Frequency Of Showers Research Articles

How Does Personal Hygiene Influence Indoor Air Quality?

Humans are known to be a continuous and potent indoor source of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). However, little is known about how personal hygiene, in terms of showering frequency, can influence these emissions and their impact on indoor air chemistry involving ozone. In this study, we characterized the VOC composition of the air in a controlled climate chamber (22.5 m3 with an air change rate at 3.2 h-1) occupied by four male volunteers on successive days under ozone-free (∼0 ppb) and ozone-present (37-40 ppb) conditions. The volunteers either showered the evening prior to the experiments or skipped showering for 24 and 48 h. Reduced shower frequency increased human emissions of gas-phase carboxylic acids, possibly originating from skin bacteria. With ozone present, increasing the number of no-shower days enhanced ozone-skin surface reactions, yielding higher levels of oxidation products. Wearing the same clothing over several days reduced the level of compounds generated from clothing-ozone reactions. When skin lotion was applied, the yield of the skin ozonolysis products decreased, while other compounds increased due to ozone reactions with lotion ingredients. These findings help determine the degree to which personal hygiene choices affect the indoor air composition and indoor air exposures.

Assessing Acute and Chronic Risks of Human Exposure to Arsenic: A Cross-Sectional Study in Ethiopia Employing Body Biomarkers.

Arsenic, a widely recognized and highly toxic carcinogen, is regarded as one of the most hazardous metalloids globally. However, the precise assessment of acute and chronic human exposure to arsenic and its contributing factors remains unclear in Ethiopia. The primary goal of this study was to assess the levels of acute and chronic arsenic exposure, as well as the contributing factors, using urine and nail biomarkers. A community-based analytical cross-sectional study design was employed for this study. Agilent 7900 series inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry was used to measure the concentrations of arsenic in urine and nail samples. We performed a multiple linear regression analysis to assess the relationships between multiple predictors and outcome variables. The concentration of arsenic in the urine samples ranged from undetectable (<0.01) to 126.13, with a mean and median concentration of 16.02 and 13.5 μg/L, respectively. However, the mean and median concentration of arsenic in the nails was 1.01, ranging from undetectable (<0.01 μg/g) to 2.54 μg/g. Furthermore, Pearson's correlation coefficient analysis showed a significant positive correlation between arsenic concentrations in urine and nail samples (r = 0.432, P < .001). Also, a positive correlation was observed between urinary (r = 0.21, P = .007) and nail (r = 0.14, P = .044) arsenic concentrations and the arsenic concentration in groundwater. Groundwater sources and smoking cigarettes were significantly associated with acute arsenic exposure. In contrast, groundwater sources, cigarette smoking, and the frequency of showers were significantly associated with chronic arsenic exposure. The study's findings unveiled the widespread occurrence of both acute and chronic arsenic exposure in the study area. Consequently, it is crucial to prioritize the residents in the study area and take further measures to prevent both acute and chronic arsenic exposure.

Prevalence, persistence, clearance and risk factors for HPV infection in rural Uyghur women in China

BackgroundThe incidence of cervical cancer in Uyghur women ranks first among those in Han and other ethnic minority groups. We aimed to understand the natural history of HPV in Uyghur women.MethodsA longitudinal cohort study on the natural history of HPV infection in rural Uyghur women in China was conducted between May 2013 and May 2014. A total of 11000 women from South Xinjiang underwent HPV screening by careHPV and liquid-based cytology. Ultimately, a total of 298 women with positive HPV and normal biopsy results or CIN1 were enrolled to participate in a study including follow-up HPV testing for two years.ResultsThe HPV infection rate in Uyghur women was 9.15%. Among the participants, the careHPV test showed that 298 women were HPV-positive, and histology showed CIN1 or normal results for these women at baseline. Among these patients, after 24 months of initial recruitment, 92 (30.87%) patients had persistent HPV infections, and 206 (69.13%) had cleared HPV infection. Univariate analysis showed that persistent HPV infection was associated with age and shower frequency (P < 0.001 and P = 0.047, respectively).ConclusionsOur results suggest that women over the age of 50 years who have been infected with HR-HPV for more than 1 year should be regularly screened and monitored for HPV. In addition, education should be strengthened to improve poor health habits in these women.

Towards a sustainable use of shower water: Habits and explanatory factors in southern Spain

One of the targets of Sustainable Development Goal 6 is the efficient use of water resources in all sectors in order to tackle water shortages. In the home, showering is one of the main water consuming activities. How can people make more sustainable use of shower water? To answer this question, this research analyses showering habits and explanatory factors of shower use. The study is carried out with data from 945 students of the University of Granada, Spain. Significant differences are observed in shower use during the summer and winter months: the average duration is 8.8 and 11.6 min, respectively, and the frequency is greater in summer (with an average frequency of eight showers per week). Determinants of different shower water use include gender, ideology, pro-environmental actions, inherent values, and connectedness to nature, among others. Those variables relate differently to duration and frequency of showers, according to the season, thus highlighting the importance of seasonality. The results show that there is room to achieve a more sustainable use of the shower, in terms of frequency and duration, through awareness measures that are tailored to groups that make a less sustainable use of showers. The main recommendation is that awareness campaigns should be designed on the basis of the user profile as well as the season.

A waterproof, low-cost dressing system reduces postoperative wound dressing changes in primary total hip arthroplasty: An efficacy study.

BackgroundsPostoperative wound complication is a major risk factor for the development of Periprosthetic joint infection. We innovatively invented a new dressing system to reduce the occurrence of postoperative wound complications and improve the quality of life of patients after total hip arthroplasty.MethodsA total of 120 patients who underwent primary unilateral total hip arthroplasty were enrolled in this study. The data collected included the number of dressing changes, costs of the dressings, postoperative hospital stay, The Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score, The Harris Hip Score (HHS), ASEPSIS score, The Stony Brook Scar Evaluation Scale (SBSES), wound complications, the frequency of showers and satisfaction. Data were statistically analyzed.ResultsThe average number of dressing changes was 0.74 ± 0.46, while the average postoperative hospital stay was 3.67 ± 0.97 days. The average cost of the new dressings throughout a treatment cycle was 57.42 ± 15.18 dollars. The VAS score decreased from 5.63 ± 1.09 before the operation to 0.88 ± 0.54 one month after the operation. The HHS score increased from 70.18 ± 7.84 before the operation to 80.36 ± 4.08 one month after the operation. The results of the four indexes of the ASEPSIS score were all 0. The SBSES score was 3.55 ± 0.61 at two weeks after the operation, and 4.38 ± 0.71 at one month after the operation. No wound complications were recorded until one month after the operation when the satisfaction rate was 92.53 ± 3.62%.ConclusionIn this study, we have invented a new dressing system for surgical wounds after total hip arthroplasty and confirmed its efficacy.Chinese Clinical Trial RegistryChiCTR2000033822, Registered 13/ June/2020

Promoting water conservation habits in shower use: review of water utility websites in OECD cities

ABSTRACT Personal hygiene accounts for 30–45% of water use in households in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, and of this water, the greatest proportion is used for showering. More efficient showers can be achieved by using efficient technologies – mainly efficient showerheads – as well as through the adoption of sustainable habits, such as reducing shower frequency and duration. A review of the websites of water utilities in cities of OECD countries shows little effort to promote water-saving shower habits. Addressing this shortcoming would improve the sustainability of water use, compared with the current focus on efficient technologies.

The evaluation of factors affecting the pre-swim shower behaviors of pool patrons

&#x0D; Background: The hygiene practices of pool patrons are important in maintaining water quality as well as patron health and safety. Poor practices, such as not taking a pre-swim shower, can introduce additional contaminants, which will then react with the free available chlorine to form disinfection by products (DBPs). Not only will excess contaminants decrease the free available chlorine but it will also cause a copious amount of DBPs to be formed. DBPs are known to cause eye and skin irritation, an unpleasant odor, and may cause additional respiratory issues. Therefore, in the interest of public health the number of contaminants introduced into the water should be minimized, which can be done through improving the hygiene practices of patrons. This study investigated factors that may affect pre-swim shower frequencies among aquatic facility patrons. Methods: Data from 78 respondents to a self-administered electronic survey were used in this study. The survey evaluated respondents’ knowledge of pool related illnesses, knowledge of proper aquatic facility hygiene practices and their attitudes toward these practices. Results were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, chi squared test and independent samples t-test. Results: The only statistically significant relationship found was an association between the how often an individual used aquatic facilities and their pre-swim shower frequency; frequent aquatic facility users were found to rarely/never take a pre-swim shower (p = 0.049). As well, factors such as knowledge of pool related illnesses, knowledge of proper hygiene practices, age, and if an individual had read the pool rules were not found to be related to pre-swim shower frequency. Conclusion: The results indicate that educational campaigns aimed at increasing the public knowledge of pool related illnesses and proper pool hygiene practices may not increase pre-swim shower frequencies. Results from this study also indicate that if the showers were cleaner, warmer, and or more private, pre-swim shower frequencies may increase. As well, 79.5% of respondents knew that taking a pre-swim shower is required and 52.6% of participants indicated that they would improve their hygiene practices if consequences were implemented. Taken together, this may suggest that the physical layout of the showering facilities within a swimming pool complex may influence showering behaviour, and greater enforcement of pool rules may be needed in order to increase pre-swim shower frequency.&#x0D;

Saving water to save the environment: contrasting the effectiveness of environmental and monetary appeals in a residential water saving intervention

To convince people to reduce their energy consumption, two types of persuasive appeals often are used by environmental organizations: Monetary appeals (i.e., ‘conserving energy will save you money’) and environmental appeals (i.e., ‘conserving energy will protect the environment’). In this field study we aimed to compare the effects of monetary and environmental appeals on showering habits. During two weeks we measured showering behavior in one hundred households. As compared to monetary appeals, environmental appeals were more effective in decreasing participants’ shower frequency. Interestingly, the monetary appeal was judged as somewhat more motivating to save water than the environmental appeal. We discuss theoretical and practical implications of these findings.

생활습관의 복합적 요인이 피부 건조함에 미치는 영향

본 연구는 평소 피부 건조함으로 인한 소양감을 가지고 있는 30~40대 남성들을 대상으로 식습관, 기호품습관, 샤워습관 등을 조사하고, 이러한 생활습관과 지각하는 피부 건조함과의 관련성을 파악하여 일상의 불편함을 해결하고 건강한 피부 관리 방향을 제시하고자 하였다. 조사대상자들은 대부분 건성 피부로 인해 발생된 일상의 불편함 정도가 매우 높게 나타났으나, 피부 가려움과 건조함 개선을 위해 병원 방문 경험을 묻는 문항에는 '아니오'를 응답한 자가 다수를 차지하였다. 규칙적인 식사 여부를 살펴보면 '그렇지 않다'는 80.0%, '하루 식사 횟수를 보면 '2끼'가 42.5%로 높은 비중을 차지하고 있었다. 피부 건조함과의 상관관계 분석 결과 식습관, 기호품습관, 샤워습관의 대부분 항목이 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났으며, 특히. 흡연량이나 단맛 선호수준이 높아지면 피부 건조수준도 높아지는 것으로 나타났다. 따라서 본 연구를 통해 식습관 및 흡연은 피부 건강과 관련성이 있음을 알 수 있고, 피부 건강은 겉으로 드러나는 신체적 건강의 지표라는 점에서 기호 식품의 조절과 규칙적인 식습관을 평소에 갖는 것이 아름답고 건강한 피부를 오래 유지 할뿐 아니라 피부 건조함을 해소하는데 도움이 될 것으로 판단된다. This study attempted to solve daily inconveniences and propose a direction for healthy skin care after investigating eating habits, preferred food and shower frequency and analyzing the relationship between these living habits and perceived skin dryness among adult men in their 30-40s who are suffering from pruritus due to dry skin. Most respondents revealed a high level of inconvenience in their daily lives because of dry skin. According to analysis of the correlation between these life habits and skin dryness, they had an effect on skin dryness in most categories of eating habits, preferred food and shower frequency. In particular, as the amount of smoking or preference for sweet food increased, skin dryness became more serious. Therefore, it appears it would be important to control the intake of preferred food and have healthy eating habits in that eating habits and smoking are correlated with skin health, and skin health is an indicator of physical health.

Changes in the large‐scale thermodynamic instability and connection with rain shower frequency over Romania: verification of the Clausius–Clapeyron scaling

The goal of this article is twofold: first, changes in the spring and summer thermodynamic instability over the North Atlantic European region and the connection with frequency of rain showers at 81 locations across Romania for the period 1961–2010 are analysed; second, the relationship between hourly precipitation extremes and air temperature with respect to the validity of Clausius–Clapeyron (CC) scaling is investigated. The Best Lifted Index (lftx4) has been selected to quantify the thermodynamic instability. The mechanisms responsible for the rain showers' variability in Romania were analysed using the canonical correlation analysis (CCA). Results show that the regional distribution of the lftx4 changes is quite similar in the two seasons, with a transition towards thermodynamic stability over most of Mediterranean regions – central Europe and instability in northern Europe, Black Sea, North Atlantic (summer), southern North Atlantic (spring). The frequency of rain showers in Romania exhibits a significant increasing trend in both seasons, which is in agreement with the increase in frequency of Cumulonimbus clouds. In contrast, the frequency of rainfall days does not exhibit any significant trend that shows a shift in the nature of precipitation towards more showers. The CCA shows that the optimum large-scale mechanisms responsible for this behaviour are given by the first CCA pair with the lftx4 pattern represented by a dipole structure with a nucleus of thermodynamic instability centred over Romania. The dynamic factor is an additional ingredient for spring, as precipitable water is for summer. The extreme hourly rainfall intensities reveal a similar behaviour over the entire country: the 90th percentile shows dependence close to the CC relation for all temperatures; the 99th and 99.9th percentiles exhibit rates close to double the CC rate for temperatures between ∼10 and ∼22 °C and negative scaling rates for higher temperatures. The daily intensities have a less clearly defined scaling behaviour.

A case–control study of maternal bathing habits and risk for birth defects in offspring

BackgroundNearly all women shower or take baths during early pregnancy; however, bathing habits (i.e., shower and bath length and frequency) may be related to the risk of maternal hyperthermia and exposure to water disinfection byproducts, both of which are suspected to increase risk for multiple types of birth defects. Thus, we assessed the relationships between bathing habits during pregnancy and the risk for several nonsyndromic birth defects in offspring.MethodsData for cases with one of 13 types of birth defects and controls from the National Birth Defects Prevention Study delivered during 2000–2007 were evaluated. Logistic regression analyses were conducted separately for each type of birth defect.ResultsThere were few associations between shower frequency or bath frequency or length and risk for birth defects in offspring. The risk for gastroschisis in offspring was increased among women who reported showers lasting ≥15 compared to <15 minutes (adjusted odds ratio: 1.43, 95% confidence interval: 1.18-1.72). In addition, we observed modest increases in the risk for spina bifida, cleft lip with or without cleft palate, and limb reduction defects in offspring of women who showered ≥15 compared to <15 minutes. The results of comparisons among more specific categories of shower length (i.e., <15 minutes versus 15–19, 20–29, and ≥ 30 minutes) were similar.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that shower length may be associated with gastroschisis, but the modest associations with other birth defects were not supported by analyses of bath length or bath or shower frequency. Given that showering for ≥15 minutes during pregnancy is very common, further evaluation of the relationship between maternal showering habits and birth defects in offspring is worthwhile.

Occurrence of disinfection by-products in tap water distribution systems and their associated health risk

The concentrations of trihalomethanes (THMs), including chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dibromochloromethane, and bromoform, and haloacetic acids (HAAs; monochloroacetic acid, monobromoacetic acid, dibromoacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid, and trichloroacetic acid) were measured in tap waters passing through water distribution systems of six water treatment plants in Seoul, Korea, and their associated health risks from exposure to THMs through ingestion, dermal contact, and inhalation were estimated using a probabilistic approach. The concentration ranges for total THMs and HAA5 were 3.9-53.5 and <LOD-49.5 μg/L, respectively. Among DBPs, chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dichloroacetic acid, and trichloroacetic acid were the most frequently detected. Spatial and seasonal variations in concentrations of THMs and HAAs in the six water distribution systems were significant (P < 0.001).The mean lifetime cancer risks through ingestion, dermal contact, and inhalation during showering ranged as 7.23-10.06 × 10(-6), 2.19-3.63 × 10(-6), and 5.22-7.35 × 10(-5), respectively. The major exposure route to THMs was inhalation during showering. Sensitivity analysis showed that shower time and shower frequency had a great impact on the lifetime cancer risk by the exposure to THMs in tap water.

Climatology of shower frequency in the British Isles at 5 km resolution

Climatology of shower frequency in the British Isles at 5 km resolution

Characteristics of Air Pollution Condition in Dhaka City

This paper attempts to make clear the characteristics of the magnitude and scope of automotive and factory pollutant emissions in Dhaka city-which are creating an environmental problem in the city. About 451 factories in this city discharge and dump hazardous waste with no regard for the resulting surface and ground water or air-pollution. Most of these factories are bereft of adequate emission treatment. In addition, the increasing traffic, inadequate urban transport infrastructure and services, and an aging and obsolete motor vehicle fleet are giving rise to high air pollution levels. About 86% of the total motor vehicles in this city emit black smoke above the International Standard of 65 HSU. Changing meteorological conditions, such as average wind velocities, wind direction and frequency of showers have influenced the pollutant concentration in the city's air. Without effective measures to control pollutant emissions, the city dwellers will be exposed to unhealthy and dangerous levels of air pollution from automobiles and factories.

Cosmic ray showers produced by muon bremsstrahlung

A number of groups have observed air showers in the atmosphere at large zenith angles. The possibility of explaining these showers in terms of muon bremsstrahlung is examined; the expected shower size spectrum for this process is calculated and the method enables the sensitivity of shower frequency to high-energy muon intensity to be examined rather simply. Some problems associated with comparison of prediction with the experimental results are indicated. A tentative comparison indicates that when allowance is made for the effect of uncertainties in recorded shower size it is likely that the majority of the showers can be explained by muon bremsstrahlung.

Note on multiple-core structure of the hadronic component of extensive air showers

Monte Carlo calculations on high-energy hadrons in extensive air showers have been performed, using various models of hadronic interaction and fragmentation. Frequencies of showers the hadronic component of which shows multiple-core structure are discussed in terms of primary particle and hadronic interaction parameters. The existence of a correlation between the primary mass composition and the frequencies of specified types of showers is demonstrated.

Observations of Extensive Cosmic-Ray Showers Below Ground

The decoherence curve of extensive showers has been studied at a depth of 60 m water equivalent below ground out to a distance of 320 m. The relative frequencies of coincidences in various combinations of counter sets are found to be consistent with the assumption that the frequency of showers containing N particles is proportional to N-γ with γ = 3.2 ± 0.2. By comparison with observations at other depths it is concluded that the particles in extensive showers are absorbed less rapidly in the earth than the normal particles of the vertical component. The observed showers can be readily understood in terms of the small fraction of penetrating particles (presumed μ-mesons) that is known to exist in extensive showers observed at sea level. At counter separations less than 3 m the observed coincidences are much too frequent to be attributed to extensive showers, indicating a significant contribution from locally produced penetrating particles. The origin of these secondary particles is discussed.

Extensive Air Showers at High Altitudes

The latitude dependence, density properties, and lateral extension of extensive cosmic-ray air showers have been studied at 9200 m elevation, with coincidence counters in a B-29 airplane. On a flight between 0\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} and 63\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}N geomagnetic latitude, no significant variation of shower frequency with latitude has been detected.Relations between the counting rates of coincidence counter sets of different orders from threefold to ninefold are in agreement with a power law density spectrum for the showers, with constant negative exponent. The measured value of this exponent is 1.73\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.04 at 9200 m, 1.82\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.07 at 11,000-12,000 m, and 1.53\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.07 at 720 m. The counting rate of a threefold coincidence counter set was found to decrease 33 percent as the total spread of the counters was increased from 2.8 m to 13 m at 9200 m altitude. The corresponding decrease at 720 m is 21 percent. The altitude dependence of the extensive showers was measured up to 12,300 m, and a definite maximum shower rate has been found near an altitude of 8000 m.

The Structure of Cosmic Ray Air Showers

The structure of cosmic ray air showers at sea-level has been studied by an investigation of the burst rate frequency and the transition effect in lead, for cosmic ray bursts occurring simultaneously in two high-pressure ionization chambers with varying separation. Although extensive showers were responsible for all the coincidences observed with the larger chamber separations, they accounted for less than 3 per cent, of the bursts observed with a single chamber. Of the remaining 97 per cent., somewhat more than one-half appear to be due to nuclear disintegrations and the rest either to narrow showers of approximate radius 30 cm. or to the core of an extensive shower of low density. The extensive shower frequency was about 10 times that predicted by theory. The bearing of these results on present views of the origin and development of air showers is discussed.

Investigation into the relation of shower frequency to general cosmic-ray intensity.

Follett and Crawshaw (1936) have compared the transition curve of showers from lead at sea-level and under 30 m. of clay (60 m. water equivalent) and find that the the number of showers decreases about in the same ratio as the vertical intensity. Other measurements of the showers below sea-level have been made by Clay and Clay (1935), Auger and Rosenberg (1935), Ehmert (1937 a, b ), Wilson (1938) and by Pickering (1935, 1937). The purpose of the work described in this paper was to investigate how the form of the shower transition curves at the two levels (i. e. sea-level and under 30 m. of clay) depends on the presence of large masses of light material (e. g. stone) over the lead absorber producing the showers. Drigo (1935) and Auger, Leprince-Ringuet and Ehrenfest (1936) had previously shown that at sea-level the presence of such light materials greatly reduces the number of showers and also alters the shape of the transition curve. Thus to get comparable results at the two levels it is necessary to use similar distributions of dense matter over the counting set. In the work of Follett and Crawshaw this was not the case.