Respirator fit of a medium mask on a group of South Africans: a cross-sectional study

http://www.ehjournal.net/content/10/1/17

Background: In South Africa, respiratory protective equipment is often the primary control method used to protect workers. This preliminary study investigated how well a common disposable P2 respirator fitted persons with a range of facial dimensions. Methods: Quantitative respirator fit tests were performed on 29 volunteers from different racial, gender and face size groups. Two facial dimensions width (bizygomatic) and length (menton-sellion) were measured for all participants. Results: In this study 13.8% of the participants demonstrated a successful fit with the medium sized mask. These included participants from three different racial and both gender groups. The large percentage of failed fit tests (86%) indicates that reliance on off-the-shelf respirators could be problematic in South Africa. Conclusions: The limitations of this preliminary study notwithstanding, respirator fit appear to be associated with individual facial characteristics and are not specific to racial/ethnic or gender characteristics.

This is one reason why I think the Totobobo mask is so useful. It is much easier to modify the mask to fit different faces. The Totobobo mask really needs to be tested in a place like Alaska where we have faces from many different populations. See the Flickr set at Respirators masks for pandemics, volcanoes, dust, woodworking, cycling

Primary entry about respirators is Masks — Types, Choosing (PPE)

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Technorati Tags: masks, respirators, PPE, preparedness, Totobobo, anthropometry

New Zealand Earthquake Updates on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/pages/New-Zealand-Earthquake-Updates/113580638717273?sk=wall

Sun storms and pigeon racing – the results

One reader races pigeons. He originally asked about Geomagnetic storm alerts, http://ykalaska.wordpress.com/2006/09/20/geomagnetic-storm-alerts/
and discussed here- Pigeons, geomagnetic storms, and auroras

And then tried out the real-time maps of storms and whether that would improve his birds performance–

Hi Pam, Since I started using the information that you gave to me, my racing performance has gone up drastically. My losses are down and my winning is up. I send very few birds when the warnings are high, which result in fewer losses and when it is low I send a few more of the higher pedigree birds and the winnings are up. Thank you very much for your input. I will start racing again in August of this year and will keep you informed as to the results. I will definitely be using this information on my birds during their training this summer also, as I take them out as far as 100 miles on training tosses. thanks again.

Avian Navigation (pdf file)
Roswitha Wiltschko and Wolfgang Wiltschko
The Auk 126(4):717–743, 2009.
American Ornithologists’ Union, 2009. Special Reviews in Ornithology
http://www.aou.org/auk/reviews/review_126_4.pdf

• What’s So Special About Pigeons from AAAS. (Links to Project PigeonWatch are broken.)
• Pigeon racing From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pigeon_racing

• From Cornell University, Project PigeonWatch

  http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pigeonwatch

• American Racing Pigeon Union

  http://www.pigeon.org/

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Site Search Tags: auroras, birds, pigeons, sunspots, geomagnetic+storms, migration

Request for Information– Dettol vs Lysol

This is an interesting question that came in, that I hope readers may know more about than I do–

I am a dentist and have a purely academic query — which has a better antimicrobial spectrum: Chloroxylenol or Benzalkonium chloride?

I’ll have to try looking that up. As an anthropologist, I suspect the answer will be different depending on
– the type of organism targeted
– the intended use (hands? instruments? countertops?)
– ease or thoroughness of use

plus, whatever the chemistry shows.

Can anyone help?

see also earlier posts

• Disinfectants for camp, field, and household
• Castor oil soap and Dettol Lysol

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Site Search Tags: Dettol, Lysol, antimicrobial, disinfection, query

Welcome, all, during 2008-2009

ClustrMaps Current Country Totals
From 12 Nov 2008 to 12 Nov 2009

United States (US)	29,827
Canada (CA)	2,800
United Kingdom (GB)	2,602
India (IN)	1,181
Australia (AU)	977
Philippines (PH)	903
Singapore (SG)	413
France (FR)	411
Malaysia (MY)	399
Germany (DE)	380
Egypt (EG)	303
New Zealand (NZ)	296
Thailand (TH)	292
Netherlands (NL)	259

Unorganized Borough gets first MacArthur Fellow

Jill Seaman, MD was one of the 2009 MacArthur Fellows, just announced. Her fellowship was for

adapting the tools of 21st-century medicine to treat infectious diseases endemic to Southern Sudan….

Jill Seaman is a physician committed to delivering and improving treatment for infectious diseases endemic to Old Fangak, Sudan one of the most remote, impoverished, and war-torn regions of the world….

She spends the remaining portion of each year in Bethel, Alaska, providing health services to Yup’ik Eskimo communities.

Read more about

• Dr Jill Seaman
• http://www.alaskasudan.org/
• http://www.medicalmissionhalloffamefoundation.org/bios/seaman.html

Q. What is the MacArthur Fellowship? A. The MacArthur Fellowship is a five-year grant to individuals who show exceptional creativity in their work and the prospect for still more in the future. The fellowship is designed to provide recipients with the flexibility to pursue their creative activities in the absence of specific obligations or reporting requirements. There are no limits on age or area of activity. Individuals cannot apply for this award; they must be nominated.

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Site Search Tags: Bethel, YKHC, MacArthur+Foundation, Unorganized+Borough, Third+World, medicine

What ever happened 12 months ago… SP VP2B

A year ago I heard the news announcement about John McCain’s pick for his VP2B– I nearly fell out of bed (and I have a futon) because I knew more about governing than Sarah Palin and I knew I wasn’t prepared to be President.

The national media had trouble pronouncing Palin’s name and suddenly everyone was searching for the city of Nowhere, Alaska.

See Mudflats take– A Year of Sarah Palin. What a Long, Strange Trip It’s Been.

Previous posts

• Where is… Palin and bridge to Nowhere Alaska
• Sarah Palin content
• Where is… Wasilla (Gov. Sarah Palin’s residence)

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Site Search Tags: Sarah+Palin, blog+stats, Nowhere

Anchorage trifids nearly ready

These things are nearly 6 feet tall. They seem to stem from the cabbage family.

Downtown trifids ready

Where is… homeless dying on the streets of Anchorage

Twelve people who were homeless or familiar with life on the streets have died outdoors in Anchorage this spring and summer, most of them in woods and parks. Only one death has been classified as a homicide.

• Anchorage’s 12 homeless deaths this year Published: August 22nd, 2009 10:07 PM
• What’s killing the homeless in Anchorage? By LISA DEMER Published: August 22nd, 2009 10:23 PM

1) There are far more homeless than those living rough or in shelters.

2) The list for AHFC (Alaska Housing Finance Corp.) rental assistance or housing in Anchorage is 10 months long at least.

3) Even last December the state was bragging about all the jobs available [sic] bringing in many individuals and families from Outside directly to the shelters and “camping out”.

4) If a person has a cut artery or broken leg, they can be taken / go to the hospital for treatment. If a person has a psychological crisis, they cannot receive any treatment or support, even by going to a hospital. The only humane way is to have them arrested for “trespassing” which takes them to police HQ for someone to decide if they can go to the hospital. Otherwise, wait for the person in crisis to assault themselves or someone else, then call the police.

5) Inebriates do look after each other, in many cases. This past winter bus riders noticing someone fall or lying down on the pavement would alert the driver who calls community service patrol. Some will ask passersby to call CSP for themselves or their friends. This means that we can all be alert for those in trouble and be accessible for those seeking help. (CSP on speed dial)

6) CSP is a contract service and evidently only available from 2 PM to 10 (?) PM. They aren’t available in the early morning. Fortunately, Anchorage police, if possible, will respond to get people off the street during morning “rush” hour on icy streets.

7) Many homeless and street folks cannot get proper health care. In this country, medical care, Rx are rationed to those with money and knowledge of how to access health system. Or, to those with money and knowledge to force IHS and VA to provide competent service.

Previous posts–

Drug Saves Frostbitten Digits

Displaced person in Palin’s Alaska

Demonstrating health care reform in Anchorage, August 11 2009

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Site Search Tags: where+is, homeless, Anchorage, ADN.com, Google+map, alcohol

Demonstrating health care reform in Anchorage, August 11 2009

Those without health care–

Homeless backpacks-- Will think for healthcare

Those with health care–

People with money for health care, housing, food, have bigger signs against health care reform.