Attitudes toward Noise, Perceived Hearing Symptoms, and Reported Use of Hearing Protection among College Students: Influence of Youth Culture

Presented for World Environmental Health Day, September 26, 2016 in Greenville, North Carolina.Background • Young adults are involved in noisy activities, increasing their risk of developing noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) and other hearing symptoms. • NIHL and other hearing symptoms are increasing in the younger population in the U.S. and abroad. Methodology • A 44-item online survey was administered to students enrolled in a personal health course (HLTH 1000) through Qualtrics. • 2,151 college students participated (92.3% participation rate) • Survey instrument includes: o Demographic items o Youth attitudes to noise scale (YANS) o Hearing symptom description (HSD) o Noise exposure and hearing protection use (AAH) Conclusions • Universities/ colleges have important roles in protecting young adults’ hearing by: o Integrating hearing conservation topic in the college curriculum o Promoting hearing health by student health services o Involving student groups in NIHL awareness and prevention o Establishing noise level limitations for all on-campus events Jo Anne G. Balanay, PhD, CIH1 and Gregory D. Kearney, MPH, DrPH2 1Environmental Health Sciences Program, Department of Health Education and Promotion, College of Health and Human Performance, East Carolina University 2Department of Public Health, Brody School of Medicine, East Carolina University Purpose of the Study • To assess the attitude toward noise, perceived hearing symptoms, noisy activities that were participated in, and factors associated with hearing protection use among college students • Goal: To understand the risk factors influencing the behavior of college students related to noise exposure to effectively promote and implement hearing conservation programs for them

Insights into Diversity in the Environmental Health Science Workforce

Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 LicenseEnvironmental Health Science (EHS) professionals protect the public from environmental threats by conducting risk assessments and recommending preventative measures based on scientific findings. The EHS field itself is diverse in scientific areas (eg, air quality, water quality, food safety, healthy homes, preparedness, climate change, vectors/pests, tracking/informatics, occupational health, industrial hygiene) studied and evaluated by researchers and practitioners (https://www.neha.org/eh-topics). Scientific findings discovered in the EHS field help health leaders analyze and develop policies to protect health based on practical knowledge.1 Diversity is currently a wide-ranging societal topic, and this issue impacts the EH field. Many aspects related to diversity in EH involve the communities affected by environmental exposures and the EHS workforce serving these communities.OA publication support through Carolina Consortium agreement with Sag

Noise Exposure Assessment among Groundskeepers: A Pilot Study

Presented for World Environmental Health Day, September 26, 2016 in Greenville, North CarolinaPurpose of the Study •To assess and investigate the noise exposure, the associated hearing effects and the use of hearing protection devices (HPDs) among groundskeepers at East Carolina University (ECU) •Hypothesis (H0): The 8-hour time-weighted-average (TWA) noise exposure of ECU groundskeepers does not exceed the OSHA action limit of 85 dBA.Funding for this study was provided by the East Carolina University Start Up Fund

Evaluation of Barrier Sprays in Eastern North Carolina

Presented for World Environmental Health Day, September 26, 2016 in Greenville, North Carolina.Suspend® Polyzone® (deltamethrin) and Bifen Insecticide/Termiticide (bifenthrin) were evaluated in two eastern North Carolina neighborhoods from May 18 – Oct 19, 2015 (23 weeks). Lots were sprayed every 21 days. At 17 fixed locations (13 treatment, four control), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) CO2-baited traps were deployed overnight, once/week. Oviposition traps were also deployed weekly and remained for seven days to measure Aedes albopictus abundance. Mosquitoes were identified to species and tabulated by location and week. Adult and egg abundance was generally significantly higher in control versus treatment traps. The abundance of Psorophora columbiae and Ae. vexans was significantly higher in control versus treatment traps. Bifenthrin and deltamethrin showed differences in efficacy (e.g. Ae. vexans, An. punctipennis, and Ps. ferox abundance was higher in bifenthrin traps compared to deltamethrin and control traps), but this varied across neighborhoods and species.This study was funded by Bayer Crop Science and The Mosquito Authorit

Potential for sublethal insecticide exposure to impact vector competence of Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) for dengue and Zika viruses

Presented for World Environmental Health Day, September 26, 2016 in Greenville, North Carolina.Dengue and Zika viruses (DENV and ZIKV, Family Flaviviridae, genus Flavivirus) are arboviruses that cause human epidemics. Due to lack of vaccines for many mosquito borne diseases, there is a need for mosquito control. In the United States and other regions, residual barrier insecticide sprays applied to foliage where female mosquitoes rest and/or sugar feed between blood meals are an important control method for anthropogenic day-active mosquitoes such as Aedes albopictus (vector of DENV and ZIKV). These mosquitoes are difficult to control using traditional sprays applied only at dusk or dawn when these mosquitoes are not active. In this exploratory study, we analyzed the extent to which ingestion of a sublethal dose of the active ingredient bifenthrin affected vector competence (i.e. infection, dissemination, and transmission) of Ae. albopictus for DENV and ZIKV

Adsorption Characteristics of Activated Carbon Fibers in Respirator Cartridges for Toluene

Respirator use has been shown to be associated with overall discomfort. Activated carbon fiber (ACF) has potential as an alternative adsorbent for developing thinner, lightweight, and efficient respirators due to its larger surface area, microporosity, and fabric form. The purpose of this pilot study was to determine the adsorption characteristics of commercially available ACF in respirator cartridges with varying ACF composition for toluene protection. Seven ACF types (one cloth, six felt) with varying properties were tested. Seven ACF cartridge configurations with varying ACF composition were challenged with five toluene concentrations (20–500 ppm) at constant air temperature (23 °C), relative humidity (50%), and air flow (32 LPM). Breakthrough curves were obtained using photoionization detectors. Breakthrough times (10%, 50%, and 5 ppm) and adsorption capacities were compared among ACF cartridge configurations to determine their suitable application in respiratory protection. Results showed that ACF cartridges containing the densest ACF felt types had the longest average breakthrough times (e.g., ~250–270 min to reach 5 ppm breakthrough time) and those containing ACF felt types with the highest specific surface areas had the highest average adsorption capacity (~450–470 mg/g). The ACF cartridges demonstrated breakthrough times of 3; specific surface area of ~2000 m2/g) have shown promising potential for the development of lighter and thinner respirators for protection against toluene

Current Status of Mosquito Control Programs in North Carolina: The Need for Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

2013 Online Presentations RCA