Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-m6dg7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-19T14:40:38.219Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The dimensions of skin fragments dispersed into the air during activity

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

C. A. Mackintosh ,
O. M. Lidwell ,
A. G. Towers  and
R. R. Marples
C. A. Mackintosh
Affiliation:
Central Public Health Laboratory, Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HT
O. M. Lidwell
Affiliation:
Central Public Health Laboratory, Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HT
A. G. Towers
Affiliation:
Central Public Health Laboratory, Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HT
R. R. Marples
Affiliation:
Central Public Health Laboratory, Colindale Avenue, London NW9 5HT
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Summary

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

There was a 1000-fold difference between the highest and the lowest mean rate of dispersal of bacteria-carrying particles during exercise among a group of three male and three female subjects. Differences in the numbers of skin fragments dispersed and in the proportion of these carrying bacteria were almost equally responsible for this. Since there is little difference between individuals in the rate of skin replacement the differences in the rates of dispersal of skin fragments during exercise must reflect large variations in the amount of skin surface removed in other ways. The skin fragments dispersed had a wide size range extending below 5 μm for the minimum projected diameter (MPD). The median MPD was about 20 μm with 7–10% less than 10 μm. Many of the particles could therefore pass freely through tightly woven fabrics with pores up to 10–15 μm which might seem to be impenetrable to whole corneocytes, typically larger than 30 × 40 μm in the hydrated state.

Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Hygiene , Volume 81 , Issue 3 , December 1978 , pp. 471 - 480
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1978

References

REFERENCES

Davies, R. R. & Noble, W. C. (1962). Dispersal of bacteria on desquamated skin. Lancet ii 1295.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Heywood, H. (1963). The evaluation of powders. Journal of Pharmacy and Pharmacology Suppl. 15, 56T.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jansen, L. H., Hojyo-Tomoko, M. T. & Kligman, A. M. (1974). Improved fluorescence staining technique for estimating turnover of the human stratum corneum. British Journal of Dermatology 90, 9.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lidwell, O. M. & Mackintose, C. A. (1978). The evaluation of fabrics in relation to their use as protective garments in nursing and surgery. I. Physical measurements and bench tests. Journal of Hygiene 81, 433.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lidwell, O. M., Mackintosh, C. A. & Towers, A. G. (1978). The evaluation of fabrics in relation to their use as protective garments in nursing and surgery. II. Dispersal of skin organisms in a test chamber. Journal of Hygiene 81, 453.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Noble, W. C. & Davies, R. R. with Place, D. A. (1965). Studies on the dispersal of staphylococci. Journal of Clinical Pathology 18, 16.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Noble, W. C., Habbema, J. D. F., Van Furth, R., Smith, I. & De Raay, C. (1976). Quantitative studies on the dispersal of skin bacteria into the air. Journal of Medical Microbiology 9, 53.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Plewig, G. & Marples, R. R. (1970). Regional differences of cell sizes in the human stratum corneum. Journal of Investigative Dermatology 54, 13.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stringer, M. F. & Marples, R. R. (1976). Ultrasonic methods for sampling human skin micro-organisms. British Journal of Dermatology 94, 551.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Williamson, P. & Kligman, A. M. (1965). A new method for the quantitative investigation of cutaneous bacteria. Journal of Investigative Dermatology 45 498.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed