With summer days at the beach on the minds of millions of winter-weary
people, a new study provides health departments with information needed to
determine when levels of disease-causing bacteria in beach sand could pose a
risk to children and others who dig or play in the sand. The report appears in
ACS' journal Environmental Science & Technology. Tomoyuki Shibata
and Helena M. Solo-Gabriele explain that disease-causing bacteria from sewage
can cause skin infections and gastrointestinal (GI) disorders in people who come
into contact with contaminated water. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) has guidelines to determine when microbe levels in water are high enough
to pose an unacceptable risk of GI illness for contact with both ocean water and
freshwater. Microbes, however, tend to concentrate in higher levels in beach
sand -- to the point where one previous study found that the sand on one
fingertip, placed in the mouth, had enough germs to cause GI illness. No
guidelines exist to determine when contact with beach sand might be too risky
for children and others who play in beach sand, digging in it or being buried in
the sand. The scientists set out to fill that knowledge gap.
The scientists used millions of computer simulations and measurements of disease-causing microbes at beaches in California and Florida to determine how many bacteria would have to be present in beach sand to exceed the EPA's guideline for water. In doing so, they established "reference levels" for beach sand that correspond to the EPA risk guidelines for water. The focus of children at the beach environment is especially important, due to play behavior at beach sites that would increase a child's exposure, the scientists noted.
The authors acknowledge funding from the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
**Source: American Chemical Society
The scientists used millions of computer simulations and measurements of disease-causing microbes at beaches in California and Florida to determine how many bacteria would have to be present in beach sand to exceed the EPA's guideline for water. In doing so, they established "reference levels" for beach sand that correspond to the EPA risk guidelines for water. The focus of children at the beach environment is especially important, due to play behavior at beach sites that would increase a child's exposure, the scientists noted.
The authors acknowledge funding from the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.
**Source: American Chemical Society
Según explica el doctor Gonzalo Fernández-Quiroga, vocal de la Asamblea Nacional de Homeopatía, la disposición del gobierno suizo por evaluar la efectividad de la homeopatía y otras terapias complementarias viene propiciada por su uso generalizado entre los ciudadanos y profesionales sanitarios. De hecho, el 67% de la población votó en referéndum a favor de que estas terapias complementarias formen parte del programa del seguro de salud nacional.
Durante el simposio "Sellado y adhesión de tejidos: un nuevo avance", el Dr. Jaume Masià, Presidente de SECPRE, hizo una demostración a través de un vídeo de la aplicación del sellante de fibrina en microcirugía linfática y de reconstrucción mamaria. Según el Dr. Masía "en cirugía plástica, reconstructiva y estética es muy importante evitar complicaciones derivadas de los diferentes procedimientos quirúrgicos ya que éstas suponen malestar para el paciente y mayores recursos sanitarios para resolverlas. Una buena técnica de fijación de colgajos e injertos de piel permite unos mejores resultados estéticos y mayor satisfacción para el paciente".
