Method development for the evaluation of emergency decontamination protocol effectiveness using an ultraviolet fluorescent aerosol.

After hazardous material incidents, it is important to perform emergency decontamination procedures to remove contamination from the body. As these emergency decontamination procedures are developed, it is important to understand the efficacy of a given protocol. This study discusses a method that was developed to evaluate the efficacy of decontamination procedures by using an ultraviolet fluorescent aerosol and an image analysis protocol.

Chemical-Induced Hearing Loss in Shipyard Workers.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of lead, cadmium, arsenic, toluene, and xylene exposure on hearing compared with noise exposures alone.

Methods: Personnel at a shipyard (n = 1266) were divided into four exposure groups on the basis of concentrations: low metals/low solvents/high noise (reference group), high metals/high solvents/low noise, high metals/low solvents/high noise, and high metals/high solvents/high noise. Hearing changes occurring from the years 2004 to 2015 were analyzed.

A noise delivery system for multi-animal multi-level whole body ototoxicity studies.

The Naval Medical Research Unit Dayton (NAMRU-D) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, in conjunction with the U.S. Air Force, studied ototoxic effects of JP-8 in rats.

Insertion loss of noise barriers on an aboveground, full-scale model longwall coal mining shearer.

The U.S. mining industry struggles with hazardous noise and dust exposures in underground mining.

Effects of cross-sectional partitioning on active noise control in round ducts.

Active noise control (ANC) is particularly useful in hard-walled ducts where plane waves propagate. Higher order mode waves are much more difficult to control. Basic acoustic principles dictate that the cut-on frequency at which higher order modes will first begin to eclipse simple plane waves in a duct will be determined by the cross-sectional diameter of the duct.

Effects of cross-sectional dimensions on active noise control in rectangular and round ducts.

Active noise control (ANC) works best to reduce low frequency noise. Because many industrial noise sources are broadband, ANC may be used more if it can be successfully applied to higher frequency ranges. This study explored one method to increase ANC effectiveness at higher frequencies.

Photometer response determination based on aerosol physical characteristics.

Aerosol photometers often are calibrated against field measurements of total or respirable aerosol concentrations. However, the response of these instruments to a particular aerosol concentration level will change if there is a change in aerosol size distribution. To determine a predictable correction factor that relates photometer to gravimetric measurements of an aerosol, the authors performed an analysis of photometer response relative to particle size distribution, density, and refractive index.