Microbial assessment and performance evaluation of eyewash stations in the laboratory setting.

IF 1.5 4区 医学 Q4 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Derek A Newcomer, Ishveen Chopra, Ibne Karim M Ali, Shantanu Roy, Jennifer R Cope, Judi Todd Darnell
{"title":"Microbial assessment and performance evaluation of eyewash stations in the laboratory setting.","authors":"Derek A Newcomer, Ishveen Chopra, Ibne Karim M Ali, Shantanu Roy, Jennifer R Cope, Judi Todd Darnell","doi":"10.1080/15459624.2024.2443208","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Eyewash stations are an essential component of laboratory safety programs, providing first aid in case of ocular exposure to hazardous materials. However, the presence of microbial contamination in these devices poses a potential risk of ocular infection to laboratory employees. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the microbial quality and performance of 40 eyewash stations fixed in 10 buildings in a laboratory setting. Water quality parameters, including temperature, pH, turbidity, and the presence of <i>Acanthamoeba</i> spp., were measured at various time points (first draw, after 2 min of flushing, and 15 min flushing) from samples collected from each of the 40 eyewash stations. Performance and operational data were also measured according to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) Z358.1-2014 standard. Our results showed variable compliance with this standard across measures of physical condition, performance, access, and maintenance. Out of the 147 water samples collected (130 eyewash samples, 17 building reference samples), 28 samples were suspected to contain <i>Acanthamoeba</i> spp. or other free-living amoeba based on initial testing. Further analysis using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmed the presence of <i>Acanthamoeba</i> spp. in 5 out of 28 samples. The results of this study provide insights into the potential risk of ocular infections associated with using eyewash stations and provide the basis for the recommendations on maintenance protocols to minimize the risk of microbial contamination.</p>","PeriodicalId":16599,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene","volume":" ","pages":"322-335"},"PeriodicalIF":1.5000,"publicationDate":"2025-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15459624.2024.2443208","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2025/2/6 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0

Abstract

Eyewash stations are an essential component of laboratory safety programs, providing first aid in case of ocular exposure to hazardous materials. However, the presence of microbial contamination in these devices poses a potential risk of ocular infection to laboratory employees. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the microbial quality and performance of 40 eyewash stations fixed in 10 buildings in a laboratory setting. Water quality parameters, including temperature, pH, turbidity, and the presence of Acanthamoeba spp., were measured at various time points (first draw, after 2 min of flushing, and 15 min flushing) from samples collected from each of the 40 eyewash stations. Performance and operational data were also measured according to the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) Z358.1-2014 standard. Our results showed variable compliance with this standard across measures of physical condition, performance, access, and maintenance. Out of the 147 water samples collected (130 eyewash samples, 17 building reference samples), 28 samples were suspected to contain Acanthamoeba spp. or other free-living amoeba based on initial testing. Further analysis using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) confirmed the presence of Acanthamoeba spp. in 5 out of 28 samples. The results of this study provide insights into the potential risk of ocular infections associated with using eyewash stations and provide the basis for the recommendations on maintenance protocols to minimize the risk of microbial contamination.

实验室环境下洗眼站的微生物评价和性能评价。
洗眼站是实验室安全项目的重要组成部分,在眼睛接触有害物质时提供急救。然而,这些设备中微生物污染的存在给实验室员工带来了眼部感染的潜在风险。本横断面研究旨在评估在实验室设置的10栋建筑物中固定的40个洗眼站的微生物质量和性能。在不同时间点(第一次抽取、冲洗2分钟后和冲洗15分钟后)测量从40个洗眼站收集的样本的水质参数,包括温度、pH值、浊度和棘阿米巴原虫的存在。性能和运行数据也根据美国国家标准协会(ANSI)/国际安全设备协会(ISEA) Z358.1-2014标准进行测量。我们的结果显示,在物理条件、性能、访问和维护方面,对该标准的遵守程度各不相同。在收集的147个水样中(130个洗眼水样,17个建筑参考水样),根据初步检测,28个水样疑似含有棘阿米巴原虫或其他自由生活的阿米巴原虫。利用聚合酶链反应(PCR)进一步分析证实,28份样本中有5份存在棘阿米巴原虫。本研究的结果提供了与使用洗眼站相关的眼部感染的潜在风险的见解,并为维护方案的建议提供了基础,以尽量减少微生物污染的风险。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
求助全文
约1分钟内获得全文 求助全文
来源期刊
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene 环境科学-公共卫生、环境卫生与职业卫生
CiteScore
3.30
自引率
10.00%
发文量
81
审稿时长
12-24 weeks
期刊介绍: The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene ( JOEH ) is a joint publication of the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA®) and ACGIH®. The JOEH is a peer-reviewed journal devoted to enhancing the knowledge and practice of occupational and environmental hygiene and safety by widely disseminating research articles and applied studies of the highest quality. The JOEH provides a written medium for the communication of ideas, methods, processes, and research in core and emerging areas of occupational and environmental hygiene. Core domains include, but are not limited to: exposure assessment, control strategies, ergonomics, and risk analysis. Emerging domains include, but are not limited to: sensor technology, emergency preparedness and response, changing workforce, and management and analysis of "big" data.
×
引用
GB/T 7714-2015
复制
MLA
复制
APA
复制
导出至
BibTeX EndNote RefMan NoteFirst NoteExpress
×
提示
您的信息不完整,为了账户安全,请先补充。
现在去补充
×
提示
您因"违规操作"
具体请查看互助需知
我知道了
×
提示
确定
请完成安全验证×
copy
已复制链接
快去分享给好友吧!
我知道了
右上角分享
点击右上角分享
0
联系我们:info@booksci.cn Book学术提供免费学术资源搜索服务,方便国内外学者检索中英文文献。致力于提供最便捷和优质的服务体验。 Copyright © 2023 布克学术 All rights reserved.
京ICP备2023020795号-1
ghs 京公网安备 11010802042870号
Book学术文献互助
Book学术文献互助群
群 号:481959085
Book学术官方微信