environment. Farmers are routinely exposed to high levels of pesticides, usually much greater than tho...