Environmental Public Health Journal 2016 | BCIT Institutional Repository

Environmental Public Health Journal 2016

The affect of temperature and pH on the food safety of kombucha tea
Objectives: Kombucha tea is becoming an increasingly popular food item within the Vancouver area. The tea is prepared through fermentation at room temperature during which acidic by-products are produced lowering the overall pH of the tea. Though the pH eventually reaches levels below 4.6, many health authorities prevent the sale of kombucha in farmers markets due to potential food safety issues. The initial pH before fermentation is around 5.5 and is then left at room temperature to ferment. As a result, this process potentially could allow for food borne illness causing organisms to survive and proliferate within the sugared tea. This research project will investigate the relationship of pH and time during fermentation at both room and refrigeration temperatures. Fermentation within a refrigerator could provide a safer alternative fermentation method Methods: The pH was measured using a pH meter for 30 samples at both room and refrigeration temperatures providing a total of 60 samples. The pH was measured periodically every twelve hours for a total of 120 hours. The data was analyzed using a linear regression model to determine if the pH change over time was statistically significant. The time at which the pH dropped below 4.6 was also noted for food safety purposes Results: At room temperature the pH steadily decreased in a linear fashion throughout the entire sampling period, dropping below 4.6 within 12 hours. The pH decreased in a nearly identical fashion when fermented in a refrigerator for the first 72 hours of sampling. After the 72 hour mark the pH stabilized at approximately 3.75, whereas the pH at room temperature continued to decrease down to 3.10 after the full sampling period Conclusion: The results indicate that kombucha tea becomes a non-potentially hazardous food within the first 12 hours of fermentation. The pH dropped below 4.6 after 12 hours at which point no food borne illness causing bacteria are able to survive and proliferate within the tea. The observed decrease in pH during the first 72 hours within a refrigerator is unlikely to have resulted from the fermentation process and therefore is not a feasible practice. Fermentation at room temperature appears to be a relatively safe process if home brewers are able to measure the pH change and carry out the process in a sanitary manner, 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, 2017., Peer reviewed, Kombucha, Fermentation, pH, Temperature, Refrigeration, Tea
Evaluation of the general public’s knowledge on ingredients in personal care products
Objectives: The average person living in North America is exposed to hundreds of chemical ingredients, including those that are harmful to human health, through application of personal care products. The manufacture of personal care products is largely untested and unregulated at a government level; legislation is not as prescriptive as the public would expect it to be. This shifts the responsibility to consumers to use their own discretion when purchasing personal care products. The purpose of this research was to assess the knowledge of the Canadian general public regarding ingredients in personal care products to determine if they have enough knowledge to avoid harmful substances. Methods: A knowledge assessment survey was conducted to two different groups in Canada. The first group consisted of the general public who did not have a background in toxicology or dermatology, and the second group consisted of Public Health Inspectors in Lower Mainland B.C. The test scores from the knowledge assessment were compared between the two groups to determine if there was a significant difference in the means. Results: The survey was completed by 39 Public Health Inspectors and 91 members of the general public. The mean score was 3.0256 for the Public Health Inspectors and 1.846 for the general public; the test score was out of 10. Statistical analyses showed that the mean test scores were significantly different and the null hypothesis (Ho: mean test score of the Public Health Inspectors = mean test score of the general public) was rejected at α= 0.05. Conclusion: The result showed that both groups had low level of knowledge regarding the ingredients in personal care products that are widely used in Canada. Even the chemical ingredients that are known or suspected to be dangerous to human health or have adverse effects on the environment were not recognized. Exposure to potentially hazardous chemicals can be prevented or reduced by setting a legal requirement of a maximum concentration, imposing marketing restrictions or requiring better labelling of hazardous ingredients to improve public awareness of potential risk., 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, 2017., Peer reviewed, chemical ingredients, Personal care products, Cosmetic, Toxic, Xenobiotics, Preservatives
Evaluation of the public’s knowledge, attitude, and practice on seafood contaminants
Background: The public perceives seafood generally as a healthy food. Studies have shown that consumption of fish is associated with healthy heart function. However, the benefits of consuming seafood may also come with some risks, which may not be well-known by the public. Seafood can potentially contain contaminants that originate from the natural environment or pollutants from human activity. The contaminants of interest that were focused on in this study include lead, mercury, organophosphates, and domoic acid. Methods: The study utilized a KAP (Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice) survey to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practices regarding these contaminants between the general public and those working in the seafood industry. Nominal data was analyzed by the chi-square test while numerical data was analyzed by the t-test. Results: The data obtained did not show a statistically significant difference between the general public and the seafood industry (p-values greater than significance level of 0.05 on all parameters) in their knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding seafood contaminants. Conclusion: There was no difference between the general public and the seafood industry in their knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding seafood contaminants. Although the attitude data was not significant, the effects of some chemical contaminants (organophosphates and domoic acid) were generally incorrectly perceived by both groups unlike biological contaminants. Additional research will be required, but results from this study show that educational intervention by the government or health authorities may be needed., 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, 2017., Peer reviewed, Organophosphates, Seafood, Contaminants, Knowledge, Attitude, Practice, Perception, Domoic acid, Lead, Mercury
Potential environmental impact of the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant accident
Background and Purpose: The 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear reactor incident in Japan resulted in the release of large quantities of radioactive material into the Pacific Ocean through deposition from the atmosphere and liquid discharges from the nuclear facility. Public misconceptions and the scarcity of radiation monitoring along the west coast of Canada have create doubt within the population regarding the safety of the ocean. A radiation survey along some of Vancouver’s beaches was completed to determine whether radioactivity from Fukushima has reached our local shores. Methods: Radiation surveys were conducted at three different locations; Sunset, Spanish Banks and Jericho Beach in Vancouver, British Columbia. Gamma radiation levels were measured using both the Radeye, GR 135 Plus EXPLORANIUM survey meters. At each beach, 30 samples of water, sand and various different artifacts including algae, stones and logs were each surveying. If the radiation detected exceed 0.05μSv/Hr the identification function of the GR 135 Plus EXPLORANIUM would be used to determine if it was from natural or artificial sources. The radiation levels were compared to the expected normal background levels (between 0.05μSv/Hr- 1.0 μSv/Hr) as well as to observed if there was any sufficient differences between the mediums under investigation. Results: The radiation levels along all three beaches did not exceed normal background levels (between 0.05μSv/Hr- 1.0 μSv/Hr). Furthermore, characteristic radionuclides released from this incident, specifically Cesium 134 and Cesium 134, were not detected. There was no sufficient difference between the radiation levels observed from the sand, water and different artifacts (logs, stones, and algae) Conclusion: It was concluded that the radiation levels along the beaches, Jericho, Spanish Banks and Sunset Beach do not present an additional risk to the public visiting this area as a result of this incident., 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, 2017., Peer reviewed, Fukushima Daiichi, Cesium 134, Cesium 137, Gamma, Radiation, Vancouver beaches