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http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41562-024-01833-8 | DOI Listing |
J Occup Environ Hyg
September 2025
Department of Environmental Agricultural and Occupational Health, College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska.
Powered air-purifying respirators (PAPR) have become an increasingly utilized form of respiratory protection against highly infectious aerosols. In the United States, PAPRs have been used in high-level clinical isolation settings to care for patients infected with viral hemorrhagic fevers and, more recently, during the COVID-19 pandemic. PAPRs have long been used for biocontainment care and experienced increased use during the pandemic because they provide full-face visibility and eye and respiratory protection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Occup Environ Hyg
September 2025
Division of Biology, Chemistry, and Materials Science, Office of Science and Engineering Laboratories, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
This work assesses the current characterization framework of single-use personal protective equipment (PPE) per recognized consensus standards and presents a novel quantitative approach to refining characterization of barrier materials and predicting PPE performance. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and image analysis software (Diameter J) were used to examine the microscopic fiber and pore structure of filter layers of surgical N95 filtering facepiece respirators, before and after exposure to chemicals used in decontamination modalities (vaporized hydrogen peroxide or ozone). The effect of porosity on penetration was assessed by bacterial filtration efficiency (BFE) testing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProc Natl Acad Sci U S A
September 2025
Colorado State University, Department of Forest and Rangeland Stewardship, Fort Collins, CO 80523.
The streams of Alaska's Brooks Range lie within a vast (~14M ha) tract of protected wilderness and have long supported both resident and anadromous fish. However, dozens of historically clear streams have recently turned orange and turbid. Thawing permafrost is thought to have exposed sulfide minerals to weathering, delivering iron and other potentially toxic metals to aquatic ecosystems.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
September 2025
School of Nuclear Science and Technology, University of South China Hengyang, Hunan, China.
With the rapid development of the nuclear medicine business worldwide, the removal of iodine-131 from specific contaminated environments to protect public health has important application prospects. In this study, the surface decontamination mechanism of Ce(IV)/HNO3 as a decontaminant for iodine-131-contaminated nonmetallic materials was investigated by using an orthogonal experimental method and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). During the preparation experiments with the contaminated materials, both quartz glass and ceramics reached peak activity concentration levels at 4 h of adsorption (contamination) by using immersion; the decontamination factor (DF) was selected as the test index for the decontamination experiments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Vis Exp
August 2025
The Ragon Institute of Mass General, MIT, and Harvard Main Street;
Ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation (280-320 nm) has been recognized as a carcinogen since 1928, leading to sun exposure minimization. However, epidemiological studies suggest that sun exposure correlates with increased life expectancy and reduced incidence of cardiovascular diseases and certain cancers such as colon and endometrial cancer. UVB exposure also influences liver metabolism, protects against hepatocellular lipotoxicity, and affects metabolic health.
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