Turn your phone into a UV torch

Let me show you how you can quickly and inexpensively turn your mobile phone into as device that can 'see' in ultraviolet.  Being able to see in UV is useful if you want to double  check that your cleaners have done a good job.  Did you know that you can use a fluorescent highlighter to mark high touch items and then check with UV to see that it's been cleaned. 

This is very useful and important especially as economies around the world tentatively re-open.  Effective disinfectant cleaning must begin with care and attention to areas or items in the built environment that have a high probability of having shed coronavirus on them.  All you need is some sticky tape, a blue and a purple Sharpie and a fluorescent marker. 

Once you've made your 'UV lens' for the flash on your phone, go around your workplace and mark out some items you want to validate that your cleaners have cleaned.  Under UV light, these will...

The social easing experiment and public health

In Australia like across much of the world, governments are grappling with how soon their local economies can start back up? While many scientists and doctors show considerable concern about exit strategies that are too fast - it is understood that quarantine can't last forever. These are weighty decisions, since easing social distancing restrictions will undoubtedly lead to unwanted infections and loss of life. In fact, the Chief Scientist at the WHO had the following to say about this.

How bad could it get?

And it could get worse according to Dr. Swaminathan

The important role of environmental cleaning to deal with potentially contaminated workplaces

In this week's Livestream I want to discuss one important aspect of infection control that will be important as the exit strategy gets underway. The role of transmission and how personal responsibility about hand hygiene along with care in the built environment can contribute...

Two unusual symptoms to watch out for

The way humans behave is central to the ways in which SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted. Whether it’s a cough or a sneeze or touching something that’s then handled by someone else, we need to change behaviour (and quickly) to minimize transmission in the absence of pharmaceutical interventions. In Australia, as coronavirus restrictions are relaxed and businesses are being encouraged to prepare for reopening, the risks once again loom for fresh wave/s of infection. So, what does COVID-safe awareness look like? Overarchingly, it’s using scientifically and medically valid information to make choices that minimize harm and in the first place, accessing this information and using it for self-education and then applying it for your own and others benefit.

This week, I want to focus some attention on 2 interesting papers. Both of them are about non-fever warning signs that the exposed and then infected individual may go on to develop into...

Preparing for a post pandemic world

Social easing restrictions will eventually happen - but what does the research say? In today’s episode we’ll be reviewing what the literature says about direct and non-contact forms of virus transmission. I’ve just published a review paper on “Environmental Surface Contamination” and I’ll be picking out the key points. In the media today, there’s some potential good news regarding how businesses should prepare for reopening. But what should they be considering? The Employment Minister, @senatormichaeliacash suggests that retailers create “COVID-safe workplaces”.

Businesses urged to create COVID-safe workplaces

With this in mind, I’ll be setting out some valuable information about surface contamination and what areas and items should be carefully monitored and screened. Apart from simply cleaning more carefully, some workplaces should be considering updates to their cleaning audits and...

Air pollution - what does it look like?

Have you ever wondered how the air we breathe can cause respiratory irritation? What is in that haze or smog that sometimes blankets urban cities? Sure, it probably contains chemicals and maybe even smoke - but there's a lot more to it than just a chemical soup. In today's Livestream we're going to deep dive into particulate matter, or PM and review what's known about the fungal contribution. Then we're going to look at the inflammatory potential of mould fragments in the PM2.5 and PM10 and ultra-small size ranges (yes, even down to the nanoscale).

What else is in the air?

Environmental metagenomics to identify what fungi are in the air

If we use molecular methods to investigate what's in the air, we quickly discover that there's a lot of mould in the air.  Some scientists have been able to fractionate those fungi present in the PM2.5 and PM10 size range and relate this with 'hazy' and 'non-hazy' atmospheric conditions.  This...

Mould levels and human health

The WHO in their seminal work from 2009 talk about 500 CFU - or colony forming units per cubic metre of air but what does that mean? Reading that document suggests that levels less than 500 mean the building is not water damaged - especially if you live in Finland! But what about indoor mould levels in the rest of the world?

Threshold limit values for indoor mould exposure and why they are important

Today's livestream delves into this topic of 'colony forming units' or CFU's- which are the numbers of discrete fungal colonies that appear (or grow) in petri plates when exposed to the air. The numbers on the plate can be translated into units per cubic metre of air. When this is done, we have THRESHOLDS. Think of these as numerical traffic lights.

At green, it's OK indoors, and your mould levels can be considered normal...but what happens if the petri plate traffic lights show AMBER or RED? Some great French research uses 3 ways of measuring risk...

More evidence that cats can get SARS-CoV-2

Good afternoon. My name is Dr. Cameron Jones, and I'm an environmental microbiologist. I wanted to make a quick follow-up video to a video I did the other day that was focusing on the issue of SARS-CoV-2and pets, and more particularly, we're going to be focusing on cats because a fascinating paper just came out overnight and that is the topic of today's Livestream. Coronavirus in cats. There has been a lot of talk about whether or not this is a myth or whether there is some scientific validity to this and I wanted to make this video because I think that this topic has a great deal of merit. I think there's a lot of very interesting research which is going on focusing on the pets as a reservoir for SARS and whether or not these animals are capable of transmitting the virus between themselves, whether or not people are able to transmit the virus to the pet, and of course, the very worrying question, is it possible for the pets to transmit the...

Should I worry about SARS-CoV-2 and my pet cat?

This week we're taking a mould holiday and instead focussing on a very serious contemporary health crisis. Today, I want to review what we know about SARS-COv-2 and virus transmission in pets. There have been some disturbing news stories about this virus in 2 dogs and then 2 cats. Investigations in Hong Kong revealed that the virus could be detected in at least one dog. The CDC cautions that there is no immediate risk to people from their pets, but they have amended their interim guidance to public health officials managing people with COVID-19 in-home care to advise on what to do about pets.  I know you all want to know the answer to the question: Can my pet transmit SARS-CoV-2?  Read on to find out...or scroll down to the end of this blog post to find the answer now

Obviously, no one wants people to start fearing their pets, but these early reports certainly suggest that there is some form of transmission...

What's safe to touch to minimize your risk of coming in contact with coronavirus? 

If I touch that surface or object could I get sick from the virus, SARS-CoV-2 that causes the disease, COVID-19? That's the aim of this podcast to review what we know about airborne and surface transmission. SARS-CoV-2 is a virus, so it's technically not alive...but if the viral RNA ends up on a doorknob or on an extractor fan, then you could unknowingly come into contact with it. This is called fomite transmission. Today's episode reviews what we know about the survival of the virus on inanimate objects. We find that it survives less well on copper surfaces and longer on plastic than on cardboard. It can also be cleaned from the hospital rooms of patients diagnosed with the virus. But, if the room is not cleaned, then the virus can remain on many typical touch surfaces. There is even a link with fecal shedding and the toilet.

Cruise ships and virus stability on surfaces  

Next, I...

The implications of carpet on the indoor microflora

On this week's livestream I'm going to cover the topic of microbial contamination in carpet. In Australia, with over 17% of insurance claims being water-related, the probability of your carpet being water-damaged and mould-affected is high.  However, carpet offers slip resistance, makes floors quiet to walk on and is an interior design feature in many homes and work places. A recent paper in the March 2020 edition of the journal: Building and Environment  revealed some interesting highlights.  Did you know that:

• carpets are common reservoirs for the uptake and sustained release of both chemical and biological agents
• carpets can emit chemicals just by being inside your home and can support other chemical transformations
• In comparison with hard floors, carpets tend to cause more dust re-suspension
• There are sustainability issues around carpet maintenance, replacement and how to dispose of old carpets 

Floor...