Environmental Public Health Journal 2014 | BCIT Institutional Repository

Environmental Public Health Journal 2014

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Safety and pH measurements of sushi rice in Japanese restaurants in Burnaby BC, Canada
Background and Purpose: The increasing popularity of sushi in Metro Vancouver raises public health concerns over the consumption of sushi rice being held out of temperature control. Although sushi rice is acidified to control growth of pathogenic microorganisms, there is no existing documented system to monitor the pH of sushi rice, and pH testing is rarely performed by Environmental Health Officers(EHOs)/Public Health Inspectors(PHIs) during routine inspections. The purpose of the study was to measure the pH of sushi rice samples collected from different sushi restaurants in Burnaby, BC and determine whether the pH meets the accepted standard of 4.6 or below. Methods: 30 sushi rice samples were collected from 30 randomly selected sushi restaurants in Burnaby, British Columbia. The samples were kept at room temperature and then tested for pH using the Waterproof Palm pH Meter. Results: The mean pH of the samples was 4.09; the median was 4.115; the standard deviation was 0.198; and the range was 0.82 with the minimum value of 3.71 and the maximum value of 4.53. 100% (30 out of 30 samples) had the pH less than 4.6. The statistical z-test resulted in a p-value of 0.00. Discussion: All of the sushi rice samples had pH values less than 4.6. Therefore, the samples were adequately acidified to inhibit the growth of pathogens. The low pH values indicate that the samples are not considered potentially hazardous food, thus safe to be stored at room temperature for extended periods of time. However, due to the nature of Bacillus cereus that can grow at a pH 4.3 or higher, the target pH of sushi rice is 4.3 or lower. Conclusion: Inadequately acidified sushi rice may pose a health risk if it is stored out of temperature control. The study shows that sushi rice being consumed by the public in Burnaby, BC is generally safe and has a low public health concern. Therefore, EHOs/PHIs can feel assured that sushi rice stored at room temperature is unlikely to cause potential foodborne illness., Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Environmental Health, British Columbia Institute of Technology, 2014., Peer-reviewed article, Published., Peer reviewed, sushi, rice, pH, acidity, food safety, Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Burnaby, BC
Shelf-life study of a vegetable-based juice prepared using a masticating juicer
Background Home juicing has seen a rise in popularity because it gives people an appetizing way to get their daily intake of fresh fruits and vegetables. The roles of proper refrigeration, pasteurization, and acidification are all important in regards to determining the shelf life of a freshly made juice. As the general public may not properly understand these implications, this could become a major concern for public health officials. Methods A vegetable-based juice, made with carrots, celery, apples and parsley was made using a masticating juicer. Two versions of the juice were made, one original and one acidified. The pH, total coliforms, and total bacterial levels were monitored in both versions of the juice over a fifteen-day period. Results Analyses were carried out with the two juice samples. The pH values of the two juices were significantly different (p = 0.0000). No statistically significant difference was found in either the total number of aerobic bacteria or coliforms in the acidified and original juices. The relationship between total bacterial count and pH in the both the acidified and neutral juices were statistically significant, r= 0.7659, p= 0.0098 and r=0.7334, p=0.0158, respectively. No statistically significant correlation was found between coliforms and pH. Conclusion Although it was expected that the acidified juice would have had a lower levels of bacterial growth, this research project failed to show this. The total bacterial levels in the acidified juice was greater than 106 CFU/g on Day 8 and the original juice was greater than 106 CFU/g on Day 10. Regardless of the pH, the safest and lowest bacterial levels will be right when the juice is made., Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Environmental Health, British Columbia Institute of Technology, 2014., Peer-reviewed article, Published., Peer reviewed, home-juicing, pH, acidity, vegetables, food safety, farmers markets, bacteria, coliforms
A study of indoor air quality investigations in B.C health authorities
Canadians spend 90 percent of their lifetime indoors and are currently aware that poor indoor air quality (IAQ) can negatively impact human health. If there are any IAQ problems, the Health Authorities will conduct IAQ investigations to respond to the complainants or resolve the conflicts. An online survey to Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) and specialists was used to understand the frequencies that B.C. Health Authorities conduct IAQ investigations, the locations Health Authorities encountered most IAQ queries, the different types of pollutants that IAQ instruments are used for and the preference for instruments chosen. Five common indoor air pollutants, such as mould, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), radon, particulate matters (PMs), CO and CO2, were chosen and the Chi-Square test was used to analyze the data in this study. This study showed that most EHOs had never conducted IAQ investigations since they had worked in the B. C Health Authorities. Mould problems between landlord and tenant were EHOs mostly encountered. The study found that EHOs referred to other agencies or consultants when they received complaints. The data showed that the method of managing IAQ problems was associated with the Health Authorities because few EHOs from Vancouver Coastal Health indicated they had used equipment to conduct IAQ investigations. The mostly encountered location and frequency of conducting radon investigations were significantly associated with the Health Authorities due to an on-going project in Northern Authority. Most EHOs and specialists had shown that they educated public regarding to the information of IAQ instead of monitoring the IAQ pollutants. The results of this study indicate that EHOs did not get involved in IAQ investigations often and also showed that mould problems were the mostly encountered IAQ problems between the Health Authorities. The most important role of EHOs and specialists in this area is to educate public to solve or prevent IAQ problems., Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Environmental Health, British Columbia Institute of Technology, 2014., Peer-reviewed article, Published., Peer reviewed, Indoor air quality, PMs, CO, CO2, Radon, mould
Survey of public knowledge level on the efficacy of alcohol-based hand sanitizers
Introduction: Alcohol-based hand sanitizers have received wide-spread acceptance in many institutions as a form of disinfection. Whether the public truly understands the mode of action of these products and what they are effective and not effective against has not been examined. The goal of this paper is to test the public’s knowledge regarding alcohol-based hand sanitizers and examine if there are any demographic variables that may contribute to differences in knowledge level. Methods: An online survey was created via Survey Monkey and distributed through Facebook, a social media platform. A paper copy of the survey was distributed to participating senior homes in the Lower Mainland. The knowledge scores were analyzed using Microsoft Excel and NCSS to evaluate whether knowledge scores are affected by demographic variables. Incentives such as water bottles and tumblers were used to invite participants to take part in the survey. Results: The knowledge scores from respondents in health-related professions did not differ significantly from respondents in non-health related professions, however both groups differed from those that are not employed (P =0.000060). Differences in ethnicity did not result in a significantly different knowledge scores regarding hand sanitizers (P =0.441511). Respondents who are over the age of 40 (particularly those who are 70 and above) and respondents whose level of education was high school graduation or less lacked knowledge regarding hand sanitizers compared to other demographic groups. The majority of the respondents knew ABHS was effective against influenza virus. Nearly half of the respondents erroneously thought ABHS was effective against Norovirus. Conclusion: Government agencies and public health officials should focus educational efforts on the population who are over the age of 40, particularly the senior population, and whose level of education is high school or less., Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Environmental Health, British Columbia Institute of Technology, 2014., Peer-reviewed article, Published., Peer reviewed, Public knowledge, Alcohol-based hand sanitizers, Occupation, Education, Gender, Age, Culture, Religion, Ethnicity
Survey of the general public to determine perceptions and precautions taken when choosing personal service establishments
Objective: Personal service establishments (PSEs) include tattoo parlors, piercing shops, and beauty salons. Many of the services provided have potential to spread diseases due to the invasive nature and possibility of cross contamination if sanitation procedures are not followed. Potential infections such as nontuberculosis mycobacterium, staphylococcus aureus and blood borne infections such as Hepatitis and HIV are possible. There is concern among Environmental Health Officers (EHOs), and professionals in the industry regarding the lack of regulations and training of employees within the industry. This study investigated the criteria and safety measures the public takes when determining which personal service establishment they receive treatments from. Methods: A questionnaire was administered online through social media and Google Docs. Inferential statistical analyses determined if there were associations between certain demographic information and the responses given from participants. Results: There were six associations that were found when comparing demographic groups (age, gender and education) with the survey questions. A p value of 0.021008 was found in the association between age and perceived level of regulation of the industry, a p value of 0.014407 was found in the association between education and asking about sanitation procedures before an appointment, and a p value of 0.008668 was found in the association of education and if participant asks for references. In addition, p values of 0.028151 and 0.011739 with associations of gender and education, respectively, and the participants perceived ability to recognize bad practices during a procedure. Finally, a p value of 0.029766 was found in the association of gender and participants interest in additional information about how to choose an establishment. Conclusions: There were six hypotheses that resulted in statistically significant associations between a demographic and the survey question. Over 30 year olds chose PSEs were minimally regulated, while higher education groups were more likely to ask about sanitation and for references before a procedure. Females and people with some post secondary education felt they were more able to recognize bad practices during a procedure. Finally, females were most interested in additional information about PSEs., Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Environmental Health, British Columbia Institute of Technology, 2014., Peer-reviewed article, Published., Peer reviewed, Personal Service Establishments, PSEs, PSE Guidelines, Staphylococcus aureus, Nontuberculosis mycobacterium, Hepatitis, HIV, BeautySafe
Testing for presence of radioactivity in BC Pacific Ocean’s seafood supply
Abstract: Due to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear power plant incident in March 2011, large quantities of contaminated water were released to the Pacific Ocean in Japan. The severity of contamination on the marine environment is unclear, therefore, the public is concerned with the possible internal radiation exposure from ingesting contaminated seafood products caught in the Pacific Ocean. This study was aimed to investigate the presence or absence of gamma radioactivity in commonly consumed seafood products from B.C. In total, ten different species of fish and three different species of shellfish were selected for analysis. For each species of fish, two samples were collected and each sample was from a different local seafood market. For each species of shellfish, ten samples were collected from three different sources. Using the portable GR-135 Plus gamma ray spectrometer, the samples were tested and analyzed for the presence of Fukushima radionuclides, particularly Cesium-137 (Cs-137) and Cesium- 134 (Cs-134).Based on the analyzed fish and shellfish, no gamma radiation was detected. The detector did not identify any gamma radiation over the normal background readings., Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Environmental Health, British Columbia Institute of Technology, 2014. “The views expressed in this paper are those of author and do not necessarily reflect their official policy, position or views of BCIT, the Environmental Health Program or its faculty.”, Published., Peer reviewed, Fish, Shellfish, Fukushima, Radiation, Gamma, Pacific Ocean, Cesium-137, Cesium-134

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