Certain health conditions are more common in people with asthma than in the general population. Health problems may be related to asthma in different ways. Some conditions may share risk factors with asthma. Other conditions may contribute to the development of asthma. Still others may make asthma harder to diagnose or treat. It’s important to [...]
Abstract Aim: This study investigated the stability of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on 16 common environmental surface materials. Background: SARS-CoV-2 is the causative agent of severe coronavirus disease, a significant public health concern that quickly led to a pandemic. Contamination of environmental surface materials is of concern, with previous studies identifying [...]
The two monoterpenes, Δ3-carene and α-pinene, have very similar chemical structures, which leads to the assumption that the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) is also similar. This study aims to investigate if the formation of SOA from ozonolysis of Δ3-carene and α-pinene is actually analogous. This is addressed by conducting smog chamber studies of [...]
I see a lot of pictures on social media platforms where people measure Carbon Dioxide (CO2) concentrations in indoor environments incorrectly. CO2 sensors are very sensitive instruments, and when you keep them close to your face they measure the CO2 concentrations of your breath and not of the room. The CO2 level in exhaled air [...]
ABSTRACT Importance The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has infected over a hundred million people worldwide, with almost 2.5 million deaths at the date of this publication. In the United States, Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines were first administered to the public starting in December 2020, and no lactating women were included in the initial trials of safety/efficacy. Research on [...]
Abstract Particulate matter (PM) in ambient air is associated with many adverse health outcomes. Although many anthropogenic activities are associated with PM release in indoor settings, dispersion and persistence of PM is poorly understood. In this study, concentration, persistence and dispersion of PM2.5 and PM10 released following aerosol antiperspirant use were measured in a bathroom environment [...]
While early efforts to control the COVID-19 pandemic focused on sanitizing surfaces, the focus quickly turned to the role played by airflow through facilities. As a result, scrutiny continues to mount for HVAC system performance and the equipment’s role in preventing the spread of the coronavirus. Recently, the former head of the federal Occupational Safety and Health [...]
Texas and Mississippi announced yesterday that they were ending mask mandates and opening indoor businesses after a year of restrictions because of COVID-19. “I just announced Texas is OPEN 100%. EVERYTHING. I also ended the statewide mask mandate,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted yesterday afternoon. Abbott said in a press conference he was not suggesting the threat of [...]
Surging COVID-19 cases in parts of South America are overwhelming some health systems, demanding a quick response, though infections continue to drop in other countries in the Americas region, the head of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) said today. In other global developments, Colombia, Cambodia, and several more countries in Africa received their first vaccine [...]
Between 19 February and 25 February 2021, no new cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N1) virus were reported to WHO in the Western Pacific Region. As of 25 February 2021, a total of 239 cases of human infection with avian influenza A(H5N1) virus have been reported from four countries within the Western Pacific [...]
