UPDATED AGAIN: For those funded by the Sloan Foundation Program in Microbiology of the Built Environment there will be a workshop for all grantees in Boulder May 31 and June 1. Apologies for the earlier incorrect posting with dates of May 24-25. The perils of blogging while hosting a meeting … I posted before the dates …
Well, Legionnaires disease is not pleasant by any stretch of the imagination. And this latest report is certainly a bit disturbing: Hospitals water wall source of Legionnaires Disease – Health – CBC News. But to me, the reaction to this is a bit much. According to the news story there are now two – count ’em …
Just a quick one here — been pointed to the existence of a “self-sterilizing” keyboard (e.g., Brier Dudleys Blog | FDA OKs Vioguards germ-killing keyboard | Seattle Times Newspaper.) from a company called Vioguard. Clearly keyboards could be a “breeding” ground for nasty microbes so cleaning keyboards, especially those used in hospitals, seems like a good …
The driving force behind much of the new research in the microbiology of built environment is the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation which is funding a large variety of research projects, as well as microBEnet. For more information on their program, accomplishments to date, and goals for the future check out this written interview with Paula …
Well, normally I find popular press stories about getting rid of dust and bacteria to be mostly fear mongering. But this article from WebMD (which much of the time I have complaints about) actually seems worth a look: Are Vacuum Cleaners Bad for Your Health?. The article discusses in part new work from Australian researchers on …
The Washington Post reports that Legionnaire’s bacteria found throughout Hong Kong’s new government headquarters. This article reminds me of something I have been meaning to post here previously. I think one of the best ways to get the government here in the US to think more about microbes in the built environment would be to survey …
Seems like every day there is a new report of “bacteria and germs found” somewhere in the household. Todays report tells us that: Bacteria can thrive on paper towels, says study – HealthPop – CBS News. Yes, that is right – microbes – which are tiny and live EVERYWHERE – can in fact be found on …
A gross and lovely story all rolled into one – post Christmas dinner in the UK the pipes tend to clog up around towns from the grease and fat. What to do about this? Well, if you can’t get people to dumpy less fat and grease down the drain, how about adding some grease eating …
Another “scary microbe that lives in your house/office/car” story. In this case, the fungi Fusarium which can be pathogenic, particularly for people with immune deficiencies. To be fair, the authors of the scientific study take pains to point out that “the serious infections caused by fusaria are relatively uncommon and that these fungi may even …
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) as a group are of major concern to those who study indoor air quality. A few of these are produced by microbes (mVOCs) but most are from our use of chemicals in building materials and disinfection. The potential role of microbes in the mediation of VOCs is not particularly well understood …