Bio-Specialists.com

Noroviruses (Norwalk-like Viruses)

BioSpecialists Staff — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:34:00 +0100

PUBLIC HEALTH FACT SHEET Massachusetts Department of Public Health, 305 South Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130 What are Norwalk-like Viruses? Norwalk virus, Norwalk-like viruses (NLV) or noroviruses are a group of viruses (germs) that cause diarrheal illnesses. These viruses are named after the original strain that caused an outbreak in Norwal...

BioSpecialists now supporting Florida

BioSpecialists Staff — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 11:15:00 +0100

BioSpecialists Hudson, Florida Location BioSpecialists is growing, we now provide all of our services throughout the state of Florida from our Hudson, Florida location, conveniently located in the Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg metropolitan area. We are now providing our services throughout Florida and will soon be expanding and opening a n...

BioSpecialists at Maine Chiefs of Police Winter Conference

BioSpecialists Staff — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:00:00 +0100

BioSpecialists will be at the MCOPA 2012 Winter Conference Thursday, February 2 at the Wyndham Hotel in South Portland Please come see us in our booth, we can answer your questions and demonstrate our Biosafety products We can show you how our Biological Indicator can reveal Biohazards at a trauma scene, let us show you how to pro...

BioSpecialists in Maine News

BioSpecialists Staff — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 14:16:00 +0100

BioSpecialists makes the front page of Maine Biz. Check out this news article!

BioSpecialists BBP Class Huge Success

BioSpecialists Staff — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 13:13:00 +0100

We had a great turnout December 14th at the Fapco sponsored Blood Borne Pathogen training class for southern Maine funeral directors and attendants. With over 80 people in attendance, it was one of the largest classes in several years. The trainer and speaker was Richard Shepard, Vice President of Operations for Biospecialists. BioSpecialists...

Inbreeding in Bed Bugs is One Key to Massive Increases in Infestations

BioSpecialists Staff — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 07:58:00 +0100

Posted in Infection Control Today: News, Bed Bugs, Pest Control, Environmental Hygiene New research on the bed bug’s ability to withstand the genetic bottleneck of inbreeding, announced today at the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) annual meeting, provides new clues to explain the rapidly growing problem of bed bugs acr...

C. diff Infection Prolongs Hospital Length of Stay

BioSpecialists Staff — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 07:55:00 +0100

At BioSpecialists we work hard to reduce the impact and spread of treatment resistant bacteria and viruses. We have seen first hand the effect of Hospital Aquired Illnesses and Infections upon our communities. The best defense for our communities is education and awareness. We felt this article from Infection control today should be added to ...

New Tick-Borne Disease is Discovered

BioSpecialists Staff — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 07:47:00 +0100

BioSpecialists Notes: This alarming news article about vector borne diseases came to our attention this week in Infection Control Today. We think it is worthwhile for our neighbors through out New England to take note. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg's Sahlgrenska Academy have discovered a brand new tick-borne infection. Since t...

BioSpecialists Continuing Education

BioSpecialists Staff — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 14:22:00 +0100

Biospecialists is very pleased to announce that our Vice President of Operations and Field Supervisor Richard Shepard has completed Crime & Trauma Scene BioRecovery Training at the National Institute of Decontamination Specialists (NIDS) in Piedmont, South Carolina. Richard is now a fully certified American BioRecovery Association (ABRA) BioR...

International MRSA Testing Week Awareness Campaign is Announced

BioSpecialists Staff — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 07:30:00 +0100

Infection Control Today News Article Topic: Mrsa Infections, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) MRSA Survivors Network, the patient and consumer advocate organization, is launching its new global awareness campaign – International MRSA Testing Week, April 1-7, an annual designated observance to raise awareness for active detec...

Scientists Study Bacterial Load on Surfaces in Public Restrooms

BioSpecialists Staff — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 07:27:00 +0100

Infection Control Today News Article Topic: Infections & Pathogens, Environmental Hygiene, Research, Research & Studies, Hand Hygiene Everyone wonders what bugs might be lurking in public bathrooms. Now researchers are using novel genetic sequencing methods to answer this question, revealing a plethora of bacteria all around, from the doors an...

HIV Not Usually Transmitted From Bite or Kiss

BioSpecialists Staff — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 16:30:00 +0100

Infection Control Today News Article Topic: Hiv Infection, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Infections & Pathogens, Infectious Disease Transmission A 36-year-old man is being charged with three felonies, including transmission of HIV, after Chicago area police said he bit a male officer’s thumb and broke the skin. Transmission of HIV via a ...

Survey Finds More Than 1 in 3 Americans Affected by HAIs

BioSpecialists Staff — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 03:15:00 +0100

Infection Control Today reports: Survey results released today reveal that 34 percent of Americans (1) have, or know someone who has, acquired an infection after being exposed to infectious pathogens during a hospital stay. Moreover, the survey found that 64 percent of Americans do not think they would be better protected from these microorgan...

Detailed Microbe Database Now Available Online

BioSpecialists Staff — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 03:00:00 +0100

Infection Control Today reports today on a new Microbe Database. Covering a wide range of microbes, experts from leading environmental bio-contamination specialist, Bioquell, have developed a comprehensive and freely available online 'bug' database. The microsite features more than 30 of the most common environmental contaminants of im...

Handwashing Works!, Study Finds Significant Reduction in Bacteria When Using Antibacterial Soap

BioSpecialists Staff — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 03:00:00 +0100

Infection Control Today Reports: Handwashing with antibacterial soap produces statistically greater reductions in bacteria on the skin when compared to using non-antibacterial soap. Those are the findings of a review of two dozen relevant published studies analyzing the effectiveness of antibacterial soaps featured in the November 20...

BioSpecialists Blood Borne Pathogen Training Class December 14

BioSpecialists Staff — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:30:00 +0100

Are you a licensed Funeral Attendant. Do you work with Medical Examiners or Funeral Homes? Do you know how to protect yourself from exposure to Pathogens, Bacteria and Contagions present at a tragedy scenes and death scenes? BioSpecialists final Blood Borne Pathogen Class of 2011 At BioSpecialists we recognize that the most important servic...

Breaking Down the Business of Bio-Recovery

BioSpecialists Staff — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 08:15:00 +0100

by Jeffrey Stouffer November 3, 2011 It’s hard to argue that of all the different niches in the cleaning and restoration industry, bio-recovery (better known as crime scene cleanup) gets the lion’s share of the spotlight. From the money (“It’s a gold mine!”) to the movies (Sunshine Cleaning; The Cleaner, anyone?) and everything in between, it’...

New England Livery Services Re-energized

BioSpecialists Staff — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 12:22:00 +0100

New England Livery Services LLc, the sister company to BioSpecialists LLc is resuming a full array of Livery services to New England communities. New England Livery had taken a short one year break from service in order to allow us to focus upon the development of specialized BioRecovery Services that Biospecialists is now providing. Now tha...

BioSpecialists New Florida Location

BioSpecialists Staff — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 10:15:00 +0100

BioSpecialists Services to coming to Florida BioSpecialists will be expanding it's operations into Florida's west coast in 2012. We will be opening a new Service and Training center in Hudson, Florida, conveniently located in the Tampa Bay, St. Petersburg metropolitan area. From our new location in Hudson, Florida we will be providing the ...

Contaminated Uniforms Prevalent in Health Care

BioSpecialists Staff — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 14:17:00 +0100

Infection Control Today cites a recent study showing that healthcare worker uniforms carry resistant bacteria. More than 60 percent of hospital nurses’ and doctors’ uniforms tested positive for potentially dangerous bacteria, according to a study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Infection Control.A team of researchers...

Bed Bugs Continue to Spread across the US

BioSpecialists Staff — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 10:18:00 +0100

Bed Bugs date back to the Colonies Bed Bugs came to America with the earliest settlers; most sailing ships were badly infested with them. But by the 1950s, Bed Bugs were so rare in the United States that many had never seen one, there was a terrible stigma of uncleanliness upon those who suffered infestations. Since the 1990s there has been...

Join BioSpecialists in Manchester, NH on September 26

BioSpecialists Staff — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:08:00 +0100

New Hampshire Chiefs of Police Presents The First Annual Public Safety Trade Show September 26, 2011 10 am - 4 pm at the Center of New Hampshire Manchester, New Hampshire We are pleased to welcome Exhibitors from all over the United States who provide public safety equipment and solutions for Police, Fire, and EMS Admission is Free V...

Bomb Making Materials Awareness Program (BMAP)

BioSpecialists Staff — Wed, 17 Aug 2011 08:15:00 +0100

BioSpecialists to attend the Bomb Making Materials Awareness Program training class August 18, 2011 What is the BMAP? The BMAP is an innovative training opportunity being offered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Office for Bombing Prevention. This program is designed to increase Public & Private Sector awareness of the activi...

BioSpecialists - More than Crime Scene Cleanup

BioSpecialists Staff — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:45:00 +0100

BioSpecialists has much more to offer than only Crime Scene cleaning services. We have unique capabilities that allow us to provide a wide variety of services. We at BioSpecialists wish to emphasize that we are on call twenty four seven to respond to the needs of New England Communities. We will respond to our clients needs in the case of Su...

BioSpecialists, LLC expands service into the Boston Metro Area.

BioSpecialists Staff — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 11:46:00 +0100

BioSpecialists, a local New England Crime Scene Cleanup and Bio Hazard Remediation company has expanded service to Boston Area through our new Brookline, Massachusetts location. The Brookline office will ensure that BioSpecialists can provide the same level of Service and response times that our Southern Maine customers have come to expect. B...

School is Open

BioSpecialists Staff — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 10:12:00 +0100

Schools facilitate the spread of illness in community Schools are well known to spread much more than knowledge. Although some have argued that schools also perform an essential role in strengthening a growing child's immune system by facilitating the spread of bacteria into the community. Unfortunately modern times find us suffering the pl...

IICRC Press Release

BioSpecialists Staff — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 10:00:00 +0100

INSTITUTE OF INSPECTION, CLEANING AND RESTORATION CERTIFICATION 2715 E Mill Plain Boulevard Vancouver, Washington 98661 (360) 693-5675, FAX (360) 693-4858 e-mail: info@iicrc.org FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Issued by: The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification Vancouver, Washington, (360) 693-5675 The Institute of ...

Scientists Discover How to Combat HAIs, Food Poisoning and Bioterrorism Toxins

BioSpecialists Staff — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 07:00:00 +0100

Infection Control Today, 22 July, 2011 A team of scientists from A*STAR’s Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) has discovered the secret recipe for ‘antidotes’ that could neutralize the deadly plant toxin ricin, widely feared for its bioterrorism potential, as well as the Pseudomonas exotoxin (PE) responsible for the tens of thousands...

Investigators Show That the Epidemiology of CDI is Changing

BioSpecialists Staff — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 07:00:00 +0100

Infection Control Today, 19 July 2011 Clostridium difficile is the most common cause of nosocomial infectious diarrhea in the United States. However, recent reports have documented that C. difficile infections (CDIs) are occurring among patients without traditional risk factors. Jennifer L Kuntz, of the Center for Health Research at Kaiser Perm...

Crime and Trauma Scene Management

BioSpecialists Staff — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 15:15:00 +0100

Claims Magazine May 2008 By Don M. Mcnulty Every claim and restoration professional knows that no two projects are the same -- some are more complicated than others, especially those involving crime and trauma scenes. These jobs require a more thorough approach than most restoration projects. With that in mind, let's compare how two different ...

Research Provides Insight Into New Drug Resistance of Hospital Pathogens

BioSpecialists Staff — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 17:15:00 +0100

Infection Control Today, 11 July 2011 Hospitals struggle to prevent the infections that complicate treatment for cancer, joint replacement, heart surgery and other conditions. Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) are often resistant to multiple antibiotics, leading to approximately 100,000 deaths and more than $30 billion in additional healt...

Acinetobacter baumannii aka (Iraqibacter)

BioSpecialists Staff — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 10:45:00 +0100

Multidrug-resistant (MDR) Acinetobacter baumannii is a healthcare-associated pathogen that can live for months in both a wet and dry environment. The high prevalence of this organism in the hospital environment results in colonization of the skin and respiratory tract in the patient population, which can lead to development of infection. J.L. Wh...

Naturally Anti-microbial Copper

BioSpecialists Staff — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 10:30:00 +0100

Professor Bill Keevil, director of the Environmental Healthcare Unit at the University of Southampton, has presented research into the mechanism by which copper exerts its antimicrobial effect on antibiotic-resistant organisms at the World Health Organization's first International Conference on Prevention and Infection Control (ICPIC).'New Insig...

Privacy versus Safety

BioSpecialists Staff — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 10:15:00 +0100

Family doctors are reluctant to disclose identifiable patient information, even in the context of an influenza pandemic, mostly in an effort to protect patient privacy. A recently published study by Dr. Khaled El Emam, the Canada Research Chair in Electronic Health Information at the University of Ottawa and the Children's Hospital of Eastern On...

BioSpecialists, a continuing education

BioSpecialists Staff — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 08:45:00 +0100

Bill York will be attending classes in August at the National Iinstitute of Decontamination Specialists in Piedmont, South Carolina for advanced studies to further our knowledge and understanding of work environments. BioSpecialists technicians and supervisors have been enrolled in these classes in November. Continuous improvement is essential...

BioSpecialists is growing our fleet

BioSpecialists Staff — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 13:00:00 +0100

BioSpecialists is pleased to announce! We have updated our fleet with the addition of two new 2011 GMC Utilimaster Service Vehicles. We have taken delivery of the first unit, while the second is still being built and has been promised for delivery by the first week of August. This new equipment gives us the storage and flexibility we need ...

Bloodborne Pathogen Training, June 22 in Houlton, Maine

BioSpecialists Staff — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:15:00 +0100

FUNERAL HOME & CEMETERY NEWS Section APage A20 JUNE 2011 Bio-Specialists LLC earns Accreditation from the APFSP GORHAM,ME- Bio-Specialists, LLC professionals in trauma and crime scene cleanup, announced that it has received accreditation from the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice to instruct Blood Borne Pathogens training to fu...

Infection Control Today: Best Practices for Addressing CDI

BioSpecialists Staff — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:00:00 +0100

ICT spoke with Ruth M. Carrico, PhD, RN, FSHEA, CIC, an assistant professor with the University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences and associate faculty with the Center for Health Hazards Preparedness, regarding best practices for Clostridium difficile elimination. With more than 30 years of experience in healthcare, ...

ICT News: Mercy Hospital Receives HHS Patient Safety Award for Eliminating HAIs

BioSpecialists Staff — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:00:00 +0100

Mercy Hospital, part of Allina Hospitals & Clinics, is only one of four hospitals in the U.S. to be awarded an Outstanding Leadership Award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for achievements in eliminating two types of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs). Out of 250 hospitals that applied nationwide, Mercy is the o...

BioSpecialists take on Necrotizing Fasciitis

BioSpecialists Staff — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 10:29:00 +0100

In early June, BioSpecialists received a request from from the Massachusetts Department of Health and Human Services (Hyde Park office) to remeadiate an East Boston apartment where two people were living and both were hospitalized from a serious infection with a flesh eating bacteria. Upon arrival on scene a Representative from the Mass EOHHS ...

BioSpecialists Biological Indicator

BioSpecialists Staff — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 07:30:00 +0100

A recent incident provided us with an excellent opportunity to demonstrate the usefulness of the Biological Indicator. BioSpecialists was called to remediate a death scene and were admitted shortly after the authorities had cleared the scene and departed. As you can see in the photos below the floor appeared to be generally clean. However L...

What is that aroma, is it your car?

BioSpecialists Staff — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 10:00:00 +0100

Big Stink from small accidents As a former Auto Detailer, I can confirm that some of the worst odors come from the smallest accidents. In our mobile society we tend to eat far too many meals in our cars, eating in the car will eventually result in spillage. Add to this complex mixture the long New England winters where folks tend to put off ...

Attention Returning War Veterans!

BioSpecialists Staff — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:30:00 +0100

Q Fever Testing The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it has cleared the first nucleic acid amplification test to diagnose the early stages of Q fever infections in military personnel serving overseas. The Chemical Biological Medical System Joint Project Management Office within the U.S. Department of Defense funded the deve...

Vaccines Malaria, TB, and HIV Attended in 2020

BioSpecialists Staff — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:30:00 +0100

Alan Aderem, Director of BioMed, Seattle and Rino Rappuoli, Global Head of Vaccines Research for Novartis Vaccines and Diagonstics, reviewed the latest progress in vaccine development in a scientific journal, Nature. They write, it is estimated, by 2020, a vaccine for malaria, tuberculosis (TB) and HIV / AIDS is found. In the journal tha...

World Health Organization chimes in on Hand Washing

BioSpecialists Staff — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:15:00 +0100

Medscape Medical News is reporting on a survey from the World Health Organization (WHO) showing that almost 50 percent of healthcare workers around the globe are not washing their hands before providing care to a patient. This critical step is Moment 1 in the WHO's "My 5 Moments for Hand Hygiene" and the survey data were presented at the ...

New FDA approval for C-Dif (Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea) Treatment

BioSpecialists Staff — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:15:00 +0100

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announces that it has approved Dificid (fidaxomicin) tablets for the treatment of Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD).Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is a bacterium that can cause diarrhea and lead to colitis, other serious intestinal conditions, and death in severe cases. C. diffi...

Characterization of a canine homolog of hepatitis C virus

BioSpecialists Staff — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:15:00 +0100

In a study to be published online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers report the discovery of a novel hepatitis C-like virus in dogs. The identification and characterization of this virus gives scientists new insights into how hepatitis C in humans may have evolved and provides scientists renewed ho...

Disinfect and Sanitize those Cell Phones

BioSpecialists Staff — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:00:00 +0100

In a letter to the editor in the June issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, Atchara Sumritivanicha, MD, of the Department of Medicine at Thammasat University Hospital in Pratumthani, Thailand, and colleagues, report on their study indicating that use of an alcohol pad to clean mobile phones can eradicate pathogenic microorga...

FDA Clears First Test for Recent Infection with Toxoplasmosis Parasite

BioSpecialists Staff — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:00:00 +0100

FDA Press Release, May 19, 2011 The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announces that it has cleared the first test to help determine whether a pregnant woman or a person with swollen lymph nodes testing positive for toxoplasmosis, sometimes known as cat scratch disease, developed the infection within the past four months. Toxoplasmosis is...

Stamping Out Sepsis: A Global Goal

BioSpecialists Staff — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 13:00:00 +0100

Stamping Out Sepsis: A Global Goal By Michelle Beaver (Infection Control Today) In late 2010, a global group called out sepsis for what it is: a medical emergency beyond national boarders. The Global Sepsis Alliance (GSA) — which represents about 250,000 intensive and critical care physicians around the world — is urging healthcare provider...

MRSA Defined

BioSpecialists Staff — Thu, 19 May 2011 10:46:00 +0100

A.D.A.M. Medical Encyclopedia. MRSA Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA); Hospital-acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA)Last reviewed: June 9, 2011.Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a type (strain) of staph bacteria that does not respond to some antibiotics that are commonly used to treat staph i...

OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard

BioSpecialists Staff — Thu, 19 May 2011 10:00:00 +0100

FactSheet OSHA’s Bloodborne Pathogens Standard Bloodborne pathogens are infectious microorganisms present in blood that can cause disease in humans. These pathogens include, but are not limited to, hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS. Workers exposed to bloodbor...

Bio-hazard Awareness and Vehicle Decontamination Class, 22 May, Limerick, Maine

BioSpecialists Staff — Tue, 10 May 2011 14:15:00 +0100

May 22nd, Bio-Specialists will be teaching Bio-hazard Awareness and Emergency Vehicle Decontamination at the Limerick Fire Station in Limerick, Maine. Class begins at 12 noon. This 3 hour class covers all of the latest CDC guidelines and recommendations and is entitled to Maine EMS CEUs. Contact us at 207-839-9111 to enroll in this class.

Bio-hazard Awareness and Vehicle Decontamination Class, 19 May, Shapleigh, Maine

BioSpecialists Staff — Tue, 10 May 2011 14:00:00 +0100

May 19th, Bio-Specialists will be teaching Bio-hazard Awareness and Emergency Vehicle Decontamination at the Shapleigh Fire Station in Shapleigh Maine. Class begins at 6:30 pm. This 3 hour class covers all of the latest CDC guidelines and recommendations and is entitled to Maine EMS CEUs. Contact us at 207-839-9111 to enroll in this class.

Bio-hazard Awareness and Vehicle Decontamination Class, 26 May, Shapleigh, Maine

BioSpecialists Staff — Tue, 10 May 2011 14:00:00 +0100

May 26th, Bio-Specialists will be teaching Bio-hazard Awareness and Emergency Vehicle Decontamination at the Shapleigh Fire Station in Shapleigh Maine. Class begins at 6:30 pm. This 3 hour class covers all of the latest CDC guidelines and recommendations and is entitled to Maine EMS CEUs. Contact us at 207-839-9111 to participate in this class.

Bio-Specialists LLC, presenting at the Western Maine Fire Attack School, Bethel, Maine

BioSpecialists Staff — Tue, 10 May 2011 10:55:00 +0100

Look for us this weekend! Western Maine Fire Attack School (WMFAS) The Bethel Inn & Bethel Fire Dept May 14th – 15th, 2011 Frandford Mutual Aid Fire Training Association

Bio-Specialists LLC earns qualifications through the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and ...

BioSpecialists Staff — Tue, 10 May 2011 10:45:00 +0100

GORHAM, MAINE (May 1, 2011) Bio-Specialists, LLC, professionals in trauma and crime scene cleanup, announced today that two of its personnel have received qualifications in Odor Control through The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification. President Bill York and Operations Manager Rob Simmons traveled to Philadelphia, P...

2011 Cumberland County Fire Attack School

BioSpecialists Staff — Tue, 03 May 2011 08:09:00 +0100

BioSpecialist unveils BioSeal System BioSpecialists was in attendance at the 2011 Cumberland County Fire attack school annual event held in Gorham Me. This year the event was held at the Gorham Middle School, April 30 through May 1. BioSpecialists introduced, spotlighted and held demonstrations of our Myclyns Antimicrobial Personal Protection ...

Clandestine Meth Lab Hazards

BioSpecialists Staff — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 15:42:00 +0100

What Chemicals are used in Meth Labs? There are several "recipes" for “cooking” meth amphetamines. Each recipe uses different chemical ingredients. While many chemicals used in meth ampetamine products are common household chemicals, poor handling disposal, and complexed mixing of compounds, can create hazards. Some flammable chemicals used...

Biosafety Containment Levels - Wikipedia Entry

BioSpecialists Staff — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 11:50:00 +0100

Biosafety level A biosafety level is the level of the biocontainment precautions required to isolate dangerous biological agents in an enclosed facility. The levels of containment range from the lowest biosafety level 1 to the highest at level 4. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have specified these lev...

Tragedy and Trauma Induced Stress - NIH Article

BioSpecialists Staff — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 11:42:00 +0100

What are Anxiety Disorders? Anxiety is a normal reaction to stress. It helps one deal with a tense situation in the office, study harder for an exam, keep focused on an important speech. In general, it helps one cope. But when anxiety becomes an excessive, irrational dread of everyday situations, it has become a disabling disorder. Five major ...

Coping with Murder – Belief Net Article

BioSpecialists Staff — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 11:38:00 +0100

Coping with the violent death of your loved one--by murder, accident, or suicide--is one of the most severe challenges anyone can face. If you and your family have experienced such a loss, you have my deepest sympathy. When the agony begins, it can be impossible to imagine that there is any way to ever find the slightest relief from your ordeal...

Suicide grief: Healing after a loved one's suicide - Mayo Clinic Article

BioSpecialists Staff — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 11:14:00 +0100

A loved one's suicide can be emotionally devastating. Use healthy coping strategies — such as seeking support — to begin the journey to healing and acceptance. By Mayo Clinic staff When a loved one dies, your grief may be heart-wrenching. When a loved one commits suicide, your reaction may be more complicated. Overwhelming emotions may leave y...

Grief: Coping with reminders after a loss - Mayo Clinic Article

BioSpecialists Staff — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 11:13:00 +0100

Grief doesn't magically end at a certain point after a loved one's death. Reminders often bring back the pain of loss, even years later. Here's help coping — and healing. By Mayo Clinic staff When a loved one dies, you may be faced with grief over your loss again and again — sometimes even years later. Feelings of grief may return on the ann...

Hoarding - Mayo Clinic Article

BioSpecialists Staff — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 11:11:00 +0100

Hoarding Definition By Mayo Clinic staff Hoarding is the excessive collection of items, along with the inability to discard them. Hoarding often creates such cramped living conditions that homes may be filled to capacity, with only narrow pathways winding through stacks of clutter. Some people also collect animals, keeping dozens or hundreds o...

Humane Society on Animal Hoarding

BioSpecialists Staff — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 11:10:00 +0100

November 2, 2009 The Humane Society of the United States What is animal hoarding? According to the Hoarding Animals Research Consortium, the following criteria are used to define animal hoarding: More than the typical number of companion animals Inability to provide even minimal standards of nutrition, sanitation, shelter, and vet...

Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria, Research Report

BioSpecialists Staff — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 09:59:00 +0100

A new research study of the effect of a commonly used strategy to reduce the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in hospital intensive care units (ICU) shows that the strategy had no significant effect. That’s the surprising finding of a multisite study led by Mayo Clinic investigators. The bacteria -- methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus au...

OSHA Fact Sheet, Bloodborne Pathogens Standard

BioSpecialists Staff — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 09:19:00 +0100

OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard Bloodborne pathogens are infectious microorganisms present in blood that can cause disease in humans. These pathogens include, but are not limited to, hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS. Workers exposed to bloodborne pathogens ...

Sewer Gas - Wisconsin Department of Health Services

BioSpecialists Staff — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 08:36:00 +0100

What is sewer gas? Sewer gas is a complex mixture of toxic and non-toxic gases that can be present at varying levels depending upon the source. It is formed during the decay of household and industrial waste. Highly toxic components of sewer gas include hydrogen sulfide and ammonia. Sewer gas also contains methane, carbon dioxide, sulfur diox...

Mold Basics - Environmental Protection Agency

BioSpecialists Staff — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 15:24:00 +0100

Why is mold growing in my home? Molds are part of the natural environment. Outdoors, molds play a part in nature by breaking down dead organic matter such as fallen leaves and dead trees, but indoors, mold growth should be avoided. Molds reproduce by means of tiny spores; the spores are invisible to the naked eye and float through outdoor and...

An Anatomy of a Bio Clean

BioSpecialists Staff — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 08:23:00 +0100

An Anatomy of a Bio Clean By Don M. McNulty May 6th, 2008 The following is an account of an actual bio clean performed by Bio Cleaning Services of America, Inc. in the spring of 2003, in Kansas City, MO. Names and places have been changed to protect the privacy of our clients. We arrived at the apartment complex about 2:00 p.m. on a hot Frid...

Dealing with a Pandemic - Global Security Review

BioSpecialists Staff — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 16:21:00 +0100

Flu Pandemic Mitigation - Quarantine and Isolation The CDC differentiates between Quarantine and Isolation. Isolation is the separation of a person or group of persons from other people to prevent the spread of infection. A Quarantine is the restriction of activities or limitation of freedom of movement of those presumed exposed to a communicab...

Blood Borne Pathogen - Definition

BioSpecialists Staff — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 15:42:00 +0100

Blood Borne Pathogens A blood-borne pathogen or disease is one that can be spread by contact and contamination by blood. The most commonly encountered examples are HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C and viral hemorrhagic fevers. Diseases that are not usually transmitted directly by blood contact, but rather by insect or other vector, are more useful...