Scientists have found that coronavirus particles in fecal matter could be ejected into the air when you flush the toilet. The research, published in the journal Physics of Fluids, measured the toilet plume caused by the turbulence of flushing and saw that 40%-60% of particles reached above the toilet seat. These particles could increase the spread of coronavirus, especially since bathrooms are high-traffic, poorly ventilated areas.

The research didn’t analyze the toilet droplets for coronavirus, although it is possible that fecal matter particles will contain smaller amounts of the virus than respiratory droplets. COVID-19 is most often found in the lungs and respiratory tract, although some studies have found coronavirus in the small intestine. In addition, virus symptoms can include nausea and diarrhea.

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The study concluded with steps you can take to limit the potential spread of coronavirus through toilet particles. These include closing the toilet lid before flushing, cleaning the toilet seat before use, andwashing hands after flushing.

Sources:

• Flushing the Toilet May Fling Coronavirus Aerosols All Over – New York Times
• Can a toilet promote virus transmission? From a fluid dynamics perspective – Physics of Fluids

The United States government will fund and conduct studies on three different coronavirus vaccines, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

The coronavirus vaccine effort is progressing very well and we expect more than one candidate vaccine to be in advanced clinical testing by early summer…This is good news for the overall coronavirus vaccine effort.”

Dr. Fauci, CNN

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Phase 3 trials for Moderna’s experimental vaccine will begin in July. Oxford/Astra Zeneca will be tested in August, and Johnson & Johnson will follow with their vaccine trials in September. The trials will begin after companies have enough safety and efficacy information from earlier phases. Phase 3 will take place at more than 50 sites throughout the U.S. and could involve about 30,000 people.

According to the New York Times coronavirus tracker, there are ten vaccines in phase 1, eight in phase 2, and two vaccines in phase 3. Oxford/AstraZeneca is in phase 2/3 in England and Brazil, and the company could potentially deliver emergency vaccines by October.

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Epidemiologists at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine recently carried out a study published in Nature Medicine to determine how susceptible different age groups are to getting COVID-19.

Members of the public are tested at DeCode Genetics’ service center, a few miles from its headquarters in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Image source: Decode Genetics

The study examines transmission models to determine how susceptible one is based on age. Data shows that clinical symptoms of COVID-19 show up in around 21% of people ages 10-19. Clinical symptoms show up 71% in those over the age of 70.

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If the number of infections or cases depends strongly on the role of children, countries with different age distributions could exhibit substantially different epidemic profiles and overall impact of Covid-19 epidemics,

People under 20 half as likely to catch Covid-19, study finds

Data was collected from China, Singapore, Canada, and South Korea and shows that those under the age of 20 may be 50% less susceptible to COVID-19. The CDC has also said that children may be less susceptible to COVID-19 and that adults make up the majority of the COVID-19 cases. Data also showed that children who did contract the virus were less likely to show symptoms.

Forty-three thousand pounds of raw beef produced by Lakeside Refrigerated Services in New Jersey was recalled due to E.coli contamination. The beef was produced on June 1 and sold at Wal-mart. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced the recall on Saturday.

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FSIS is concerned that some product may be in consumers’ refrigerators or freezers…Consumers who have purchased these products are urged not to consume them. These products should be thrown away or returned to the place of purchase.”

Food Safety and Inspection Service

The beef tested positive for E. coli O157: H7, a strain of E.coli that is responsible for 36% of the more than 265,000 STEC (Shiga toxin-producing E. coli) infections in the U.S. every year. The FSIS found the bacteria through routine testing and has not confirmed any adverse reactions to the contaminated beef.

The USDA recalled almost 700,000 pounds of beef in 2019. Previous years saw recalls of 13 million (2018) and 900,000 (2017) pounds of beef. In another year this recall would not be a big deal. However, the meat processing industry is still reeling from coronavirus and labor processing, and it is unclear how recalls will affect the food supply chain in 2020.

Sources:

• Over 40,000 pounds of ground beef recalled due to E. coli concerns – KSL
• Summary of Recall Cases in Calendar Year 2019 – USDA

Microplastics have been a problem for quite some time. These little particles of plastic are in everything. They come off of your clothes in the washing machine. They come off cigarette filters, plastic bottle fragments, and are common in beauty products around the world. These are only a few of the sources of microplastics, but they are everywhere, including the rain and the air.

Image: Avada Environmental

Microplastics are plastic fragments less than five millimeters long that get caught up in Earth’s atmospheric systems and ocean ecosystems. After collecting data for 14 months, researchers calculated that more than 1,000 metric tons of microplastics are falling into protected areas of the western U.S every year, the equivalent of 120 million water bottles. Protected areas of the U.S, where samples were collected, only make up 6% of the U.S.

In the series of unfortunate events that is plastic pollution, researchers have come across a new problem that rivals that of acid rain; plastic rain. Because of the way microplastics move through our atmosphere they are now quite literally falling out of the sky, in the rain. As they fall into the oceans, and onto protected land, there is no way to get rid of them, and the problem is only expected to get worse. Plastic waste is expected to increase from 260 million tons a year to 460 million tons a year by 2030 as more developing countries join the middle class. More consumerism equals more plastic.

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More troubling still, microplastics eventually break into nanoplastics, bits so small that researchers may not be able to detect them without the right equipment. “I couldn’t see anything smaller than four microns, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t there,” says Brahney. “Just because we can’t see them in front of us, doesn’t mean we’re not breathing them in.”

Plastic rain is the new acid rain

Of the wind and rain samples collected, 98% contain microplastics. Microfibers make up around 70% of the microplastics collected while around 30% were microbeads, commonly found in beauty products. Microbeads have been banned from beauty products in the U.S since 2015.

The rate at which humans consume is causing irreversible, unprecedented damage to our Earth. Plastic rain is just one of the many problems created in recent years of constant consumerism.

The Food and Drug Administration has announced that it will allow certain impurities in alcohol-based sanitizers to meet the public health demands during the COVID-19 pandemic. The relaxed guidelines will directly affect fuel ethanol companies that began making sanitizer at the beginning of the pandemic.

The FDA is working with industry to ensure that harmful levels of impurities are not present if ethanol is used in these products. Based on careful review and consideration of available data, we are specifying interim levels of certain impurities that we have determined can be tolerated for a relatively short period of time, given the emphasis on hand hygiene during the COVID-19 public health emergency and to avoid exacerbating access issues for alcohol-based hand sanitizer.”

FDA

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This announcement is in direct contrast to the agency’s position in April, when it told several fuel ethanol companies that their sanitizers didn’t meet safety standards. Two ingredients under particular scrutiny are acetaldehyde, a carcinogen, and benzene.

Sources:

• U.S. temporarily to allow certain impurities in hand sanitizer – Reuters
• U.S. calls ingredients in some ethanol-based hand sanitizers unsafe – Reuters

Gardasil 9, the latest version of the well-known human papillomavirus virus vaccine, has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the prevention of HPV related throat and neck cancers. The FDA gave the drug an accelerated approval, which means their decision is dependent on more information. Merck started a study to see if Gardisil treats these cancers in February.

The oropharyngeal and head and neck cancer indication is approved under accelerated approval based on effectiveness in preventing HPV-related anogenital disease. Continued approval for this indication may be contingent upon verification and description of clinical benefit in a confirmatory trial. The trial is currently underway.

Merck Press Release

The trial is focused on men after researchers noticed that certain throat cancers linked to HPV were most common in middle-aged men who had contracted the virus decades earlier. Other throat cancer risks include smoking cigarettes and performing oral sex on partners with HPV.

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Introduced in 2006, Gardisil was marketed to young women and girls aged 9 to 26. Those recommendations expanded to include men and to the age of 45 in 2018 with the introduction of Gardisil 9. Demand for Gardisil has continued to increase worldwide since its introduction, with total vaccine sales reaching 3.15 billion in 2018.

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Sources:

• FDA approves Gardasil 9, the HPV vaccine, to prevent head-and-neck cancer – Statnews
• FDA Approves HPV Vaccine to Prevent Throat Cancer – Labroots
• Unprecedented global demand for Gardasil 9 – Pharmaceutical Technology