Decontamination News and Research

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Contamination with potential disease-causing bacteria is commonly found on hands of anesthesia providers

Contaminating bacteria are very commonly found on the hands of anesthesia providers, with high rates of transmission to the surgical field during operations, reports a study in the January issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society.

22 Dec 2010

Mesa Labs announces acquisition of Apex's biological indicators business

Mesa Laboratories, Inc., a Lakewood, Colorado based manufacturer of electronic instruments and disposables today announced the acquisition of the biological indicators business of Apex Laboratories, Inc., a North Carolina based company. The acquisition of the Apex business is expected to be immediately accretive to Mesa's earnings per share.

22 Dec 2010

Asbestos removal from schools poorly handled

Queensland government’s builder - QBuild’s handling of asbestos at a north Queensland school is inappropriate says a report. After a painter at the Mackay West State School identified asbestos in December 2009, the QBuild workers came in to decontaminate the area but they did not wear protective clothing and removed dust with a domestic vacuum cleaner.

16 Dec 2010

ICESP selects Ekahau RTLS for staff tracking solution

Ekahau Inc., the worldwide leader in high performance Wi-Fi-based Real Time Location Systems, today announced that Ekahau RTLS is being utilized as the underlying real-time tracking and bi-directional communications technology for a staff tracking solution at Instituto do Cancer do Estado de Sao Paulo Octavio Frias de Oliveira - ICESP, part of the "Sistema FMUSP-HC" system, which is the largest public cancer treatment center in Latin America.

14 Dec 2010

Tru-D UV-C device effective in reducing pathogens on all environmental surfaces in hospital patient rooms

Results of an eight-month hospital study, "Room Decontamination with UV Radiation," were published in the October 2010 issue of "Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology." The study evaluated the ability of an automated UV device, Tru-D, to decontaminate patient rooms contaminated with MRSA, VRE, C. difficile and a MDR strain of Acinetobacter baumannii.

10 Dec 2010

New findings reveal complexities in close chemical combat waged among bacteria

Like all organisms, bacteria must compete for resources to survive, even if it means a fight to the death. New research led by scientists from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and the University of California, Santa Barbara, describes new complexities in the close chemical combat waged among bacteria.

18 Nov 2010

Novel light technology kills hospital superbugs

A pioneering lighting system that can kill hospital superbugs - including MRSA and C.diff - has been developed by researchers at the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow. Scotland.

15 Nov 2010

Salix to discuss XIFAXAN therapy for hepatic encephalopathy at AASLD 2010 Annual Meeting

Salix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that the 61st Annual Meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD 2010) will be an important venue for ongoing discussion of hepatic encephalopathy, or HE.

1 Nov 2010

New processing technology uses low-energy electron beams to decontaminate food

A collaborative agreement between CSIRO and two German organisations is providing Australian food companies with access to a new processing technology which uses low-energy electron beams rather than heat or chemicals to decontaminate food.

1 Oct 2010

NIH to launch study on Gulf oil spill health effects

The National Institutes of Health will launch a multi-year study this fall to look at the potential health effects from the oil spill in the Gulf region. The Gulf Worker Study, announced by NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., in June, is in response to the largest oil spill in U.S. history, caused by the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon offshore drilling oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Dr. Collins pledged $10 million in NIH funding for the study's initial phases.

8 Sep 2010

U.S. DOE's SRNL and Ukraine's IRL to collaborate on radiation ecology research

Under a recently signed agreement, the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Savannah River National Laboratory (SRNL) and the Ukraine's International Radioecology Laboratory (IRL) will collaborate on radiation ecology research, including projects in the region impacted by the catastrophic accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant 24 years ago. Researchers at IRL use the area around Chernobyl as an extensive laboratory for studying the effects of radioactive contamination and methods of decontamination.

3 Sep 2010

FDA grants Catheter Connections 510(k) clearance for DualCap disinfecting product

Catheter Connections, Inc., a manufacturer of innovative vascular access and infection control products, today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted the company 510(k) clearance to market its DualCap™ product. DualCap is the only device that nests two disinfecting caps together - for both IV access points, the needleless injection site (NIS) and the male luer at the end of the IV tubing. Previously overlooked as a route of microbial colonization, Catheter Connections has developed the first disinfecting cap for the male luer.

12 Jul 2010

Medizone seeks international patent protection for Asepticsure technology

Medizone International, Inc. has filed an international patent application under the auspices of the Patent Co-operation Treaty (PCT) to secure international patent protection for its Asepticsure™ technology. The international patent application consolidates the two previously filed patent applications titled "Healthcare Facility Disinfecting System" and "Disinfecting Process and Apparatus."

8 Jul 2010

Grant introduces new range of digital, analogue ultrasonic benchtop baths

Grant Instruments, a world-renowned supplier of scientific, life sciences and data acquisition products, has unveiled an advanced range of high quality, robust, fully-featured digital and analogue ultrasonic benchtop baths. The baths are designed to meet the growing need for reliable ultrasonic cleaning in laboratories and across pharmaceutical, medical, healthcare and industrial applications.

23 Jun 2010

New bacterial strain could help in long-term cleanup of oil spills

Researchers have discovered a new strain of bacteria that can produce non-toxic, comparatively inexpensive "rhamnolipids," and effectively help degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs - environmental pollutants that are one of the most harmful aspects of oil spills.

14 Jun 2010

Chemists develop ultra-strength cleaners that could be used in the aftermath of terrorist attack

Chemists with the United States military have developed a set of ultra-strength cleaners that could be used in the aftermath of a terrorist attack. The new formulas are tough enough to get rid of nerve gas, mustard gas, radioactive isotopes, and anthrax. But they are also non-toxic, based on ingredients found in foods, cosmetics, and other consumer products.

5 Jun 2010

New research hopes to provide next generation HazMat boot

The rubber boots that emergency personnel wear when responding to situations where hazardous materials are present may be functional, but they're not very comfortable. New research coming out of North Carolina State University hopes to provide a next generation HazMat boot that meets both criteria.

29 May 2010

Ecolab launches new OptiPro Instrument Reprocessing Program

Ecolab Inc. today announced the launch of its new OptiPro™ Instrument Reprocessing Program, a comprehensive approach to instrument reprocessing that features Ecolab's solid technology and advanced formulations. The program is supported by Ecolab's service and training on industry best practices to achieve improved patient outcomes and process standardization. The announcement was made at the 2010 International Association of Healthcare Central Service Material Management Annual Meeting in San Diego.

3 May 2010

sBioMed's anthrax killing sterilant receives EPA approval

It has been nine years since the 2001 anthrax attacks sickened twenty-three people and killed five. Since that time, the U.S. government has spent hundreds of millions of dollars in remediation and billions in their search for a disinfectant that can reliably kill anthrax spores and other pathogens that might be used as weapons.

16 Apr 2010

2010 Decontamination Research and Development Conference

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Homeland Security Research Center will hold its 2010 Decontamination Research and Development Conference on April 13-15, 2010 at the Hilton Raleigh-Durham Airport Hotel in North Carolina.

15 Apr 2010