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Effect of Individual Particle Characteristics on Airborne Emissions
Published in James P. Wood, Containment in the Pharmaceutical Industry, 2020
Chetan P. Pujara, Dane O. Kildsig
Powders and granulated solids are used throughout the pharmaceutical industry. The handling of these materials generates airborne dust that may affect worker health and safety, cause a nuisance and/or result in product loss. This is especially true when the dust is an active chemical ingredient. Dust is defined as any particulate material finer than 75 μm (1). Dustiness (or dustability) is defined as the propensity of a material to emit dust during handling operations and may be considered to be analogous to vapor pressure on the molecular scale. The process by which dust is produced is referred to as pulvation and is analogous to evaporation on the molecular scale (2). Containment technology in the pharmaceutical industry would benefit from a systematic study of powder dustiness and the powder factors governing the aerosolization and transport of the airborne particles. The methods of preventing dustiness are of increasing importance in handling of powders due to the growing emphasis on health and safety, and also on loss prevention.
Biological Terrorist Agents
Published in Robert A. Burke, Counter-Terrorism for Emergency Responders, 2017
There are bacterial toxins whose toxicity is too low to make them effective lethal terrorist agents. They still can produce illness and incapacitation at fairly low doses. Lethality is not the only threat to be considered when evaluating a toxin for potential terrorist use. Terrorists may just want to scare a group of people or incapacitate them for a period of time to show their vulnerability. For example, the staphylococcal enterotoxins can cause illness at very low concentrations, but require very large doses to be lethal. Trichothecene mycotoxins are the only biological toxins that are dermally active. Exposure results in skin lesions and systemic illness without being inhaled and absorbed through the respiratory system. Primary routes of exposure are through skin contact and ingestion. Because of the very low aerosol toxicity, large quantity production and aerosolization for inhalation exposure is very unlikely. Nanogram (one-billionth of a gram) quantities per square centimeter of skin can cause irritation. One-millionth of a gram per square centimeter of skin can cause destruction of cells. Microgram doses to the eyes can cause irreversible damage to the cornea. Because most biological agents are not skin-absorbent hazards, simple washing of contaminated skin surfaces with soap and water within 1–3 hours of an exposure can greatly reduce the risk of illness or injury. In this book, we will discuss in detail the four toxins that have been determined by the U.S. military as likely to be weaponized or used as terrorist agents. They are botulinum, SEB, ricin, and T-2 mycotoxins.
Nebulizers
Published in Anthony J. Hickey, Sandro R.P. da Rocha, Pharmaceutical Inhalation Aerosol Technology, 2019
John N. Pritchard, Dirk von Hollen, Ross H.M. Hatley
There are a range of novel aerosolization technologies in early stage development, many of which blur the boundary between nebulizer, inhaler, and soft mist inhaler. Devices such as Omega Life Science’s Alphazer nebulizer and MEway Pharma’s UltraFlow Nebulizer are named as nebulizers, but share some characteristics with inhalers and soft mist inhalers. Many novel devices in early stage development will fail during the decade that it typically takes to get a new technology ready for starting clinical trials. The Battelle Mystic drug delivery platform uses an electro hydrodynamic mechanism to generate an aerosol and has been under consideration for delivery of a number of compounds since 1999, but a commercially available product has yet to see the light of day.
Assessment of functional nanomaterials in medical applications: can time mend public and occupational health risks related to the products’ fate?
Published in Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part A, 2018
Christophe Bressot, Alexandra Aubry, Cécile Pagnoux, Olivier Aguerre-Chariol, Martin Morgeneyer
Conscious of the rising nosocomial risks of cross infection, decision makers in the healthcare sector seek sustainable techniques for effective antimicrobial stewardship in healthcare settings. Manufacturers offer solutions for floorings and wall coverings based upon TiO2, considered today to be the only photocatalytic material suitable for commercial use. However, these building materials involve the risk of aerosolization of antimicrobial coating and thus inhalation by healthcare personnel and patients may occur.