Seriously, this will take a lot of strain from the server to produce a better service for legitimate users. Hopefully, they all will have no problem in accessing all pages, downloads and discussions, and will be able to post comments or register without difficulty.

Hopefully, this will improve site speed and page response times, and create a little less work for the moderating team.

Most important is the easy access by all legitimate users of the Clinical Waste Discussion Forum. If you have any problems with access, with registering or downloading, or with posting messages or comments, please contact moderator@ianblenkharn.com

Swati Pattnaik and M. Vikram Reddy of the Department of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, at Pondicherry University, in Puducherry, India, explain how three species of earthworm, Eudrilus eugeniae, Eisenia fetida and Perionyx excavates can be used to assist in the composting of urban waste and to extract heavy metals, cadmium, copper, lead, manganese, zinc, prior to subsequent processing.

Bioremediation of Toxic Metals Using Worms: Earthworms Soak Up Heavy Metal (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/08/120816133420.htm?goback=%2Egde_43169_member_238385902)

Well, I never believe everything I hear, and for these antimicrobial soaps remember that a lot of formulations are far more soap than antimicrobial!. These are really the high street products but thy do find their way into healthcare practice, not least because of good advertising and low price.

Most will make rather nebulous claims and have never been formally tested for their antimicrobial capacity. In my own tests, they usually fall way behind the certified products by at least a factor of 10, and often more.

But the real message is that no product will be wholly efficacious without good handwashing technique. The key is to take time, following the guidelines set out in so many pictorial guides to wash around the nail and nail beds, between the fingers, palms, back of hands and wrists. Too many rings, bracelets and a wrist watch should be avoided because they inhibit effective handwashing.

It’s usually a great surprise to nursing students that, using just some very simple though not particularly discriminating qualitative tests, hand washing with big name brands of antimicrobial soap is no better that water alone – this demonstrates the importance of their good technique for which they have been trained. For others not skilled in effective handwashing, there can be some slight advantage from an antibacterial product, but the effect is very small indeed and if technique is lacking then the antimicrobial soap will be used in a way that fails also, so no real advantage can be expected.

And the claims for the majority of liquid antibacterial soaps? I invite students to take a look along the shelf at the supermarket, and look for evidence of efficacy. Few if any will use anything more than advertising flimflam. Kills germs [which ones? what lever of activity] and kills germs 3x faster [faster than what?] seem to be common and quite meaning less claims.

Ian

As always, that’s an intervention too late, and or course is particularly dangerous for those who will pick through the dump to retrieve hazardous items.