X-ray fluorescence (XRF) technology is a fast, highly accurate method for analyzing the soil removal capability of cleaning products such as vacuum cleaners and carpet extractors. In basic terms, the XRF hand-held instrument emits energy and excites the atoms of a target element. The energy
You may or may not have heard of X-ray Fluorescence (XRF): The technology was originally developed by NASA to test for metal impurities that could cause premature or even catastrophic wear of vital space shuttle components, such as those used in the space shuttle Discovery.
Imagine, within 60 seconds, convincing a penny-pinching customer to invest more money in cleaning and, in particular, your services. Within a minute, you can validate the reasons why management needs to increase the facility’s cleaning and maintenance budget. Would you invest in one word —
The term “sick building syndrome” (SBS) is used to describe situations in which building occupants experience acute health and comfort effects that appear to be linked to time spent in a building, but no specific illness or cause can be identified. The complaints may be
On February 8, 2007, the District of Columbia Department of Health (DCDOH) was notified of an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis in an elementary school (prekindergarten through sixth grade). The school nurse reported that 27 students and two staff members had become ill during February 4-8
Editor’s Note: Mold spores are not the only concern, scientists say. Tinier pieces of mold called “fungal fragments” may be deeply inhaled and cause problems. The content below is from the CDC: Exposure to fungi, particularly in water damaged indoor environments has been thought
Summary This study identifies those sites in public restrooms where enteric bacteria are likely to occur. Forty-seven public restrooms were randomly selected and analyzed in this study. Samples collected with moistened-sterile cotton swabs were transferred to tubes containing Colilert media and incubated at 37°
Cleaning contaminated equipment and surfaces with detergent-based cleaners or Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-registered disinfectants is effective at removing MRSA from the environment. Because cleaners and disinfectants can be irritating and exposure has been associated with health problems such as asthma, it is important to
(Editor’s Note: This article was written under the auspices of the Cleaning Industry Research Institute – CIRI.) As health issues and microbiology-based concerns related to cleaning emerge, like HIV, Anthrax, mold, West Nile Virus, and more recently Avian or Bird Flu, it is
Bioluminescent ATP Assay ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is the chemical compound in which energy is stored in all living cells. In the ATP-luminometric test the firefly enzyme (luciferase) in the presence of its substrate, luciferin, oxygen and magnesium ions catalyzes conversion of chemical energy of