Hotel cosmetics manufacturer exposed employees to dangerous chemicals

OSHA found new and repeated hazards
at the manufacturing facility.

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – A leading maker of soap and shampoo for hotels and retail sale exposed workers to chemical and fire hazards and blocked emergency exit routes, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration found in a November 2014 inspection.

A company that provided it the manufacturer with temporary employees was cited for chemical-related hazards.

The fact that new and repeated hazards were found shows Marietta Corp. must take worker health and well-being more seriously.

Acting on employee complaints, inspectors visited Marietta Corp. in Cortland and found flammable liquids were not stored or used properly; employees with respirators were not trained or checked medically; and containers with hazardous chemicals were not labeled correctly.

Similar hazards were found at the Cortland plant in 2011 and at the company's Chicago facility in 2010.

In addition, inspectors found workers without needed eye and face protection and emergency eyewash stations; employees not trained in the use of dangerous chemicals; and forklift operators who did not receive refresher training.

In total, Marietta was cited for three repeat and six serious violations with $103,800 in fines.

Select Staffing, the temporary agency that recruits workers for Marietta, received two serious violations with $10,000 in fines proposed. The staffing agency did not provide workers exposed to dangerous chemicals with proper eye and face protection; lacked accessible data sheets for hazardous chemicals; and did not prove that a hazard assessment had been done to determine what protective equipment employees would need.

In April 2013, OSHA announced an initiative to improve workplace safety and health for temporary workers, who are at increased risk of work-related injury and illness. The initiative includes outreach, training and enforcement to ensure that temporary workers are protected in their workplaces.

OSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health have issued a "Recommended Practices*" publication that focuses on ensuring that temporary workers receive the same training and protection that existing workers receive.

The companies have 15 business days from receipt of their citations and proposed penalties to comply, meet with OSHA's area director, or contest the findings before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance.

Source: OSHA.

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Hotel owner settles for asbestos violations

Materials containing asbestos need to be disposed of properly.
Image by Michelle Meiklejohn/FreeDigitalPhotos.net

BBA Winchester LLC, the owner of a former hotel located in Winchester, Idaho has settled with EPA and agreed to pay a $21,000 fine for asbestos safety and environmental violations from improper demolition of the hotel.

“This is an unfortunate example that when asbestos is not properly removed before demolition, the entire debris pile becomes contaminated, putting people at risk, and greatly increasing disposal costs,” said Scott Downey, Manager of the Air and Hazardous Waste Compliance Unit at the EPA Seattle office.

“Because this owner failed to check for asbestos before demolition, their $2,000 demolition project ballooned into a $55,000 asbestos waste cleanup and disposal problem.”

In response to public complaints, EPA inspected the demolition site of the former hotel in 2012. BBA Winchester LLC demolished the 100-year-old hotel in late 2011 or early 2012, without first inspecting the building for asbestos, removing asbestos materials, or notifying EPA, as required by law.

Unsecured debris prompts health concerns

The demolition was in a residential neighborhood and the contaminated debris was unsecured for more than a year, prompting community concerns about asbestos health risks.

EPA inspectors collected samples from the site that showed the demolition debris contained regulated asbestos waste. After confirming the debris was contaminated, EPA worked with BBA Winchester LLC to clean up the contaminated debris and ensure proper disposal.

Follow-up testing after the cleanup showed that the soil and remaining concrete and glass did not contain asbestos and could be disposed of as normal demolition debris.

Asbestos is a hazardous air pollutant regulated by EPA to protect public health. Building owners and contractors are required to check for asbestos and then remove it before demolition to protect workers and the public from exposure to asbestos fibers.

When inhaled, asbestos fibers can lodge in a person’s lungs and lead to respiratory illness including lung cancer, mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer, and asbestosis, a serious progressive lung disease.

More information about asbestos and safe demolition can be found here.

Source: EPA news release

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Hotel rooms can make you sick

A hotel room may look clean, but the reality is the stuff of nightmares.

The Healthy Hotels Program, which provides hotels in Australia and New Zealand with certification of their health and hygiene standards, has compiled some facts to find out just how much hotels can affect health.

In the guest room, door handles, swipe keys, carpet, glasses, light switches, remotes, key board, furniture, bedding, curtains, taps and fittings, the toilet, shower, ice bucket, refrigerator, chair, bed and pillows each present a potential for transmission.

Poor indoor air quality in hotel rooms
can impact visitors' health.

The desk in a hotel room will be home to 400 times more bacteria than the toilet, the reason being that most toilets are disinfected, while furniture typically is not.

Equally one of the greatest potential threats to health in the guest room is the air we breathe.

The resting adult will inhale between 10,000 to 20,000 litres of air per day including sleeping time, where the face and mouth are pressed directly onto the pillow.

Air can be home to any number of micro-contaminants, including mold spores, fine dust, pollen and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Some of the most dangerous airborne pollutants, which are also the easiest to avoid, are air fresheners, pesticides and many conventional cleaning products.

The most common VOC sources in the guest room are cleaning chemical residue and the byproduct of a process called ‘off-gassing’. Typical of newer building materials such as fresh carpets or furniture, gases from the glues, sealants and coloring agents can leech into the air for a period of time, often being mistaken for that fresh new carpet smell.

Any substance which is not considered toxic to the touch must be considered completely differently if inhaled. Only 30 per cent of contaminants inhaled are ever exhaled, the remainder are broken down by the body, usually within the liver.

There’s no avoiding the fact that any indoor environment which is home to human activity will ultimately be contaminated with the presence of human proteins, body fluids, bacteria and most likely the presence of mold and dust mites.

The average hotel bed will be home to more than 1370 people over a five-year period. We shed up to 3.6 kilograms of skin each year and an average bed can contain anywhere from 100,000 to 2,000,000 dust mites.

The Ohio State University entomology department says the weight of a two-year-old pillow can be comprised of up to 10 per cent dust mites and their excrement.

In addition, carpets and beds which are not regularly or correctly sanitized have been found to contain high concentrations of mold spores and bacteria such as Escherichia coli (E. coli).

To add to the equation, when examined with black light most hotel room bed heads or head walls have been found to show evidence of human proteins.

A smell indicates poor indoor air quality -
but some dangers aren't easy to identify.

While it’s the ‘germ statistics’ that form the common rhetoric and always have, guests and hoteliers alike deserve to know the difference between the ‘gross factor’ and the elements which are more likely to cause potentially serious health concerns.

It’s unrealistic for any guest room not to show evidence of human habitation, however the presence of VOCs such as certain mold spores and chemical compounds within the air and furnishings should be taken far more seriously due to the demonstrated health implications they can represent from both short and long term exposure.

Certain species of mold represent arguably the greatest and most common threat to respiratory health in any guest room. Although the number is improving, comparatively few accommodation operators sanitize their beds and carpets correctly if at all, making these areas a haven for basic allergens and bacteria, through to potentially dangerous VOCs.

How to minimize risks in hotel rooms

If you’re a guest, there are several things you can do to have confidence before your stay:

• Ask about sanitizing practice before booking. Are the beds, pillows and carpets sanitized and if so, is it with a low moisture process or with steam which is counter-productive?
• Ask if housekeeping typically use bleach-based products or are there other safer alternatives in place such as vinegar or cloth cleaning?
• Ask if the property has their air quality measured regularly.
• Take your own pillow, have it either professionally sanitized or at the very least, vacuum it and leave it in direct sunlight for an hour.
• Ask if there’s an independent health certification in place.

During your stay:

• Open the windows if possible — fresh air is best.
• Wash hands regularly and avoid touching the nose, eyes or mouth unnecessarily.
• Wipe down items and switches with a disinfecting wipe.
• Take your own drinking water or boil the water and let it stand for a while.
• Turn off and unplug unnecessary devices, particularly before bed.
• Stay hydrated and be mindful to consume foods (preferably raw) with antioxidants such as most berries, prunes, apples and green tea.
• Avoid bright lights and device screens an hour before bed

Editor's note: This article has been edited for length. 

Source: News Network Australia

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Cleaner air a must to stop China tourism losses

Hotels and other providers of room and board accommodations need to take measures for cleaner indoor air

Activated carbon in air purifiers
can help remove fumes, gases,
chemicals, odors and more.

China has always been a major draw for tourists, but an ever growing problem of smog and poor air quality has caused a huge drop of visitors this year.

In January, China experienced extreme levels of smog, which were reported worldwide. Since then, the numbers of overseas visitors have declined and many long-term foreign residents have decided to leave the country.

China is the world's third most popular destination for international travel after France and the United States.

The decline could be long-term if Beijing fails to make visible progress in dealing with pollution, experts say.

An analysis of U.S. Embassy readings of smaller, more harmful airborne particles, show this year's pollution is significantly worse than in the past three years.

The Chinese government has announced ambitious anti-pollution measures but people whose jobs depend on foreign tourists aren't hopeful.

Source: The Telegraph

Cleaner air in hotels and other accommodations 

Visiting a country that suffers from high levels of air pollution is hard enough, but the thought of sleeping in a room with the same levels of poor indoor air quality might turn potential visitors away.

The tourism industry can respond by cutting prices - or by offering cleaner and healthier air inside their buildings.

In order to tackle the fumes, chemicals and particles inherent in city smog, an air purifier for smog not only needs a HEPA filter for particles and dust, but also a comprehensive activated carbon filter to remove chemicals, gases and fumes.

Electrocorp has worked with environmental consultants, the hospitality industry and many other professionals to provide cleaner indoor air. For hotel rooms and the hospitality industry, Electrocorp recommends air purification systems such as

Electrocorp's 9000 Series air purifier
is a versatile unit with carbon and HEPA. 

9000 Series - This air purifier offers a 15-60 pound activated carbon filter and medical grade HEPA filter and a pre-filter to prolong the main filters' life. The air purifiers can be mounted to the wall, attached to the ducts or used on the ground.

I-6500 Series for bigger spaces - The reception halls, lobbies, hallways, dining rooms and other larger spaces in hotels and vacation accommodations will benefit from clean air that has been filtered by activated carbon and HEPA.

RAP Series - Electrocorp's Radial Air Purifiers provide around the clock operation and a multi-stage filtration system to remove airborne chemicals, odors, particles and biological contaminants.

For more information and a consultation with an IAQ expert, contact Electrocorp by calling 1-866-667-0297 or by writing to info@electrocorp.net.

Bacteria and other contaminants in hotel rooms

Hotel rooms can be full of
bacteria and other pollutants.

No matter how diligent hotels are with their cleaning regimen – the lack of cleaning standards and other factors allow many surfaces to be contaminated, researchers say.

Scientists from the University of Houston examined surfaces of hotel rooms and found television remotes to be the most contaminated with bacteria. Also, items on the housekeeping cart can potentially lead to cross-contamination between rooms, they say.

Most hotels and guests judge a room’s cleanliness by how clean it looks, but this is an ineffective method of measuring levels of sanitation.

Contaminated surfaces can spread infections during outbreaks in hotels, and immunocompromised individuals may be specifically at risk, the researchers warn.

As expected, other highly contaminated surfaces included the toilet and bathroom sink as well as the bedside lamp switch.

Source: The American Society for Microbiology

Other pollutants in hotel rooms

Mold - Typical causes for mold in hotels are deficient air conditioning systems and air and water leaks in the building walls. Most hotel rooms have little fresh air exchange and let mold and bacteria thrive in an environment of vinyl wall paper and shower steam.

Pesticides – It may be bed bugs or other insects or pests thathave invaded a hotel – but the use of pesticides can be quite dangerous to hotel guests as well, since they often contain toxic chemicals.

Chemicals – Building materials, furniture, textiles, carpets and other substances in hotel rooms may off-gas chemicals and volatile organic compounds that can be irritants and known health hazards. Other chemical pollutants come from cleaning products and personal care products as well as air fresheners.

Allergens - The hotel's mattress, pillow, rug, drapery and upholstered furniture can all easily collect dust, mites and bodily secretions — all of which can cause reactions in allergy sufferers.

Tobacco smoke – Smoking is banned in many hotels, but certain rooms may be designated as smoke rooms (and certain guests may light up, anyway). Stale tobacco smoke is difficult to eradicate and can leave behind harmful chemicals and toxins.

Air cleaners for hotels

Air cleaners for hypoallergenic
hotel rooms, odor control,
mold control and more.

Using non-toxic materials and products whenever possible, implementing a strict cleaning regimen and making sure there is adequate ventilation can all help to improve indoor air quality in hotels – but the right air cleaner will provide cleaner and healthier air around the clock.

The best air cleaners for hotels feature a combination of activated carbon, HEPA and a UV lamps to remove odors, chemicals, gases, particles, dust, mold spores, bacteria and viruses from the air. They should be easy to use, quiet and equipped with long-lasting filters.

Contact Electrocorp for more information and the best air cleaners for your hotel, motel, inn or hospitality business.
  

Green hotel chains lead the way

Hotels can make big and small changes
to be more green and profitable.

Big hotel chains seem to have the advantage when it comes to going green, a new analysis by Washington State University researchers shows.

Chain hotels often have more green practices in place, including:

• Energy efficient light bulbs
• Staff training to conserve energy by turning off lights, heaters and air conditioning in unoccupied rooms
• Bulk purchasing to save on packaging
• Using less toxic cleaners and chemicals
• Offering tips to guests on how to save water and energy during their stay (reusing towels and sheets, for example)

The researchers found that the appearance of being green impacted a guest’s decision when it came to similar rooms at the same price.

Traditionally, hotels have had large environmental footprints in the hospitality industry because they use so much water and cleaning chemicals, electricity by keeping lights on all night, etc.

The green hotel movement has become more and more popular since the 1990s.

"It's a smart practice for hotels," says Dennis Reynolds, Ivar B. Haglund Endowed Chair in the WSU School of Hospitality Business Management.

"When it started, no one acknowledged that. They said, 'This is a green practice. We're doing it for the environment.' That caught on very quickly because, yes, it's good for the environment but it's also good for the bottom line."

Greener buildings with better insulation, improved ventilation systems and increased control over room temperature and air quality can cut energy costs significantly.

Source: Washington State University press release

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Bed bug pesticide blamed for tourists’ death at Thailand hotel

Indoor air quality in hotels can be problematic.

Hotels often have indoor air quality issues. As we have explained in previous blog posts (see below), guests may encounter mold or humidity problems, allergens, chemicals from harsh cleaning products and off-gassing materials, third-hand smoke and more indoor air pollutants at hotels.

Health problems can include breathing difficulties, headaches, nausea, gastrointestinal ailments, skin rashes, severe allergic reactions and neurological damage.  

But it can get worse.

To contain a growing bed bug problem, a hotel in Thailand allegedly used a poisonous pesticide, one that has been banned in many countries, which may have caused the deaths of at least seven tourists staying there.

Seven people dead after staying at the hotel

According to an article in the Daily Mail, a British couple were among seven tourists whose deaths in Thailand have been linked to a toxic bed bug pesticide used at the Downtown Inn in Chiang Mai.

An undercover investigation revealed shocking evidence linking the deaths between January and March after all seven stayed at or used facilities at the hotel.

Police initially dismissed the mystery deaths as a terrible case of food poisoning caused by eating toxic seaweed from a stall at a bazaar.

Most had very similar symptoms, including myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart, suspected to have been caused by food or water contamination.

 Thai authorities have continually maintained the deaths linked to the three-star hotel were coincidence despite repeated claims of a cover-up by families of the victims.

Hotel rooms sprayed with pesticide that was banned from indoor use

A probe by the New Zealand current affairs programme 60 Minutes has revealed the hotel rooms had been sprayed with a potentially lethal toxin called pyrophus, which has been banned from indoor use in many other countries.

Reporters posing as hotel guests secretly took samples from the fifth floor room where New Zealand backpacker Sarah Carter, 23, died in February.

Test results found small traces of an insecticide called chlorpyrifos (CY) inside the room - a chemical that is used to get rid of bed bugs.

Thai police recently raided the company in charge of eradicating insects at the hotel and Chiang Mai’s head of public health suspects the pest controllers could have made a mistake.

‘It's possible that they mixed together the wrong chemicals,’ Dr Surasing Visaruthrat said.

According to the article, United Nations chemical expert, Dr Ron McDowall, said he was confident Miss Carter's symptoms and death were linked to CY poisoning.

‘Their reaction was that it is clear, it's CY poisoning - we've seen it before, the symptoms are the same, the pathology is the same and the proxy indicates that the chemical was in the room,’ Dr McDowall said.

‘I think she’s been killed by an overzealous sprayer who has been acting on the instructions of the hotel owner to deal with the bed bugs.’

Chemical gets absorbed quickly

Dr McDowall added that the poisoning is difficult to confirm from blood samples making tests done on Miss Carter useless: ‘The chemical is absorbed by the body very quickly. It only has a half-life of a day so it can be very hard to predict the event.’

The popular tourist destination of Chiang Mai, 430 miles north of Bangkok, is one of Thailand’s most culturally significant cities, nestled among the highest mountains in the country.

Source: Daily Mail

Electrocorp has designed industrial-strength air filtration systems for the hospitality industry. 

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Related posts

• Allergen-free hotels - a home away from home for those with allergies
• Secondhand smoke in casinos a health risk, study reveals
• Traveling? Take note of the indoor air quality in your hotel

 

Allergen-free hotel rooms – a home away from home for those with allergies

Hotels can offer much more than just a
nice clean room: Better air quality.

Indoor air quality is important – and hotel chains are catching on.

At a time when hotels promise everything from custom ice-cream room service to complete wedding proposal preparations, it's no surprise that they're also offering hypoallergenic rooms.

According to an article in the Tribune Newspapers, the Hyatt, Wyndham, Intercontinental, Fairmont and Mandarin hotel chains — among others — are experimenting with everything from small tweaks in bedding and air-purification systems to complete room remodels to help allergy sufferers have a symptom-free stay.

In hypoallergenic rooms in the Hyatt, the air is circulated up to five times an hour in these rooms, the mattresses and pillows are encased in a protective hypoallergenic covering, and the carpet and upholstery are cleaned and protected with Pure Clean and Pure Shield anti-allergen products, said Lori Alexander, spokeswoman for Hyatt.

Guests who want to stay in Hyatt's hypoallergenic rooms are charged $20 to $30 extra per night, depending on the hotel's location.

Hotel rooms considered problematic places

For those with allergies, a hotel room can trigger a swarm of reactions, said Philip Tierno Jr., director of clinical microbiology and immunology at New York University.

The hotel's mattress, pillow, rug, drapery and upholstered furniture can all easily collect dust, mites and bodily secretions — all of which are the bane of allergy sufferers, Tierno said.

"Unless a hotel has impervious covers on their mattresses and pillows, they're contributing to allergies and exacerbating them," Tierno said. "Even if you don't have allergies now, you can develop them over time. You don't need to be breathing in this garbage from mattresses and pillows."

But before someone with allergies pays extra for a hypoallergenic room, they should see exactly what the hotels are offering, said Stanley Fineman, president-elect of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, and allergist with the Atlanta Allergy & Asthma Clinic.

Filtering the air and circulating it frequently is helpful, as is covering the mattresses with mite-proof allergenic casing.

"I have patients who complain about the reactions they get from sleeping in some hotel rooms, so for some people with allergies, it may be worth it to pay the premium to sleep in a room that's prepared that way," Fineman said. "This might be a benefit for certain patients."

Source: Danielle Braff, Special to Tribune Newspapers
Editor’s note: The original article has been edited for length.

Related posts:

• Traveling? Take note of the indoor air quality in your hotel 
• Secondhand smoke in casinos a health risk, study reveals

Electrocorp has designed portable, cost-effective and low-maintenance air filtration systems for the hospitality industry.
Talk to one of our air quality experts today to learn more.

Secondhand smoke in casinos a health risk, study reveals

Casinos: A gamble for money and health?

A new study by scientists from Stanford and Tufts universities published in the journal Environmental Research shows that indoor air pollution from secondhand smoke significantly increases health risks for casino patrons and workers.

Researchers tested the air quality in 66 smoky casinos in five U.S. states and three smoke-free casinos and compared their findings to the air quality outdoors.

The study focused on two types of pollutants – fine particulate matter, which can enter deep into the lungs, and a group of chemicals called particulate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PPAHs), which include at least 10 different carcinogenic compounds.

New study identifies health risks
of secondhand smoke in casinos.

The results show that people frequenting smoky casinos are exposed to particulate air pollution that is 10 times higher than those who go to smoke-free casinos. Even the non-smoking areas, including family areas where children spend their time, showed a pollution level seven times higher than outdoors, due to smoke seeping in.

The health threats caused by the poor indoor air quality include heart attacks and cancer. The secondhand smoke affects 50 million nonsmoking casino-goers and 400,000 casino workers each year.

Even just 2 hours of exposure to secondhand smoke in most of the casinos was enough to impair the heart’s ability to pump blood, thereby increasing the risk of heart disease.

The study’s researchers raised red flags for children and seniors who are among the most vulnerable when it comes to health risks. Many casinos have started to offer more family activities in an effort to attract more gamblers.

According to the article, most casinos in the United States allow smoking, while smoke-free casinos remain rare. About 88 percent of commercial casinos and 100 percent of tribal casinos allow patrons to light up.

Source: Standford Report


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The 9400 CM can be mounted to the ceiling
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Our system’s deep beds of activated carbon + HEPA filter combinations and special carbon blends turn our air purification systems into some of the most effective air cleaners for smoke management and mitigation.

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Traveling? Take note of the indoor air quality in your hotel

Poor indoor air quality is a common complaint in public lodging establishments such as hotels, apartments and motels. 

Websites like tripadvisor feature many warnings by concerned hotel guests about issues such as poor housekeeping and mold. A search for “mold” brought up hotels in the U.S., Italy, Taiwan, Mexico and Thailand.

Hotels often suffer from poor indoor air quality because they have a greater density of people per square foot than office or apartment buildings and cannot control environmental conditions in rooms.

Hotel guests can be sensitive to mold and mildew

Mold spores are a natural part of the environment and they will settle down and thrive when they find a spot with enough moisture or humidity. Many people will notice a bad smell in rooms that harbour mold.

According to mold remediation professionals, typical causes for mold in hotels or motels are deficient air conditioning systems and air and water leaks in the building walls. Most hotel rooms have little fresh air exchange and let mold and bacteria thrive in an environment of vinyl wall paper and shower steam.

Reported health problems to mold exposure include breathing difficulties, headaches, nausea, gastrointestinal ailments, skin rashes, severe allergic reactions and neurological damage.  

Mold growth a costly concern in public lodgings

Mold problems not only turn off visitors, they can also be expensive. Insurance companies are catching on to an increase in mold claims and are raising their prices accordingly.

When a hotel in Hawaii had to close 453 rooms in 2004 to take care of a mold problem, the estimated cost for finding the source of the mold and removing it was $10 million.

Thankfully, more and more hotel administrators and public health authorities are addressing mold abatement concerns. For example, the Florida Department of Health  has set up a division where people can call or write in to lodge complaints about indoor air quality in hotels and motels.

Industrial air cleaners offer additional protection against the effects of mold

If a mold problem already exists, an industrial-strength air purifier is an important tool in the mold abatement process. Improper clean-up practices may result in health and liability issues, especially if hazardous materials are released in the air and contaminate neighboring areas.

For a list of powerful air scrubbers, click here. Electrocorp has designed industrial air cleaners for the hospitality industry.

In terms of mold prevention and improvement of overall experience, hotel owners and managers are starting to make improved indoor air quality, air exchange systems and other IAQ services a priority.

Some hotels have realized that better, cleaner air is an important part of their business and even offer a free-standing indoor air purifier in certain rooms, on top of well-maintained ventilation systems. The best air cleaners feature a combination of activated carbon, HEPA and a UV light to remove odors, chemicals, gases, particles, dust, mold spores, bacteria and viruses from the air.

Hotels are in the business of keeping customers happy. The more people realize the dangerous effects of mold and demand rooms with top indoor air quality, the more hotels will listen and act accordingly.

Contact Electrocorp for more information and the best air cleaners for your hotel, motel, inn or hospitality business.