Background: There have been over 30 incidents of oxygen resuscitator fires over the last 6 years, causing severe burns to a number of fire fighters, emergency medical service personnel, health care workers, and patients. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) was requested to investigate three such incidents.
Methods: NIOSH conducted site investigations of the incidents, and the requesters also sent the involved oxygen resuscitators to a forensic engineering company for a causal analysis.
Results: The investigated fires were associated with aluminum regulators, all from one manufacturer, on compressed pure oxygen cylinders. The investigations indicated that the cause of the fires was an initial small ignition in the high-pressure area of the aluminum regulator, which then consumed itself in a massive burnout.
Conclusions: Aluminum regulators used with high-pressure oxygen systems are subject to rare, but potentially catastrophic combustion in normal use. Replacement of such regulators with those made of more fire-resistant materials or designs, as well as education and improved safety practices are needed to reduce this hazard.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ajim.10085 | DOI Listing |
Environ Pollut
January 2025
Federal Institute of Maranhão, Campus Barreirinhas, Rodovia MA-225, KM 04, CEP:65590-000, Barreirinhas, Maranhão, Brazil.
Dredging in estuarine systems significantly impacts phytoplankton communities, with suspended particulate matter (SPM) and dissolved aluminum (Al) serving as indicators of disturbance intensity. This study assessed the effects of dredging in the São Marcos Estuarine Complex (SMEC), Brazil, over three distinct events (2015, 2017, 2020), involving varying sediment volumes and climatic influences. Prolonged dredging operations and increased sediment volumes led to a pronounced 43.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Hazard Mater
January 2025
MOE Key Laboratory of Environment Remediation and Ecological Health, College of Environmental & Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China. Electronic address:
Lipids, as key components of biological membranes, play vital roles in sensing and initiating plant responses to various abiotic stresses. Here, the alteration of membrane fatty acids in wheat roots under Al stress was investigated using two genotypes differing in Al tolerance, and the role of linoleic acid in Al tolerance was comprehensively explored. Significant differences in the fatty acid profiles were observed, with increased linoleic acid accumulation in the Al-tolerant genotype.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Mol Sci
December 2024
Students' Scientific Society at the Department of Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Wroclaw Medical University, 50-556 Wroclaw, Poland.
The etiopathogenesis of breast cancer depends on genetic conditions, but recently more attention has been paid to the dependence of BC on certain environmental factors, for example, metalloestrogens, which include aluminum (Al) contained in antiperspirants used daily. The use of Al derivatives in antiperspirants in concentrations specified by the FDA, as well as European regulations (SCCS, 2020), do not classify Al as a hazardous and carcinogenic substance for humans. However, Al used to treat excessive sweating raises concerns, as many in vitro studies indicate that it can cause gene instability, change gene expression or increase oxidative stress, and also affect the body's hormonal balance as a metalloestrogen.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlants (Basel)
December 2024
Sichuan Academy of Grassland Science, Chengdu 611731, China.
SQUAMOSA promoter-binding protein-like (SPL) transcription factors play a critical role in the regulation of gene expression and are indispensable in orchestrating plant growth and development while also improving resistance to environmental stressors. Although it has been identified across a wide array of plant species, there have been no comprehensive studies on the gene family in centipedegrass [ (Munro) Hack.], which is an important warm-season perennial C4 turfgrass.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Cardiothorac Surg
January 2025
Department of Oncology, The 969th Hospital of the PLA joint Logistics Support Force, No. 57, Aimin Street, Xincheng District, Hohhot City, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, 010051, China.
Background: The accuracy and reliability of identified biomarkers in differentiating early non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remain suboptimal, thereby impeding the timely detection of NSCLC.The objective of this research is to examine the expression level and diagnostic utility of miR-668-3p in individuals with NSCLC, along with its effectiveness and predictive capacity in the combined diagnosis of early-stage NSCLC using serum markers.
Methods: The research included 117 NSCLC patients and 101 pulmonary nodule patients (controls).
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