Contamination News and Research

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Environmental engineers testing promising new way to clean up harmful contaminants

They're in stain-resistant carpet, paint, permanent markers, food packaging and firefighting foam. Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs), a broad class of manufactured chemicals, touch every corner of the industrialized world.

14 Nov 2016

New WHO guidelines suggest use of prophylactic negative pressure wound therapy for prevention of SSIs

The World Health Organization announced new global guidelines concerning surgical site infections (SSIs) – a significant contributor to unnecessary costs associated with patient complications.

14 Nov 2016

Television cooking shows miss opportunity to model proper safety measures

Television cooking shows are an important resource for home cooks, but if these shows fail to model recommended food safety measures, it may lead to poor practices among consumers.

8 Nov 2016

Soiled clinical linens may be source of surface C. difficile contamination, study finds

A new paper published in FEMS Microbiology Letters, resulting from an investigation of a laundry facility that services several Seattle-area hospitals, suggests that soiled clinical linens may be a source of surface Clostridium difficile contamination.

7 Nov 2016

International travellers may spread antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in their home countries, study reveals

Airports are international travel hubs visited by large numbers of people. London Heathrow, for example, has an average of 205,400 travellers every day and saw 75 million people arriving and departing from all over the world in 2015.

3 Nov 2016

Single Use Surgical to exhibit extensive range of suction devices at MEDICA 2016

A UK company, who manufacture the widest selection of specialist single-use suction devices, will be at MEDICA 2016 (14 – 17th November) to showcase the ‘gold standard’ in single-use surgical suctions.

2 Nov 2016

Complete removal of contamination from robotic surgical instruments may be unattainable, study shows

It is virtually impossible to remove all contamination from robotic surgical instruments, even after multiple cleanings, according to a study published today in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology, the journal of the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America.

1 Nov 2016

Self-healing slippery surface coatings for medical devices could help thwart infection

Implanted medical devices like catheters, surgical mesh and dialysis systems are ideal surfaces on which bacteria can colonize and form hard-to-kill sheets called biofilms.

1 Nov 2016

Nano-biointeraction and nanopathology

Nanoparticles enter the organism in a number of ways. In most cases through inhalation and ingestion. When inhaled, the majority of them are expelled with the next breath. When ingested, most of them are gotten rid of through feces.

31 Oct 2016

Bad bugs spread from ICU patients to nurses' scrubs, research shows

Bad bugs readily spread from patients in the intensive care unit to nurses' scrubs and the room, according to research being presented at IDWeek 2016. The sleeves and pockets of the scrubs and the bed railing were the most likely to be contaminated.

27 Oct 2016

ETS provides key tips to be healthy during autumn and winter

Proper hand drying after hand washing is a key step in keeping healthy, particularly during the autumn & winter months when coughs and colds abound.

27 Oct 2016

Iron fortification can reduce blood lead levels, study shows

Lead is a toxic heavy metal that was added to petrol for use in cars until as recently as 25 years ago. It is particularly harmful to the developing brains of infants, children and teenagers, and the damage it does is irreversible.

26 Oct 2016

Reducing contamination rates in urine samples: an interview with Prof. Frank Chinegwundoh MBE

Contamination is thought to be a significant problem. Depending on which study you look at, the rates of urine contamination can be 17% or upwards. The standard method of midstream urine collection is for the healthcare professional...

26 Oct 2016

Antimicrobial copper touch surfaces may help fight global threat of antibiotic resistance

A key presentation at the Infection Control show within the Patient First conference on 22 November will look at a simple engineering solution to help fight the global threat of antibiotic resistance: antimicrobial copper touch surfaces.

21 Oct 2016

New bio-photonic device aims to take drug hypersensitivity detection into new era

Over 2.5 million people in Europe and more than 5.4 million Americans suffer from hypersensitivity to Beta Lactam Antibiotics (BLCs), the most commonly prescribed drugs that contain the penicillin family, with up to 10 percent of people reporting an allergy.

20 Oct 2016

Computer-based tools may help clarify potential health risks from food contaminants

When feeds are contaminated with potentially health-damaging substances, such as per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS)/per- and polyfluorinated chemicals (PFC) from the environment, these substances can be transfered into foods such as meat, milk and eggs.

19 Oct 2016

FAAM 2016: Experts discuss advancements in diagnosis, management of food allergies and anaphylaxis

The European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology has announced today the inauguration of its 4th Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Meeting (FAAM), hosting over 1,200 international researchers, clinicians and allied health professionals in Rome from 13–15 October 2016.

14 Oct 2016