Virucidal Activity of Chlorine Dioxide Gas for Reduction of Coronavirus on Surfaces and PPE

A coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a global pandemic and associated morbidity and mortality resultant from COVID-19. As a result of efforts to control direct (person to person) and indirect (contaminated objects, surfaces, indoor air) transmission of the virus, various interventions have been evaluated. Studies were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of commercially available chlorine dioxide (CD) products to reduce viral loads on PPE (face masks) and surfaces using a novel dry gas release intervention. The efficacy of CD slow release 30-day sachets was tested on N95 face masks inoculated with human coronavirus OC43 in suspension. One sachet was placed with an inoculated mask in plastic resealable bags. Three trials were completed using the original sachet where a mask and sachet were placed into a plastic bag for 13 hours per sachet age of 1 day, 14 days, and 30 days. The amount of CD generated during a 13-hour treatment period was 0.30 mg. The nominal concentration of CD was estimated to be 317 mg/m3. All three tests demonstrated at least a 99.91% reduction of viral loading in the mask versus a non-treated control. Efficacy of CD dry gas fast releasing pods (Ultrashok) for fumigation was also tested in a 1344 ft3 closed room. Two pods were placed in the space and CD surface virucidal efficacy was tested in three locations of the room after 1 hour and 2 hours of dwell time. The estimated nominal peak concentration was 15 ppmv in the room. The one-hour exposure saw a \u3e99.91% OC43 reduction on surfaces and the two-hour exposure resulted in a \u3e99.997% OC43 reduction on surfaces versus a non-treated control. These results indicate dry CD is highly effective against human coronavirus. CD was 99.91% effective for eliminating human coronavirus OC43 in both sachet and capsule fumigant form using both fast and slow release mechanisms. Rapid fumigant application is suitable for contaminated rooms, ambulances, emergency vehicles, and many types of PPE, most particularly porous PPE materials. The gaseous state of CD allows for rapid diffusion and transfer of the virucidal stable free radical to all surfaces of PPE and indoor areas that would favor virus survival. Additionally, this work suggests CD can be effective at levels with significant margins of safety (little to no exposure and rapid degradation of residuals) providing minimal public health risks associated with the use of CD

Virucidal Activity of Chlorine Dioxide Gas for Reduction of Coronavirus on Surfaces and PPE

A coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) has caused a global pandemic and associated morbidity and mortality resultant from COVID-19. As a result of efforts to control direct (person to person) and indirect (contaminated objects, surfaces, indoor air) transmission of the virus, various interventions have been evaluated. Studies were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of commercially available chlorine dioxide (CD) products to reduce viral loads on PPE (face masks) and surfaces using a novel dry gas release intervention. The efficacy of CD slow release 30-day sachets was tested on N95 face masks inoculated with human coronavirus OC43 in suspension. One sachet was placed with an inoculated mask in plastic resealable bags. Three trials were completed using the original sachet where a mask and sachet were placed into a plastic bag for 13 hours per sachet age of 1 day, 14 days, and 30 days. The amount of CD generated during a 13-hour treatment period was 0.30 mg. The nominal concentration of CD was estimated to be 317 mg/m3. All three tests demonstrated at least a 99.91% reduction of viral loading in the mask versus a non-treated control. Efficacy of CD dry gas fast releasing pods (Ultrashok) for fumigation was also tested in a 1344 ft3 closed room. Two pods were placed in the space and CD surface virucidal efficacy was tested in three locations of the room after 1 hour and 2 hours of dwell time. The estimated nominal peak concentration was 15 ppmv in the room. The one-hour exposure saw a \u3e99.91% OC43 reduction on surfaces and the two-hour exposure resulted in a \u3e99.997% OC43 reduction on surfaces versus a non-treated control. These results indicate dry CD is highly effective against human coronavirus. CD was 99.91% effective for eliminating human coronavirus OC43 in both sachet and capsule fumigant form using both fast and slow release mechanisms. Rapid fumigant application is suitable for contaminated rooms, ambulances, emergency vehicles, and many types of PPE, most particularly porous PPE materials. The gaseous state of CD allows for rapid diffusion and transfer of the virucidal stable free radical to all surfaces of PPE and indoor areas that would favor virus survival. Additionally, this work suggests CD can be effective at levels with significant margins of safety (little to no exposure and rapid degradation of residuals) providing minimal public health risks associated with the use of CD

Correlation between the Severity of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Heart Rate Variability Indices

The risk of cardiovascular disease is known to be increased in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). Its mechanism can be explained by the observation that the sympathetic tone increases due to repetitive apneas accompanied by hypoxias and arousals during sleep. Heart rate variability (HRV) representing cardiac autonomic function is mediated by respiratory sinus arrhythmia, baroreflex-related fluctuation, and thermoregulation-related fluctuation. We evaluated the heart rate variability of OSAS patients during night to assess their relationship with the severity of the symptoms. We studied overnight polysomnographies of 59 male untreated OSAS patients with moderate to severe symptoms (mean age 45.4± 11.7 yr, apnea-hypopnea index [AHI]=43.2±23.4 events per hour, and AHI >15). Moderate (mean age 47.1±9.4 yr, AHI=15-30, n=22) and severe (mean age 44.5±12.9 yr, AHI >30, n=37) OSAS patients were compared for the indices derived from time and frequency domain analysis of HRV, AHI, oxygen desaturation event index (ODI), arousal index (ArI), and sleep parameters. As a result, the severe OSAS group showed higher mean powers of total frequency (TF) (p=0.012), very low frequency (VLF) (p= 0.038), and low frequency (LF) (p=0.002) than the moderate OSAS group. The LF/HF ratio (p=0.005) was higher in the severe group compared to that of the moderate group. On the time domain analysis, the HRV triangular index (p=0.026) of severe OSAS group was significantly higher. AHI was correlated best with the LF/HF ratio (rp=0.610, p<0.001) of all the HRV indices. According to the results, the frequency domain indices tended to reveal the difference between the groups better than time domain indices. Especially the LF/HF ratio was thought to be the most useful parameter to estimate the degree of AHI in OSAS patients

Dermal absorption of a dilute aqueous solution of malathion

Malathion is an organophosphate pesticide commonly used on field crops, fruit trees, livestock, agriculture, and for mosquito and medfly control. Aerial applications can result in solubilized malathion in swimming pools and other recreational waters that may come into contact with human skin. To evaluate the human skin absorption of malathion for the assessment of risk associated with human exposures to aqueous solutions, human volunteers were selected and exposed to aqueous solutions of malathion. Participants submerged their arms and hands in twenty liters of dilute malathion solution in either a stagnant or stirred state. The "disappearance method" was applied by measuring malathion concentrations in the water before and after human exposure for various periods of time. No measurable skin absorption was detected in 42&#x0025; of the participants; the remaining 58&#x0025; of participants measured minimal absorbed doses of malathion. Analyzing these results through the Hazard Index model for recreational swimmer and bather exposure levels typically measured in contaminated swimming pools and surface waters after bait application indicated that these exposures are an order of magnitude less than a minimal dose known to result in a measurable change in acetylcholinesterase activity. It is concluded that exposure to aqueous malathion in recreational waters following aerial bait applications is not appreciably absorbed, does not result in an effective dose, and therefore is not a public health hazard

D.: Hepatic glutathione and hepatotoxicity: Changes induced by selected narcotics

ABSTRACT James

Assessment of community healthcare providers ability and willingness to respond to emergencies resulting from bioterrorist attacks

Introduction: Previous findings have demonstrated that preparedness and planning within the public health system are inadequately developed to respond to an act of biological or chemical terrorism. Methods:This investigation used Internet-based surveys to assess the level of preparedness (PL) and willingness to respond (WTR) to a bioterrorism attack, and identify factors that predict PL and WTR among Florida community healthcare providers. Invitations were sent to 22,800 healthcare providers in Florida, which resulted in 2,279 respondents. Results: Respondents included physicians (n=604), nurses (n=1,152), and pharmacists (n=486). The results indicated that only 32&#x0025; of Florida healthcare providers were competent and willing to respond to a bioterrorism attack, 82.7&#x0025; of providers were willing to respond in their local community, and 53.6&#x0025; within the State. Respondents were more competent in administrative skills than clinical knowledge (62.8&#x0025; vs. 45&#x0025;). Areas in which respondents had the highest competency were the initiation of treatment and recognition of their clinical and administrative roles. Areas in which respondents showed the lowest competency were the ability to identify cases and the ability to communicate risk to others. About 55&#x0025; of the subjects had previous bioterrorism training and 31.5&#x0025; had conducted emergency drills. Gender, race, previous training and drills, perceived threats of bioterrorism attack, perceived benefits of training and drills, and feeling prepared were all predictors of overall preparedness. Conclusions: The findings suggest that only one-third of Florida community healthcare providers were prepared for a bioterrorism attack, which is an insufficient response rate to effectively respond to a bioterrorism incident