Welcome to the IOM Newsletter

Welcome to the latest news bulletin from the IOM, the UK's leading provider of
Research, Consultancy and Services in occupational and environmental health and hygiene

This month, we have an article about the recently-declared swine flu pandemic, news of a good practice guide for nanomaterials, a link to a recently-published paper on the positive impact of the smoking ban in Scotland, and news of the IOM's 40th anniversary. We also feature IOM's capabilities in the identification of workplace dusts, and the validation of hospital clean rooms.

News

Swine flu

Now that the global flu pandemic has been officially declared by WHO, businesses will need to prepare for the impact that this virus may have on their operations.

For a checklist of some of the important questions that all businesses need to ask themselves go here


GoodNanoGuide

The International Council on Nanotechnology (ICON), assisted by SAFENANO, has produced an online, community-driven wiki for information about the safe handling of nanomaterials. The guide is intended to be a practical tool for people who handle nanomaterials, and is freely available on the internet.

For more information go here


Health of bar workers following the smoking ban in Scotland

A recently published paper, co-authored by a number of IOM scientists, confirmed that the respiratory health of bar workers improved over the course of the year following the ban on smoking in public places. Improvements were observed in smokers as well as non-smokers.

For the full paper go here


IOM's 40th anniversary

The IOM was established by the National Coal Board in 1969. Forty years on, a commemorative booklet has been produced, giving an account of some of the IOM's main scientific achievements in its mission to protect and improve human health in the workplace and in the wider environment.

To access an electronic copy of the booklet go here


Featured services

Identification of mystery dusts in the workplace

Dusts in the workplace can be hazardous, they can contaminate products, and can foul up equipment. In order to establish where the dust is coming from, it is necessary to identify it. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is a powerful tool which enables the particle size, shape and composition of an unknown dust to be determined.

For more information go here


Validation of hospital clean rooms

Many hospitals have clean room facilities for manufacturing and packaging of sterile products. These have high specification ventilation systems which must comply with national and international standards. The IOM's specialist hospital validation team carries out a range of validation and maintenance procedures, described in more detail here