Study Refutes Antibacterial Fears
In the October 2003 issue of The Journal of Applied Microbiology, a new study demonstrates the use of antibacterial products in homes does not create stronger, antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

In the randomized study, released by the Society for Applied Microbiology, environmental and clinical samples were collected from the homes of 30 antibacterial-product users and 30 nonusers for “the isolation of target bacteria for antibiotic and antibacterial testing in three geographical areas.”

Researchers tested antibacterial agents, including those found in soap (such as triclosan) and in cleaning chemicals (such as quaternary ammonium compounds). This study was performed with consumer, rather than commercial, antibacterials.

Previously, antibacterial products had caused concern for some users who predicted that as weak bacteria was killed off by such products, only stronger, more harmful, bacteria would survive.

In the study, more target bacteria was found in nonuser homes than in user homes, suggesting the antibacterial agents had done their job without leaving stronger microbes behind.

Cell Phones Blamed For Germ Spread
Poor handwashing, physician error and improper housekeeping long have been blamed for spreading nosocomial (hospital-caused) infections, but there may be another culprit: Cellular phones.

Twelve percent of cell phones used by health-care workers, as well as 24 percent of the workers’ hands, in one hospital were contaminated with harmful bacteria, a study found. The study was conducted at Soroka University Medical Center, a hospital with 71 physicians and 53 nurses in BeerSheva, Israel.

The bacteria researchers found, Acinetobacter baumannii, can cause serious bloodstream and respiratory tract infections in patients with catheters, on ventilators and in burn units, says researcher Jacob Gilad in a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article. This bacteria is especially prone to antibiotic resistance, making control crucial. Hospitals now are beginning to restrict cell-phone use, including providing special phones for medical personnel to use only in designated areas, according to the article.

COPD Linked To Workplace Pollutants
On-the-job exposure to dust or toxic fumes may cause chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD), according to a study published in European Respiratory Journal.

While most cases of COPD are linked to smoking, workplace exposure may cause as much as 31 percent of all incidents. COPD, a group of deadly lung diseases, kills more than 100,000 Americans each year.

Researchers interviewed more than 2,000 people in the United States, and asked about their respiratory health and whether they were exposed to dust, fumes or pollutants at work. They found that people who were exposed to such pollution were twice as likely to have COPD, regardless of smoking habits.

When using cleaning chemicals that emit fumes, janitors should use the appropriate personal protective equipment, as outlined in the chemical’s material safety data sheet.

ServiceMaster Mourns Former CEO
Former ServiceMaster chief Carlos Cantu died Sept. 18 in Houston, after a long battle with cancer. He was 69. In 1970, Cantu started with pest-control firm Terminix; he was appointed president in 1978. He joined ServiceMaster in 1986 when it acquired Terminix, and was promoted to president and CEO of The ServiceMaster Co. in 1994.

Memorials may be sent to the Carlos H. Cantu Family Foundation Fund for Gastric Cancer Research, account number 80011494, at the M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

Mergers & Other Moves
• The Building Service Contractors Association (BSCAI), Fairfax, Va., hired Stephen O'Connor as director of exhibitions.

• Strauss Paper Co., of Port Chester, N.Y., recently acquired the assets of Falcon Supply and Maintenance Corp. of Brooklyn, N.Y.

• Truvox International, a UK-based manufacturer and supplier of floor care machines, recently announced the acquisition of Cimex, a specialty floor cleaning machine company.

Industry Accolades
• Jamie Gutierrez Vela, owner of Midwest Maintenance Co. in Omaha, Neb., was profiled in the October 2003 issue of Hispanic Business magazine. The article calls Midwest Maintenance “one of the Heartland’s most notable Hispanic-owned firms.” Previously, Gutierrez Vela was named Entrepreneur of the Year by the University of Nebraska’s Center for Entrepreneurship, and she received a Woman of Excellence award from the YWCA.

• The U.S. Small Business Administration awarded Superior Services Inc., Fresno, Calif., the Prime Contractor of the Year award in Region 9, an area representing California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii and Guam.

Superior Services runs dining halls, mailrooms and custodial services for several military bases in California, and has 750 employees with annual revenues of more than $13 million, according to the Fresno Bee.

• Product manufacturer S. C. Johnson & Son Inc., Racine, Wis., was named one of the top 10 employers for working mothers, according to Working Mother magazine. The publication listed the company’s flexible scheduling, work/life training for managers and advancement programs for women as reasons for the award. Last year, 37 percent of the workforce telecommuted, 55 percent took advantage of flexible hours, and a 64 percent were able to compress their workweeks.




POSTED ON: 10/1/2003