Service member's personal protection guide : a self-help handbook to combating terrorism.

Mode of access: Internet.

Efficacy of a new self-supporting low-profile bednet for personal protection against Anopheles farauti (Diptera : Culicidae) in a village in Papua New Guinea

A new United States (U.S.) self-supporting low-profile bednet was designed by Walter Reed Army Institute of Research in collaboration with Breakthrough Technologies. The bednet incorporated permethrin-impregnated screening into a frame that erected automatically when removed from its bag. The new U.S. bednet was compared with the current Australian Defense Force (ADF) mosquito bednet at Buka Island, North Solomons Province, Papua New Guinea, in March 1999. At the time of the test, Anopheles farauti Laveran was the most abundant biting mosquito. Both bednet types provided > 97.8% protection compared with an unprotected collector. The untreated U.S. Army prototype bednet provided better protection than the untreated ADF bednet against mosquitoes entering the bednet during the night.

Nanoparticle usage and protection measures in the manufacturing industry : a representative survey

Addressing the risks of nanoparticles requires knowledge about release into the environment and occupational exposure. However, such information currently is not systematically collected; therefore, this risk assessment lacks quantitative data. The goal was to evaluate the current level of nanoparticle usage in Swiss industry as well as health, safety, and environmental measures, and the number of potentially exposed workers. A representative, stratified mail survey was conducted among 1626 clients of the Swiss National Accident Insurance Fund (SUVA), which insures 80,000 manufacturing firms, representing 84% of all Swiss manufacturing companies (947 companies answered the survey for a 58.3% response rate). The extrapolation to all Swiss manufacturing companies results in 1309 workers (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1073 to 1545) potentially exposed to nanoparticles in 586 companies (95% CI: 145 to 1027). This corresponds to 0.08% of workers (95% CI: 0.06% to 0.09%) and to 0.6% of companies (95% CI: 0.2% to 1.1%). The industrial chemistry sector showed the highest percentage of companies using nanoparticles (21.2%). Other important sectors also reported nanoparticles. Personal protection equipment was the predominant protection strategy. Only a few applied specific environmental protection measures. This is the first nationwide representative study on nanoparticle use in the manufacturing sector. The information gained can be used for quantitative risk assessment. It can also help policymakers design strategies to support companies developing a safer use of nanomaterial. Notingthe current low use of nanoparticles, there is still time to proactively introduce protective methods. If the predicted "nano-revolution" comes true, now is the time to take action. [Supplementary materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of Journal of occupational and Environmental Hygiene for the following free supplemental resource: a pdf file containing a detailed description of the approach to statistical analyses, English translation of the questionnaire, additional information for Figure 1, and additional information for the SUVA-code.] [Authors]

Industrial nanoparticle application : representative survey among Swiss companies shows low usage and basic protection means

Manufactured nanoparticles are introduced into industrial processes, but they are suspected to cause similar negative health effects as ambient particles. The poor knowledge about the scale of this introduction did not allow global risk analysis so far. In 2006 a targeted telephone survey among Swiss companies (1) showed the usage of nanoparticles in a few selected companies but did not provide data to extrapolate on the totality of the Swiss workforce. To gain this kind of information a layered representative questionnaire survey among 1'626 Swiss companies was conducted in 2007. Data was collected about the number of potentially exposed persons in the companies and their protection strategy. The response rate was 58.3%. An expected number of 586 companies (95%−confidence interval 145 to 1'027) was shown by this study to use nanoparticles in Switzerland. Estimated 1'309 (1'073 to 1'545) workers do their job in the same room as a nanoparticle application. Personal protection was shown to be the predominant type of protection means. Companies starting productions with nanomaterials need to consider incorporating protection measures into the plans. This will not only benefit the workers' health, but will also likely increase the competitiveness of the companies. Technical and organisational protection means are not only more cost−effective on the long term, but are also easier to control. Guidelines may have to be designed specifically for different industrial applications, including fields outside nanotechnology, and adapted to all sizes of companies.

PROTECTION FOR THE "TURNAROUND WORKER"

This document characterizes the types and magnitude of exposures to toxic substances faced by various turnaround workers in the petroleum industry. The safety and health professional is acquainted with the basic petroleum refinery, refinery equipment and causes for scheduled or emergency turnarounds. Common work procedures during the turnaround are discussed with emphasis on performing the job safely and without adverse consequence to worker health. A listing of commonly encountered substances with a corresponding summary of recognized exposure limits, recommended personal protection, hygiene measures and hazard information is provided to equip the safety and health professional with a ready checklist for worker protection.^ The use of this document was tested and found to improve the average prescription of work procedures and equipment from 38% appropriate (prior to receipt of information) to 84% appropriate (post receipt of information). All participants statistically improved their ability to protect the health and safety of the turnaround worker. ^

Barandillas de protección personal con solicitación dinámica

Las barandillas de seguridad con solicitación dinámica, tipos B y C según UNE-EN 13374, son el conjunto de componentes destinados a la protección colectiva de las personas contra las caídas a un nivel inferior y a retener materiales. Frecuentemente incorporan una red de seguridad. En este artículo se analizan aspectos fundamentales como su diseño, sus requisitos mecánicos y la solución a la problemática que suponen los soportes o puntos duros capaces de producir lesiones al accidentado. Para este fin, se ha estudiado el fenómeno de la caída de un lastre sobre tales redes con distintos modelos numéricos de elementos finitos en régimen dinámico y mediante consideraciones analíticas cinemáticas, obteniendo conclusiones útiles como la forma geométrica necesaria, la escuadría de los perfiles que constituyen el bastidor de la red, y los factores de impacto que sufren los accidentados. Ello permite sugerir mejoras al texto normativo.

Adequação da acústica e controlo do ruído em unidades de ressonância magnética: projeto de investigação

Mestrado em Segurança e Higiene do Trabalho.

Fractional model for malaria transmission under control strategies

We study a fractional model for malaria transmission under control strategies.Weconsider the integer order model proposed by Chiyaka et al. (2008) in [15] and modify it to become a fractional order model. We study numerically the model for variation of the values of the fractional derivative and of the parameter that models personal protection, b. From observation of the figures we conclude that as b is increased from 0 to 1 there is a corresponding decrease in the number of infectious humans and infectious mosquitoes, for all values of α. This means that this result is invariant for variation of fractional derivative, in the values tested. These results are in agreement with those obtained in Chiyaka et al.(2008) [15] for α = 1.0 and suggest that our fractional model is epidemiologically wellposed.

Aspectos a considerar para a avaliação de riscos no caso da aplicação do óleo descofrante

Mestrado em Higiene e Segurança no Trabalho.

Portuguese strengths and fragilities on safety and health practices

Despite improvements over the years, accidents continue to be a scourge in the construction sector, leading to an increase in the number of journal articles addressing the issue, in an attempt to help construction industry to increase safety performance [1]. This paper aims to, helping construction industry and particulary tunneling community, describe the Portuguese approach to most typical health and safety problems in underground excavations performed with the Sequential Excavation Method (SEM). The article will address various topics, from safety management and organizational practices, to collective and personal protection equipment, to emergency planning. nt problems in safety and health matters are similar to several other countries, the paper will expose a compilation of Portuguese best practices used to solve that problems. This enunciation of best practices describes experience from most important and recognized Project Owners and Contractors in Portugal. In a second phase it will be analysed Portuguese weaknesses, identifying preventive measures, and their comparative importance, that should be adopted in Portugal in order to reduce accidents and health diseases.

Efficacy of insecticide impregnated bed-nets to control malaria in a rural forested area in Southern Cameron

Due to current spreading of chemoresistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum malaria control must incorporate vector control programmes. Due to well known constraints house sprayings cannot be performed as before. Personal protection can be developed and a large scale use of insecticide treated bed-nets appeared to be very useful to reduce man-vector contact in Asia, South America and West and East Africa. No trial has done is forest Central Africa where transmission is permanent. We performed such a trial in the southern part of Cameroon (using deltamethrin, at 25mg/m*) and obtained similar data to those observed in the Gambia Burkina Faso and Tanzania with a noteworthy reduction of both transmission and high parasitaemia of P. falciparum (respectively 78% and 75%) meaning a drop of malaria morbidity.

Les institucions de protecció de la persona en el dret civil de Catalunya

El treball analitza les institucions de protecció de la persona en el dret civil de Catalunya, d’acord amb la nova regulació del llibre segon CCCat: la potestat parental, la tutela, la curatela, el defensor judicial, la guarda de fet, l’assistència, la protecció patrimonial de la persona discapacitada o dependent, i la protecció dels menors desemparats

Evaluation of cholinesterase level in an endemic population exposed to malathion suspension formulation as a vector control measure

The manuscript describes a study on the blood cholinesterase (ChE) level in an exposed population at different interval of time after spraying with malathion suspension (SRES) use for kala-azar vector control in an endemic area of Bihar, India. The toxicity of a 5% malathion formulation in the form of a slow release emulsified suspension (SRES) was assessed by measuring serum ChE levels in spraymen and in the exposed population.The study showed a significant decrease in ChE levels in the spraymen (p < 0.01) after one week of spraying and in exposed population one week and one month after of spraying (p < 0.01), but was still within the normal range of ChE concentration, one year after spraying, the ChE concentration in the exposed population was the same as prior to spraying (p > 0.01). On no occasion was the decrease in ChE level alarming. A parallel examination of the clinical status also showed the absence of any over toxicity or any behavioural changes in the exposed population. Hence, it may be concluded that 5% malathion slow release formulation, SRES, is a safe insecticide for use as a vector control measure in endemic areas of kala-azar in Bihar, India so long as good personal protection for spraymen is provided to minimize absorption and it can substitute the presently used traditional DDT spray.