Lead in house dust has long been recognized as a principal source of excess lead absorption among children at the Bunker Hill Superfund Site (BHSS) in northern Idaho. House dust lead concentration from homeowner's vacuum cleaner bags has been monitored since the epidemic of childhood lead poisoning in 1974. Geometric mean house dust lead concentrations decreased from >10000 mg/kg in 1974 to app...

Aseptic ultra-high-temperature (UHT)-type processed food products (e.g., milk or soup) are ready to eat products which are consumed extensively globally due to a combination of their comparative high quality and long shelf life, with no cold chain or other preservation requirements. Due to the inherent microbial vulnerability of aseptic-UHT product formulations, the safety and stability-related...

BACKGROUND The bacterial and chemical contamination of dialysate fluids are important problems in haemodialysis therapy and may be caused by the water used for dialysate preparation. METHODS We performed a survey of the microbiological and chemical quality of the water used in seven dialysis wards. Special attention was paid to the effects of each water treatment step, for example ion exchang...

F luoride varnish is a valuable tool in the prevention of tooth decay. Studies have demonstrated its effectiveness at arresting early cavitated lesions, remineralizing interproximal incipient smooth surface lesions and preventing caries. Medical personnel in many public health clinics now are applying these varnishes in an attempt to minimize treatment needs and reduce accessto-care problems. S...

The thrust of the NEMI project on Fiber Optic Signal Performance was to develop fiber optics inspection criteria, which may support differing requirements based on application. The tests’ resulting data would provide OEM incoming quality and cable suppliers with specific cleanliness requirements with supporting data. Potentially, the inspection criteria could be used as an enhancement to existi...

THERE has been prominence recently in the medical press on sterilization methods in hospitals, and it is becoming increasingly recognized that all is not well with steam-pressure sterilizers and sterilization procedures in many of our hospitals. This report by an operational research team of the Nuffield Provincial Hospitals Trust, on sterilizing practice in six British hospitals, observed over...

Deficiencies in drinking water distribution systems can result in illness, even if the water meets health standards as it leaves a treat­ ment facility. A new review in EHP discusses the routine malfunc­ tions in distribution networks that contribute to background levels of gastrointestinal illness and highlights critical research needs. The most common adverse health effects from unsafe drinki...

Diarrhoeal diseases kill an estimated 2.5 million people each year, the majority being children under 5 years (Kosek et al. 2003). An estimated 4 billion cases annually account for 5.7% of the global burden of disease and place diarrhoeal disease as the third highest cause of morbidity and sixth highest cause of mortality (Pruess et al. 2002). Among children under 5 years in developing countrie...

The story begins with a classic public health parable: Two physicians observe people floating down the Brown River. Some were alive and struggling, but with eyes glazed. The doctors spring into action, pulling as many people as possible from the river. As the flow of bodies continues unabated, the epidemiologist jumps out of the water and begins to run upstream. Her colleague protests, “For God...