Ethylene oxide (EO or EtO) is a widely used gas sterilant, for devices that cannot take the heat of steam. To promote efficiency in the distribution of these devices, which often are shipped to the customer pre-sterilized, inventory is kept in strategically located warehouses. Best practices for EtO sterilization recommend sufficient aeration of the load…
Wastewater is used water. It includes substances such as human waste, food scraps, oils, soaps, and chemicals. In homes, this includes water from sinks, showers, bathtubs, toilets, washing machines, and dishwashers. Businesses and industries also contribute their share of used water that must be cleaned. Storm runoff must also be considered. While natural processes can…
PLEASE NOTE: We are NOT the manufacturers of the swabs, and we do not perform ethylene oxide sterilization. During the great COVID-19 pandemic, millions of people are being tested to see if they are infected with the virus SARS-CoV-2. The test involves a sample being taken deep into a nasal cavity, using a medical…
In most gas detection applications, you are dealing with either the ambient open air, source effluent of a very high volume, or a confined entry location which still has no practical limit of the air sample available. In certain cases, however, an application may arise in which the available sampling volume is limited. Most of…
In most cases, the goal is to establish some sort of ventilation control, such that a balance can be achieved between energy conservation and guarding against toxic exposure. Carbon monoxide is usually chosen as the target analyte, unless the vehicular traffic will be largely diesel. While diesel engines do emit CO, it is less than…
In most cases, gas monitoring applications focus on a single gas. There may well be interest in detecting this compound at several points, but the end-user has determined that it has one particular target analyte. Sometimes, though, there will be two gases of interest. Common examples are hydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide; and carbon monoxide and…
There has long been interest in measuring the amount of carboxyhemoglobin in the blood of workers who might be exposed to carbon monoxide. CO-induced hypoxia is a real consequence. However, such measurements—when done in the conventional manner—are invasive and cumbersome. It was first demonstrated in 1948, by Torgny Sjöstrand, that COHb saturation could be estimated…
How about a little peak into the secret life of plants? Fruit ripening is a form of senescence and signifies the final stage in fruit development. Ripening, of course, eventually leads to spoilage, so there are important commercial reasons to increase and control post-harvest longevity. Complicating matters, post-harvest longevity varies naturally. Strawberries, for example, last…
Everyone in the safety field knows that carbon monoxide is the “silent killer.” So, you might find it interesting that CO is used in an important test of lung function—the test for lung diffusing capacity. That is, how well do the lungs transfer gases to and from the bloodstream? (Oxygen and carbon dioxide) Carbon monoxide…
Following the active hurricane seasons of 2004 and 2005, there was an upsurge in home construction. Demand for drywall exceeded the domestic supply, and a certain amount of drywall was imported from China. In June, 2008, the State of Florida’s Department of Health received its first call from a homeowner regarding sulfur odors related to…