Kinetics of the aeration of ethylene-oxide sterilized plastics.
The aeration of ethylene-oxide (EO) sterilized medical plastic materials is dealth with mathematically, and subsequently the model found is used for calculation of the EO diffusion coefficient in various plastics with the composition and temperature as variables. Absorption and dissolution of EO in various plastic materials are measured at varying concentrations of EO, temperatures and compositions of plastics. The mathematical model is used to evaluate the EO desorption from medical devices under different physico-chemical conditions as well as in vivo. EO analysis methods are evaluated on the basis of the model and are compared with experimental results.
Ethylene oxide sterilization in the medical-supply manufacturing industry: assessment and control of worker exposure.
OBJECTIVE
In 2005, the Taiwan Institute of Occupational Safety and Health started an on-site consulting program for the medical supplies manufacturing industry, which use ethylene oxide (EO) as a sterilant, with the goal of enhancing occupational hygiene practices and controlling EO-related risks. This study presents EO exposure assessment results and examines the effectiveness of control measures.


METHODS
Detailed surveys, including exposure monitoring, were conducted at 10 factories. Airborne EO was collected using an HBr-coated charcoal tube and analyzed using GC/MS.


RESULTS
Sterilizer operators had an average short-term EO exposure level of 27.61 ppm during unloading; mean time-weighted average workshift exposure was 7.35 ppm. High EO concentrations were also present throughout the facilities. Specifically, mean EO concentrations in the aeration area, near the sterilizer and in the warehouse were 10.19, 5.75, and 8.78 ppm, respectively. These findings indicate that immediate controls are needed, and that EO emissions from sterilized products during storage cannot be overlooked. Worker short-term exposures during unloading was inversely correlated (p < 0.05) with the numbers of poststerilization purge cycle applied. The specific controls implemented and their usefulness is discussed.


CONCLUSION
Increasing the number of poststerilization purge cycles is a simple approach to eliminating extremely high exposure during unloading. Improvements to ventilation, particularly in the aeration area and warehouse, were also effective in minimizing worker exposures. Use of effective respirator is recommended until the EO exposure levels, averaging 3.41 ppm after the controls, fall below the permissible exposure limit.
Implementation of Tourism Satellite Account: Assessing the Contribution of Tourism to the Croatian Economy
Compiling the indicators of tourism consumption and the output of tourism industries, Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) provides a framework for internationally harmonized measurements of direct macroeconomic contribution of tourism. Ivandic and Marusic provide a detailed methodological approach for the transfer of TSA theoretical concepts to the assessment of tourism economic contribution on the case of the Croatia. Giving that the TSA compilation is still characterized by a surprisingly wide range of ‘styles’ used, the chapter contributes to a better understanding of the issues related to measurement of direct tourism impacts. It also gives a set of baseline criteria for resource allocation within tourism policy and the further evaluation of its effectiveness.