BCIT Environmental Public Health Journal
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Effects of light emissions from LCD monitors on public health
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Background: Evidence suggests that exposure to prolonged use of computer monitors may lead to eye discomforts such as eyestrain, blurred vision, headaches, as well as computer vision syndrome. With the increase of internet and computer use at school and work, it raises a serious concern on whether or not the users are affected negatively. Objectives: The following study focuses on estimating the risk of using computers at the British Columbia Technology of Institute (BCIT) laboratories to determine if there is sufficient room lighting (illuminance) and monitor brightness (luminance) to ensure the safety of students at the school. Methods: Illuminance and luminance were both measured by means of a calibrated Unfors Xi light detector connected to a base unit. Several areas of each environment and monitor were measured and average values were taken to ensure that the data was reliable. The data were compared to applicable standards to determine if room lighting and computer brightness at BCIT were appropriate for safe student use. Results: The average illuminance was measured to be 405.4 Lux when the recommended level is 500 Lux. The results are considered statistically significant (p-value = 2x10-6). On the other hand, the luminance measurements averaged a reading of 94.6 cd/cm2 when the recommended minimum luminance level is 80 cd/cm2 (p-value = 0.99964). Discussion: The collected data show that the illuminance inside the BCIT laboratories where testing was conducted is not sufficient while the luminance of computer screens was found acceptable. Conclusion: The measurement of the illuminance inside BCIT laboratories showed that room lighting was insufficient and alternations of the monitor's brightness were made to compensate for insufficient lighting. It is recommended to increase room lighting in the tested laboratories in order to have all areas of the laboratory sufficiently lit at all times. This is to ensure that all students at BCIT are provided with a safe and healthy environment for computer use.
 
Bluetooth’s impact on radiation emissions
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Introduction: Cellphone usage has increased leaps and bounds over the past decade. With the growing popularity of cellphones come numerous studies on the effects of mobile radiation on human health. Cellphone radiation has been associated with many health implications such as: sleep deprivation, hearing loss, slower sperm, cancers and tumors to name a few; however, more research is needed to confirm these claims. Purpose: The purpose of this research is to determine the Bluetooth impact on radiation levels when it is paired with a cellphone. This is a two-fold process: firstly, to determine radiation levels emitted by the pairing of a cellphone and a Bluetooth headset and comparing it to a control group of the cellphone alone and secondly, comparing the radiation emissions of a paired cellphone with the associated paired Bluetooth headset. Methods: An Extech RF EMF strength meter was used to measure the radiation emission levels (μW/cm2) of various phone types by Apple and Samsung when they were unpaired and paired with a LG HBM-220 Bluetooth device. The radiation emissions of the paired Bluetooth were also measured. Results: There was a statistically significant increase in radiation emissions (μW/cm2) observed in a cellphone paired with a Bluetooth when compared to an unpaired cellphone. This was statistically significant as the p-value (0.00026) was less than the 0.05 and 0.01 values and the power was near 100 % (99.8%). When comparing the paired cellphone with the associated paired Bluetooth, the Bluetooth emitted much more radiation than the cellphone. This data was statistically significant as well as the p-value was at 0.00000 and the power at 100%. Discussion: The findings in this study suggest that Bluetooth headsets increase radiation emissions; however, it is important to note that only one Bluetooth headset model (LG HBM-220) was tested. The results also conflict with Health Canada claims that Bluetooth headsets decrease radiation emissions. More research is needed to confirm the results found in this study. A key limitation of this study was that only Samsung and Apple Inc. brands were tested. Additionally, the equipment used to measure radiation levels (Extech RMF meter) was subject to background radiation sources. Conclusion: The pairing of a LG HBM-220 Bluetooth to a cellphone increases radiation emissions in both the cellphone and Bluetooth when compared to an unpaired cellphone. These increases in emissions when paired would results in additive effects to one’s body.
 
Frozen foods and recommended packaging temperatures
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Background: Frozen foods have cooking instructions on their packaging, but due to foodborne illnesses resulting from consuming them, it brings the effectiveness of these instructions into question. The recommended cooking temperature on the packaging is a specific numerical value that is not open to interpretation and can be used to measure effectiveness. Methods: Temperatures were taken from 208 different meat products from different stores. The information recorded include: the store the products were found at, the type of meat, whether the product was uncooked or cooked, and if it had safe handling instructions. The data was compared to 3 different guidelines to see if they met the recommendations or not. The results of the comparison were then analyzed using Chi-squared tests. Results: A majority of T&T products failed in all 3 standards, the majority of products from Superstore passed using all 3 standards, and the majority of products from Costco failed using 2 standards. Conclusion: The amount of products that met recommendations is dependent on the store, the type of meat, the uncooked or cooked status, and the guidelines being used due to the recommended temperature of poultry being vastly different in one of the guidelines. The other products that did not meet recommendations were due to them being cooked products without a recommended reheating.
 
UV transmittance in market place sunglasses and their adherence to established standards
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Background: Sunglasses are used to shade and protect the public’s eyes every day. However some improperly made sunglasses offer inadequate UV protection that shade the eyes and dilate pupils, while letting in a high dose of UV radiation into sensitive ocular tissues. This UV exposure can have acute and chronic effects such as temporary blindness and clouding of the eye. This study investigated the prevalence of sunglasses with poor UV protection and examined any relationships or associations between such sunglasses and their retail price or declared protective standards. Methods: 35 unused sunglasses available in the Metro Vancouver area were tested using an Agilent 8453 UV-visible Spectroscopy System for UV transmittance rates in the UVA, UVB, and UVC wavelengths. Results were statistically analyzed for any potential relationships or associations between price, price categories, total number of wavelengths failed, transmittance test results, decal presence, and types of decals present. Results: Sample sunglasses were distributed to be 51% budget sunglasses, 23% standard sunglasses, and 26% premium sunglasses. Of these 35 sunglasses, 11% failed the 4% permitted transmittance test, and 89% of the sunglasses had some form of UV protection claim adhered or printed on the product. Statistically significant associations, using Chi-squared analysis, could not be found between transmittance test results and price category, UV protection claims, or the type of UV protection claim; p-values were found to be 0.43643, 0.44525, and 0.58402, respectively. A statistically significant relationship, using linear regression, could not be found between price and total wavelengths failed; p-value was found to be 0.2272 with a slope of -0.1334 Conclusion: Though no statistically significant relationships or associations could not be found, the study did find sunglasses that offered inadequate UV protection, leading to the conclusion that there are sunglasses in the Metro Vancouver market that are inappropriate for standard UV protection.
 
Sous Vide Chicken Pasteurization Temperatures
No full textSous vide is a cooking technique which involves vacuum-packaging raw foods and placing the packages into a water bath where cooking time and temperatures can be carefully controlled. One health concern regarding sous vide is the issue of cooking at below recommended temperatures; this practice can lead to the survival of foodborne pathogens such as Salmonella when dealing with chicken. Because sous vide utilizes non-conventional cooking temperatures, the margin for error is smaller and more care must be taken ensure food safety.
Sous vide recipes vary greatly in terms of cooking time and temperatures, and as a result, there are a multitude of food safety concerns including the survival of pathogenic bacteria. This research project investigated one recipe which uses chicken breasts. The researcher logged the internal temperature of chicken breasts (n=30) as they were cooked according to a set recipe (66°C water bath for 23 minutes). The resulting values were then compared to time-temperature standards set by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to produce a safe product.
The experiment was conducted in conjunction with the executive chef at a Burnaby restaurant who is also a member of the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) Sous Vide Working Group.
A one-tailed one-sample t-test was used to determine the significance of the findings; the null hypothesis (H0 : measured temperature = target temperature) was rejected with a power of 1.00 at a p-value of 0.01. Chicken cooked under these particular sous vide conditions does not meet the guidelines for poultry set out by the CFIA.
Undercooked poultry can cause foodborne illness and it is recommended that a longer cooking time or a higher temperature sous vide process be used. Alternatively, further heat treatment may be used to achieve the appropriate temperature and dwell times
Public Awareness of the Duties of Environmental Health Officers in Canada
No full textThe purpose of the study was to examine the level of public awareness regarding Environmental Health Officers' (EHOs) roles and responsibilities in the public domain. EHOs as public servants are an integral component of the health care system and the recognition of their profession often goes unnoticed. In order to better serve the community, it is important for the public to know where to access resources and consult for help about health related issues. An electronic questionnaire, a service provided by Survey Monkey, was constructed and disseminated on January 12, 2013 via email using snowball sampling and posting on Facebook. There were a total of 161 completed responses by the closing date on February 10, 2013, and the data was statistically analyzed.
For descriptive statistics, the participants had a mean score of 62.25% on their knowledge of EHOs' duties. The public was most aware that EHOs were involved in drinking water quality but least aware of EHOs involvement in land development. Conversely, the public was most aware that EHOs were not involved in social services but least aware that EHOs were not involved in lab testing. For inferential statistics, a one-way ANOVA was performed on each of the three demographic profiles - age, educational level, and field of study/work - in order to compare the mean scores of the different study groups within each profile. There were no statistical significant differences between public's knowledge on EHOs' duties and age groups, educational level, and field of study/work.
This study suggested that public awareness regarding EHOs' involvement in various health service programs needs improvement. Awareness level was higher in health-related matters that have a perceivable direct effect on health and are often placed in the forefront of mass media. The study also indicated that EHOs do not receive enough recognition as educators or consultants of health-related issues. Further research is needed to assess strategies on increasing awareness and the issues identified should be studied with a larger sample population
Air Quality of Indoor Swimming Pools: Are Visits to the Pool as Healthy as Touted?
No full textThis research project examined the VOC levels in the atmosphere of an indoor pool. The main source of the VOCs within an indoor pool is from chlorination by-products such as chloramines and trihalomethanes. Trihalomethanes has been shown to be carcinogens and chloramines are irritants. There have been numerous reports of increased incidence of breathing problems in frequent swimmers as well as those occupationally exposed. Currently there are no limits established for VOCs within an indoor pool environment.
This study involved using a direct reading instrument (VOC meter) to measure the levels of VOCs within a pool. The measurements took place over the course of a day on Dec 21, 2009 from the opening at 6 am to almost closing at 9 pm. The goal was to determine if the levels of VOCs changed over that period of time due to the build up of wastes within the pool, which would have increased voe production. The null and alternate hypotheses are as follows
H0 : There is no difference in the VOC levels during the different times of day within an indoor swimming pool's atmosphere when measured by a handheld VOC meter.
Ha: There is a difference in the VOC levels during the different times of day within an indoor swimming pool's atmosphere when measured by a handheld VOC meter.
This hypothesis was tested via an ANOVA. Also, since numerous readings were taken anyway, readings were taken at different distances from the water surface in order to perform a regression analysis to see if there is a correlation between the distance from the water surface and VOC levels.
It was determined that there was a significant difference in VOC levels during the different times of day within an indoor swimming pool's atmosphere when measured by a handheld VOC meter. However, there was no relationship found between the distance from the pool surface and the VOC levels
Survey of Sanitation Practices Used on Toys in General Practitioners' Waiting Rooms in Vancouver, BC
No full textChildren are a highly susceptible group for many infectious diseases due to their underdeveloped immune systems. Environments with close contact to infected individuals and contaminated items pose a threat of communicability of invasive pathogens. Doctors' offices often supply toys in their waiting areas for children to play with. Many of the children entering a general practitioner's (GP's) office are already ill and their immune systems further compromised, leaving them at a higher risk of being infected. Due to the frequent oral contact with toys, they are most likely to be a fomite for infections. This study surveyed 30 general practitioners' offices in Vancouver, BC to assess the frequency and level of disinfection of toys in comparison to the reception countertops, another waiting room surface of equal hazard level. No association was found between the level of disinfection used and surface type cleaned (P=0.432993), however, an association was found between surface type and the frequency of disinfection used (P= 0.000036). The participants were also asked if they had a sanitation plan that includes the sanitation of toys (13.33%), and whether or not they provided soft toys (36.67%), as it has been found that soft toys are difficult to disinfect and are unsuitable for waiting rooms. Results of this study were then combined with a parallel microbiological assay to find no association between disinfection levels or frequencies and bacterial levels on toys. High aerobic colony counts were still found on toys in relation to countertops in the microbiological assay. Findings of this study suggest that although the disinfection frequency for toys is not associated with bacterial levels, it should still be increased, and a more stringent sanitation plan should be implemented and enforced in general practitioners' offices, as a safety measure to reduce the survival of other potential pathogens. Further research is required to assess the association between sanitation of toys in waiting rooms and the survival of other microbial agents
What's the "Deal" on Dented Canned Products: Are They Safe to Consume
No full textThe following study was devised to determine whether dented cans should be sold in stores and if the refusal of dented cans from churches is a wise decision. The experimental procedures were set out to determine whether there is a significant difference in the proportions of contaminated cans to uncontaminated cans for two groups of dented cans and a group of non-dented cans. The pertaining legislation specifies to what extent a can should not be sold, however the extent of damage is usually at the discretion of an employee. Since the extent of damage could not be determined by the general public, this study looks at the type of damage. Two groups of dented cans were created to test if there is a difference in the likelihood of contamination between rim dents and body dents. A compression device was used to deliver a consistent force to each dented can. The forces at which the cans were subjected to were determined during a pilot study. The body and rim dented cans were subjected to 180 Newtons and 400 Newtons respectively. Two positive and two negative controls were made to test the microbiological component of this study. A total of 90 cans were tested for environmental organisms via the Pour Plate method. The results were statistically analyzed using the Chi-squared test. One out of 30 body dented cans showed the growth of microorganisms. In both the rim dented can group and the non-dented can group, no growth was found. The results of the study show that there is no association between dented and non-dented cans and the presence of environmental organisms as it reveals that the probability level of 0.363769 is greater than the set probability value of 0.05 and thus is not statistically significant
Who is Your Child Really Spend Time With at School?
No full textEnvironmental surfaces, though they may appear clean, can harbour vast quantities of harmful pathogenic microorganisms. Therefore, it is imperative that proper cleaning and sanitation measures are in place to reduce the number of these microorganisms. This becomes even more important when those exposed to these environmental surfaces are a vulnerable group, such as elementary school children. To protect these children, surface sanitizers can be utilized to drastically reduce the amount of microorganisms present. One such sanitizer, SHC 50 General Sodium Hypochlorite Cleaner, was investigated to determine its effectiveness at reducing the microbial count on the desks of a grade on class. Twice a month the janitorial staff uses the sanitizer to clean the grade one desks. Within forty eight hours before and after the desks were cleaned, ten desks were swabbed and plated on 3M Aerobic Count Plate media and the resulting bacterial colonies enumerated. This was repeated for four separate cleaning periods. The final result was that the mean colony count of microbes on the school desks for the 'before' sampling period was 42 cfu/50cm2 , while for the 'after' sampling period it was 18 cfu/50cm2 . A chi squared analysis of the 'before'/'after' mean colony counts was used to evaluate whether the desks tested for before and after samples produced bacterial colony counts exceeding the recommended guidelines of 100cfu/50cm2. Of the eighty samples, only one 'before' cleaning sample exceeded the guidelines. The result was a p value of 0.314267 was obtained, resulting in the null hypothesis not being rejected and implying that there was no association between the mean aerobic plate count before and after sanitation of the desks. A one tailed independent samples t test was also performed, providing a p value of 0.0000 (99.9%). These result showed that there was a statistically significant difference in mean colony counts between the 'before' and 'after' cleaning periods. It could therefore be concluded that the SHC 50 General Sodium Hypochlorite cleaner was effective at statistically reducing the microbial load on the desks