April 2015 Safe-T-Gram

Risk Management & Safety April 2015 Editor: Jennifer Beckman

Safe-t-Gram Published monthly by the Ohio University Risk Management & Safety Department Index: • Staff Spotlight: Meet Nathan Rath • Mold Safety Tips from Nathan • Blame the ragweed, not the goldenrod

Staff Spotlight: Meet Nathan Rath

Environmental Safety Coordinator

Nathan has been serving as the Environmental Safety Coordinator in the Risk Management and Safety department at Ohio University since 2008. After graduating from Riverside High School and Auburn Career Center in 1996, Nathan worked as an aerospace and automotive machinist in northeast Ohio. In 2005, he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Industrial Hygiene from Ohio University.

Nathan worked as a project manager for the health and safety department of Chastain-Skillman Inc., an environmental engineering company in Tampa, Florida. His work included asbestos, lead, mold, and indoor air quality surveys, reports, and project supervision.

In 2012, Nathan completed the PMBA program at OU, earning a Master of Business Administration Degree. He holds several licenses including; Ohio Department of Health, Asbestos Hazard Evaluation and Abatement Specialist and a Commercial Driver License with the Hazardous Materials Endorsement. Currently, Nathan manages several health and safety programs for OU.

Mold Safety Tips from Nathan My words of wisdom for cleaning mold are to have proper ventilation and use a disinfectant or biocide that is capable of killing fungi and cleaning dirt from the surface. Most people will opt for bleach which can get the job done if used correctly, but is not as effective as specific biocides. Most biocides are chemicals which kill or hinder microbiological growth, be it fungi, viral, or bacteria.

Its critical to dilute bleach with water for it to work (about ¾ cup bleach per gallon of water). Bleach (sodium hypochlorite) is reactive and corrosive so you might want to use a product specifically created as a biocide which will be much less destructive to the surface your cleaning.

Professional mold remediation companies usually use targeted biocides, for example Shockwave Disinfectant©, Fiberlock Technologies, Inc. These disinfectant products typically utilize Dimethyl Benzyl Ammonium Chloride and/or Dimethyl Ethylbenzyl Ammonium Chloride to kill micro biologicals, while other biocides rely on more exotic means such as microscopic spikes and Nano metal particles. Should you choose to take on mold, remember ventilation and be safe. ■

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Risk Management & Safety

Blame the ragweed, not the goldenrod, for the seasonal sneezing & wheezing Every September, I like to remind readers about the misconceptions of seasonal allergies attributed to goldenrod.

Allergy sufferers dread this time of year when their symptoms are exacerbated by the additional airborne pollen from the late summer and early fall blooming plants. Goldenrod, commonly seen in ditches and along the roadways in our region, is often blamed for the misery those prone to allergies experience.

Goldenrod does produce mass amounts of pollen and with more than 20 different varieties of the plant naturalized in Ohio, it is no wonder it is suspect. The fact is it does not contribute to seasonal allergies. Goldenrod has heavy pollen on bright yellow, showy flowers that attract pollinators that carry the pollen from plant to plant. It’s the bees’ knees to pollinators and is not carried in the wind.

In fall, while goldenrod is blooming, another plant that is far less noticeable is also blooming.

Ragweed looks innocent enough but one ragweed plant can release a billion grains of pollen into the air in just one growing season.

Pollen counts are generally higher shortly after the sun comes up and can remain bothersome throughout the day for allergy sufferers.

Ragweed pollen is extremely light and can travel by wind through the air. Pollen from ragweed has been detected 400 miles out to sea, two miles into the atmosphere and in the sinus cavities of many allergy sufferers. It is a very determined plant.

Rain and cooler temperatures slow the release of ragweed pollen but it takes a good frost to stop the menacing plant from spewing forth its tiny, annoying pollen particles.

While not much is known about why certain individuals have an allergy to pollen, there are estimates that 10-20 percent of the population does and of those about 75 percent are allergic to ragweed pollen.

The allergy is a result of the body’s immune system mistaking the pollen for a harmful substance. To the allergy sufferer, it is a harmful substance. The body reacts with itchy, watery eyes, sneezing, a runny nose, stuffiness in the head and sinuses, and overall misery to the sufferer.

Severe allergy sufferers can actually experience an asthma attack, chronic inflammation of the sinuses, headaches and the inability to sleep. It can be pretty hideous.

There is no cure for ragweed allergies and as dismal as that sounds, there are a few things you can do to lessen the severity of the body’s reactions to it—none of which is frolicking outside in the wilderness.

Stay indoors as much as possible. Run your air conditioning around the clock. Use a high-efficiency particulate air filter and change it regularly. Move west of the Rocky Mountains.

By the time you have developed allergies to the plants that grow there, there will probably be lunar condos available for lease. There is no pollen on the moon.

Nowadays, weather report often come with pollen information. This highlights how trendy it is to be an allergy sufferer. There is a National Allergy Bureau. Seriously.

Your health care provider can set up a reasonable treatment plan that can help you live with allergies until the West Coast property purchase deal is closed. ■

Article retrieved from The Wooster Daily Record. September 29, 2014. Page 6.

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