Environmental Public Health Journal 2015 | BCIT Institutional Repository

Environmental Public Health Journal 2015

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Inspection violations and community care facilities in British Columbia, Canada
Background: In British Columbia, community care facility is a broad term that covers many different type of facilities including residential care and child care facilities. These facilities are inspected and audited by the BC regional health authorities to ensure that they are operating in compliance with the BC Community Care and Facilities Act and its respective regulations. These facilities house population groups that are at higher risk of injury or illness due to their physiology and behaviour. Therefore, it is crucial that these facilities are operating in compliance with the prescribed legislation to minimize the risk of illness and injury to the users of these facilities. Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine if there were any differences in the number of violations in residential care and child care facilities between the different health authorities in BC. Methods: Inspection data were randomly selected and extracted from each of BC’s five health authority’s websites and assessed for the number of violations found in these inspections. Violations were tallied and an ANOVA analysis was performed to identify if there were any differences in the number of violations between the health authority regions. Results: Statistical analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel 2013 and NCSS. There was a statistically significant difference of violations between child care and residential care facilities located in the Interior Health Authority region and Northern Health Authority region. Interior Health Authority child care and residential care facilities have more violations than Northern Health Authority child care and residential care facilities. Conclusion: Violations in child care and residential care facilities varied among the five BC HA region. The IHA facilities were found to have the overall highest number of violations for both child care and residential care facilities whereas the NHA facilities were found to have the lowest number of violations. This suggests that patrons of child/residential care facilities in IHA have a higher potential of getting injured or ill compared to patrons in facilities located in NHA., Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Environmental Health, British Columbia Institute of Technology, 2015., Peer-reviewed article, Published., Peer reviewed, Community care licensing facilities, Child care, Licensing officer, Environmental health officer, EHO, LO, Residential care, Inspections, Violations
Investigation on the cold temperature retention capacity of the 1.5 Liter Thermos® double wall vacuum stainless steel thermal container when filled to different volumes and with different types of milk
Introduction: Customers sometimes question the freshness of milk inside thermal containers in coffee shops. Milk that is kept between 4°C to 60°C can support the growth of pathogens, hence it should be kept below 4°C. Thermal containers are often advertised as being able to retain the temperature of their contents for a prolonged period of time. Yet, the extent of their temperature retention capacity is not clearly defined by the manufacturers. This study investigated the effectiveness of the 1.5 Liter Thermos® Double Wall Vacuum Stainless Steel Serving Carafe thermal container in keeping milk at ≤4°C when it was filled to different volumes and with different types of milk over a nine hour period. Methods: Four tests were carried out in this study: The 1.5L Skim Milk, The 1.5L Creamo, The 0.75L Skim Milk and The 0.75L Creamo Test. For each test, the milk was placed into the 1.5L Thermos® Double Wall Vacuum Stainless Steel Serving Carafe with the initial temperature between 3.1°C to 3.4°C. Change in temperature was recorded for nine hours using the Thermocouple data logger. Results: The descriptive data demonstrates that the mean temperatures over the nine-hour period for The 1.5L Skim Milk Test, The 1.5L Creamo Test, The 0.75L Skim Milk Test and The 0.75L Creamo Test were 4.41±0.88°C, 4.51±0.95°C, 5.59±1.52°C and 6.05±1.77°C, respectively. MANOVA results suggested that “volume”, “time”, “type of milk”, “volume and time”, “volume and type of milk”, “time and type of milk”, and “volume, time and type of milk” did have effects on the temperature retention capacity of the thermal container with p-values <0.05. The temperatures of all samples were <4°C at hour zero. All of the samples’ temperatures began to increase once they were inside the thermal container and all of the samples entered the danger zone (>4°C) after four hours. A Chi Square test was conducted to determine whether Creamo or skim milk was safer (≤4°C) from hour one to four. Results showed that 123/240 (51%) skim milk and 110/240 (46%) Creamo samples were safe, but the result was not statistically significant. Conclusion: This study’s results indicate that the tested thermal container had a better cold temperature retention capacity when it was filled up (1.5L) compared to when it was only half filled (0.75L). In addition, when the thermal container was filled with skim milk, it also had a better cold temperature retention capacity compared to Creamo. Finally, this specific thermal container was not successful in maintaining the temperature of milk out of the danger zone (≤4°C) after four hours. These results should be disseminated to Environmental Health Officers whose job it is to keep the public safe from foodborne illnesses. As well, policies should be established pertaining to time permitted to keep milk in thermal containers., Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Environmental Health, British Columbia Institute of Technology, 2015., Peer-reviewed article, Published., Peer reviewed, Thermos, Thermal container, Milk, Creamo, Coffee, Temperature
Kimchi
Background: The increasing number of kimchi consumers in Metro Vancouver raises food safety concerns over the kimchi being out in the ambient temperature. Although kimchi is known to have lactic acid pro-ducing bacteria as its normal flora, environmental health officers have no specific reference to the change in pH with respect to time. The purpose of this study was to understand the rate at which kimchi ferments at different temperatures and determine whether kimchi is a hazardous food or not. Methods: Freshly made kimchi at researcher’s residence were divided into two groups; 4 oC and 25 oC. 30 samples for each set with equal amounts were left at these two different conditions. PH and temperature were measured at the time of separation and for three weeks weekly using the Waterproof Palm pH analyzer. Results: There was a steeper decline in the 25 oC set compared to 4 oC. It took some time between 22 hours and 34 hours for 25 oC set to show a drop in pH. On the other hand, 4 oC set did not show a significant decline in pH within the time period of the experiment., Peer-reviewed article, Published., Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Environmental Health, British Columbia Institute of Technology, 2015., Peer reviewed, Kimchi, pH, Waterproof Palm pH analyzer, Fermentation, Acidification
Knowledge translation and the Public Health Inspector
Background: Knowledge translation (KT) is the process of using the best available knowledge to inform decision-making. Public Health Inspectors (PHIs) are tasked with the critical responsibility of protecting public health. However, there is little data available about how effective and consistent current methods of distributing information to professionals across Canada are. The efficacy of KT has implications on the PHI profession and ultimately, public health protection. Objective: The purpose of this research is to identify how PHIs across Canada take evidence and incorporate it into practice. Methods: A survey was created with questions focused on determining what information PHIs use when making public health decisions, how PHIs go about finding the information required, and the level of trust invested into each source of data. Questions were formulated with guidance from the National Collaborating Centre of Environmental Health (NCCEH). It was distributed electronically to PHIs via social media and BCIT. Results: PHIs use evidence-based information to advise their decisions and actions always (43%) or often (46%) in daily practice. Government agencies, professional organizations, peer-reviewed literature, and colleagues are most often used and deemed as reliable resources. Although very frequently used, the internet was seen as neither reliable nor unreliable. 77% of respondents cited that barriers exist that impede their access to evidence-based information. The most common barriers listed were time constraints, costs, and lack of relevant information. Conclusions: The internet is becoming an increasingly popular means by which knowledge is delivered. However, web-based public health resources need to be more concise, easily accessible, PHI-specific and facilitated by reliable entities to effectively address barriers to practice. Increased communication of evidence, practices, and standards are required between health authorities, government agencies, and PHI professionals to ensure consistent and cohesive protection of public health., Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Environmental Health, British Columbia Institute of Technology, 2015., Peer-reviewed article, Published., Peer reviewed, Knowledge translation, Public Health Inspectors, PHIs, Evidence, Public health
Mitigating hand contamination at recycling depots
Background and Purpose: Although the number of recyclers and amount of accepted materials and their contaminants has increased over the decades, the adequate provision of hand washing equipment to mitigate the transfer of infectious agents at recycling depots has not been well studied. Minimal Standard (MS) depots and STAR-Rated (SR) depots are inspected by Encorp Pacific (Canada) auditors, not health inspectors, and claim to provide adequate hand hygiene equipment. This study compared the adequate provision of essential hand washing equipment at MS and SR depots in Metro Vancouver to determine if they met public health standards. Methods: Inspections of presence/absence of essential hand washing equipment (tap with running water, soap in soap dispenser, hand drying equipment and signage) were carried out at 35 depots throughout Metro Vancouver (Vancouver West End to Abbotsford). Depots recorded with all components were assigned a Pass grade; depots with any one missing component or more were assigned a Fail grade. MS/SR and Pass/Fail grade was analyzed using Chi-squared test on NCSS 9 Statistical Software (NCSS). Results: Of the 35 depots surveyed, fails were present in both MS depots and SR depots. Very few depots had signage. Main reasons for Fails included broken hand dryers and lack of soap. All depots with hand wash stations had running water. Pearson’s Chi-square results for observed Pass/Fail and MS/SR depots compared to expected values were unable to reject null hypothesis (P-value 0.911 > 0.05) even when provision of signage was excluded as a criterion (P-value 0.537 > 0.05). Conclusion: There was no association between depot standard rating and provision of essential hand washing equipment. Lack of signage failed 74.3% of depots but excluding signage from the criteria failed 34.3% of depots. Hand washing is important in mitigating risk of infection from hand contamination from household recyclables and those sorted from waste. Inspecting depots and educating operators from a public health viewpoint may increase provision of essential hand washing equipment and increase hand washing compliance in public users., Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Environmental Health, British Columbia Institute of Technology, 2015., Peer-reviewed article, Published., Peer reviewed, Hand washing, Hygiene, Wash station, Hand contamination, Infection, Signage, Compliance, Metro Vancouver, Recycling
Sous vide salmon pasteurization temperature
Objectives: Cooking foods to a specific temperature and temperature control are often very difficult due to the frequent fluctuation of heat during the traditional dry heat (oven) cooking process. “Sous vide” cooking of vacuum-packaged foods immersed in water provides constant and controllable time and temperature measurements throughout the process. Some sous vide style foods are cooked at temperatures that are lower than 60oC for short periods of time. This presents a recognizable food safety concern including the survival of harmful bacteria as well as conditions that do not achieve pathogen reduction during either the sous vide cooking or finishing (searing) process. This research project investigated the time and temperature relationship for sous vide salmon in order to examine if pasteurization temperature was achieved if an additional searing step was performed. Methods: Temperature values were measured using data-loggers (SmartButton) for 30 samples of vacuum-packed salmon and cooked sous vide inside a circulating water bath at 50oC for 20 minutes. A one sample one tailed t-test was conducted to assess whether the internal temperature of salmon reached instantaneous pasteurization temperature of 70oC after a final searing step was performed at 220oC for 45 seconds. Results: Five out of the 30 (16.7%) salmon samples achieved 70oC after the final searing step. Statistical analyses were statistically significant, and the null hypothesis (Ho: measured internal temperature of salmon ≥ target temperature) was rejected with 100% power and a p-value of 0.00. Conclusion: These results indicate that salmon cooked sous vide style under 50oC for 20 minutes with a final searing step of 220oC for 45 seconds will likely not achieve pasteurization providing adequate pathogen reduction according to guidelines set out by BCCDC. For sous vide style cooked salmon cooked at lower temperatures for short periods, freezing for control of parasite hazards is recommended., Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Environmental Health, British Columbia Institute of Technology, 2015., Peer-reviewed article, Published., Peer reviewed, Sous vide, Salmon, Temperature, SmartButton, Public health
A study on allergen knowledge and its perceived importance in food safety
Background: Studies have shown that one out of every thirteen Canadians suffers from a significant food allergy, and that 1.2 million Canadians may be affected by food allergies in their lifetime. As food allergies are common, many would assume that allergen safety would be a significant component of public health promotion and food education. This study, on food allergen knowledge, is one step towards addressing the deficit that exists with regards to understanding food allergens in public health. Method: The study was conducted by surveying Environmental Health Officers (EHOs) nationwide using an online questionnaire. It was distributed via email with the aid of the Environmental Health faculty at British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). The survey was also posted to the BCIT Environmental Health and Canadian Institute of Public Health Inspectors (CIPHI) groups on the online social networking service Facebook. The results helped determine whether opinions, behaviors, and knowledge level regarding food allergens and food allergen safety depended on having a food allergy themselves. Results: The data extracted from the survey was analyzed using the statistical software NCSS. The results of the Allergen Knowledge portion (t-test) concluded that there is no association between the score of the Allergen Knowledge test, and whether or not the participants have a food allergy, inferred by its p-value of 0.268010. The results of a chi-square test indicated that there is a borderline association between how often EHOs educate restaurant operators on allergen safety, and whether or not they have a food allergy (p = 0.049) Conclusion: The t-test performed concluded that the participant’s knowledge regarding food allergens was not dependent on the presence or absence of a food allergy. The second statistical analysis (chi-square test) supported an association between how often EHOs educated restaurant operators on allergen safety, and whether or not they have a food allergy. Health Authorities can use these results to provide a basis for establishing a food allergen training program for EHOs in the future, thereby raising awareness and helping to better manage the presence of food allergens in public health., Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Environmental Health, British Columbia Institute of Technology, 2015., Peer-reviewed article, Published., Peer reviewed, Food allergy, Priority allergens, Food safety, Allergen knowledge, Health promotion
A study on the public perception of waste-to-energy facilities in Metro Vancouver
BACKGROUND: Metro Vancouver is proposing a second waste-to-energy (WTE) facility to be built within the regional district. WTE facilities are used to reduce the volume of waste going to landfill sites. With Metro Vancouver’s desire to become the Greenest City in the World by 2020, WTE facilities are one option to achieve this goal. The proposal is currently in its second phase, and is looking for an ideal location. However, there are debates over whether the use of WTE facilities is an ideal method of municipal waste disposal. The aim of this research project was to measure the public knowledge and opinion of WTE facilities across various demographics. METHODS: A survey regarding knowledge and opinion of WTE facilities was generated and distributed online via social media platforms. Microsoft Excel and NCSS software were used to analyze the data to determine statistical significance. RESULTS: There were a total of 111 respondents. Demographic information was analyzed against the respondent’s knowledge score of WTE facilities. There is no statistically significant difference between educational background, age group, or place of residence and attaining a particular knowledge score of WTE facilities (p=0.51, p=0.31, p=0.22 respectively). The results indicated a limited knowledge of WTE facilities in the general public, with a mean score of 3.6 out of a maximum of 5. 59% of respondents indicated that they felt neutral towards WTE facilities, while 24% believed they were the most desirable method of managing municipal waste, and 21% believed they were least desirable. CONCLUSION: Results suggests that WTE facilities are not well understood, and not enough knowledge has been provided to the public in order for them to formulate a consensus on supporting or rejecting the use of WTE facilities. In such cases, the Environmental Health Officer (EHO) can act as an educator to help the public make an informed decision on the effects of WTE facilities and the consequences of different methods of handling municipal solid waste., Peer-reviewed article, Published., Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Environmental Health, British Columbia Institute of Technology, 2015., Peer reviewed, Survey, Waste-to-energy facilities, Public perception, Air quality, Waste management
Testing for presence of radioactivity in food products imported from Japan to Canada
Following the Fukushima Nuclear accident of March 11th of 2011, many people, particularly among the general public are still skeptical about the safety of foods imported from Japan. Furthermore, currently little radiation monitoring of food happens in Canada. The present study aims to test for the presence or absence of gamma radioactivity in various food products imported to Canada from Japan. Thirty commonly imported Japanese and thirty-two additional Canadian food products were purchased from supermarkets and convenience stores in Vancouver, British Columbia. All samples were tested for gamma radiation from cesium-134 and cesium-137 using a portable gamma spectrometer, the EXPLORANIUM GR-135 Plus Identifier. All food samples tested in this experiment were found free of any detectable gamma radioactivity., Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Environmental Health, British Columbia Institute of Technology, 2015., Peer-reviewed article, Published., Peer reviewed, Japanese, Food, Fukushima, Canada, Cesium-134, Cesium-137, Gamma radiation
Vancouver community gardeners perceptions on soil health and contamination
Background: Reclaiming and converting brownfields into green spaces, such as community gardens, is a growing trend especially in Vancouver, British Columbia. Although community gardens provide a wide amount of benefits: health, social, and environmental, there are potential risks when growing and eating food from contaminated soil. Gardeners must take the proper precautions to reduce their exposure to such contaminants such as having their soil tested. Methods: The researcher gathered information via an online survey from 23 community gardens in Vancouver, British Columbia. Survey participants were asked questions regarding garden site history, soil contamination and overall gardening knowledge. Results: A total of 101 community gardeners participated in the study. The typical survey respondent was female, 30-49 years old, had less than 10 years of gardening experience with Bachelor degrees. It was found that no association exists between having soil testing and the location of the garden, park vs. non-park (p = 0.89712). Again, there is no association between the location of the community garden and gardeners’ feelings that their soil is safe and contaminant-free (p= 0.39521). Conclusion: Gardening in soil that has previously been contaminated through industrial processes poses a potential health concern. Despite this concern, community gardeners refrained from soil testing and remain confident in the safety of their garden’s soil. The absence of soil testing indicates a gap in the safety standards for community gardens. Therefore, mandatory and annual soil testing should be implemented with Vancouver’s community gardens to ensure the health and safety of gardeners., Project submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Bachelor of Technology in Environmental Health, British Columbia Institute of Technology, 2015., Peer-reviewed article, Published., Peer reviewed, Soil contamination, Soil health, Community gardens, Vancouver, Brownfield, Green space, Healthy communities

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