Clean air is vital to the survival of all living organisms. Presence of airborne microorganisms in animal housing facilities affects the quality of air in those facilities. The quality of air directly affects all livestock, poultry production, workers and neighbouring areas. Farm animal housing contains a variety of airborne microorganisms from soil, dust, manure storage facilities, feed, water delivery system, fans, heaters and coolers. Combining animals, equipment and manure sources, lead … [Read more...]
Airborne bacteria and mold in slaughterhouse facilities
April 18, 2013 by
Contamination of meat products by microorganisms such as airborne bacteria and mold is a major economic problem in the meat industry. In the past it was thought that food products were contaminated when they came in contact with contaminated surfaces, but now it is known that additional product contamination occurs from contact with airborne bacteria. There are several pathways in which pathogenic airborne bacteria and spoilage organisms can be introduced to products. It is known that … [Read more...]
Airborne bacteria and mould in paper production facilities
April 9, 2013 by
The manufacture of pulp and paper requires large amounts of energy, water and trees. It has been estimated in Canada that this industry is responsible for half of all waste dumped into this country’s waters and approximately 5.6% of known common air contaminants. In 1995, the Canadian pulp and paper industry generated as much as 7.1 million tonnes of solid waste. The components of that waste were 60% wood and bark, 23% pulp and paper mill biosolids, 12% inorganic residues and, 5% … [Read more...]
MBL Among The CDC ELITE Certified Labs in Legionella Testing
February 4, 2013 by
Mold & Bacteria Consulting Laboratories (MBL) has certification in the analysis of Legionella bacteria by the prestigious Environmental Legionella Isolation Techniques Evaluation (ELITE) program of the US Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC). MBL is one of the only 3 Canadian independent laboratories having this industry-leading certification. MBL is also accredited by the Canadian Association For Laboratory Accreditation (CALA) for analysis of fungi and bacteria including … [Read more...]
Legionnaires’ Disease and Symptoms
October 18, 2012 by
Legionnaires' disease (LEE-juh-nares) is a form of pneumonia caused by the bacterium Legionella pneumophila. A mild form of the disease is called Pontiac fever. Unlike Legionnaires' disease, which affects only a small percentage of people who are exposed, Pontiac fever will affect approximately 90 percent of those exposed. In addition, the time between exposure to the organism and appearance of the disease is generally shorter for Pontiac fever than for Legionnaires' disease. Symptoms of Pontiac … [Read more...]
Expanded Recall for Foaming Hand Soap due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa Contamination
October 18, 2012 by
Recently there was a recall of Antimicrobial Foaming Hand Soap (Triclosan 0.3%) due to contamination with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. As a precautionary measure, the recall was extended to 21 lots of the product X3 Clean Alcohol-Free Foaming Hand Sanitizer (Benzalkonium chloride 0.13%). Pseudomonas aeruginosa was discovered in 1882 and was subsequently found to cause a variety of human infections. It is a common bacterium found in a wide range of environments. It infects nematodes, insects, … [Read more...]
Legionnaires’ disease kills 11 in Quebec, 3 in Chicago
October 2, 2012 by
Legionnaires' disease recently claimed 11 lives in Quebec City and 3 lives in Chicago. Legionnaires' disease, first identified in 1976 when an outbreak of pneumonia sickened hundreds of people who had attended an American Legion convention in Philadelphia is caused by Legionella bacteria. It is a deadly form of pneumonia contracted by inhaling airborne water droplets containing Legionella bacteria. Legionnaires' disease, also called Legionellosis, can have symptoms like many other forms of … [Read more...]
Some Bacteria Are Good For You- Find out Which Ones
September 28, 2012 by
There are a lot of general misconceptions about bacteria in our society. A lot of people have developed a “yuck” factor when they think of bacteria. Yes it is true, that there are many of them out there that can cause disease or make you sick. But, there are also some out there that help us fight disease and are actually really good for us. Examples of good ones belong to the Lactic acid group such as Bifidobacteria. Bifidobacteria are Gram negative (i.e., they stain pink instead of … [Read more...]
Testing For Bacteria
July 4, 2012 by
Bacteria Testing We perform various bacterial analytical tests at Mold & Bacteria Consulting Laboratories (MBL). We can test air samples (taken by an RCS sampler or an Anderson sampler), surface samples (taken by culture-swabs), and water samples, as well as many other types of samples. If you have a question regarding a particular test (including those not listed here), please feel free to contact MBL. We provide the following analysis (each is explained below): Coliform … [Read more...]