Doctor's offices are germ havens

OKLAHOMA CITY — The very place you go to seek refuge from and treatment for germs, viruses and bacteria — the doctor's office — may the easiest place to get sick, according to KOCO-TV.

Infectious disease specialist Dr. Doug Hardy said: "Definitely, you can. A health care environment is a place where there's lot of germs and infections and there's sick people. Many of those viruses that people have, particularly the flu, are easily transmittable."

Swab tests show that high-traffic areas in the office, including magazines, restrooms, door handles and elevators are havens for germs, the story stated.

Tests show that the most commonly contaminated areas in a doctor's office are the buttons on elevators and the check-in desk; armchairs in waiting rooms are the least contaminated, the story noted.

While proper hand-washing is crucial in the fight against spreading germs, proper cleaning of high-touch surfaces is also a necessary precaution, the story added.

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IEHA conducts pilot for CRI Seal of Approval program

WESTERVILLE, OH — The International Executive Housekeepers Association (IEHA) will conduct a pilot with a cross-section of its in-house and outsource cleaning operations members who support the current Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) Seal of Approval (SOA) program and wish to evaluate carpet-cleaning instruction and knowledge assessment as an enhancement to the current criteria, according to a press release.

IEHA will select members from various facility segments, including health care, hospitality, educational institutions and unique venues such as casinos to become educated in CRI-recommended carpet cleaning methods, the release stated.

Shaw Industries Group Inc. will provide IEHA access to its online maintenance and cleaning (MAC) learning management system (LMS) for information on the following carpet cleaning topics: Why clean and maintain; preventive maintenance; reactive maintenance; daily maintenance; interim maintenance; and extraction/deep cleaning, the release noted.

IEHA has initially selected 12 IEHA-related facilities to participate in the SOA training program and will be sharing updates on the pilot program once launched in June 2009, the release added.

$13 million PCB cleanup effort funded by Georgia-Pacific

KALAMAZOO, MI — In a settlement filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court and announced by the Justice Department and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Georgia-Pacific Corporation has agreed to a new $13 million cleanup for the Kalamazoo River Superfund site in Allegan and Kalamazoo counties, according to the Associated Press.

Georgia-Pacific is to consolidate polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) contaminated material, install a permanent landfill cap across 32 acres, install a groundwater-monitoring system, implement erosion-control measures and restore wetland and shoreline habitats, the story stated.

Sediments in and around the river from Portage Creek to Lake Michigan are loaded with PCBs, a chemical substance once used in the paper industry that can cause health problems for animals and people exposed to high concentrations of them, the story noted.

According to the story, a federal bankruptcy filing by LyondellBasell Industries, which owns Millennium Holdings LLC, left Georgia-Pacific as the lone financier of future cleanups on the river.

A similar $25 million cleanup of a 1.5-mile stretch of the river near Plainwell was completed in December, the story added.

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School custodian arrested for extortion

MILLBROOK, AL — A Stanhope Elmore High School custodian was arrested for alleged­ly extorting money from a student in exchange for re­turning a confiscated cell phone instead of reporting the incident to school administrators, according to the Prattville Progress.

Gloria Reeves, who was charged with one felony count of second-degree extortion, was re­leased from the Elmore County Jail after posting $15,000 bond, the story stated.

In­terim principal Ginger Wright said that this sort of thing has never happened in the school before and there was no plan in place to prevent such activities, the story noted.

According to the story, Wright is working hard to help the students and staff recover while keeping the image of the school intact.

Gloria Reeves, Millbrook Po­lice Chief P.K. Johnson and the Elmore County School Sys­tem all declined to comment on the matter, the story added.

Wright said: "We teach them to trust their teachers. If there's a problem, tell your par­ents. To put it in perspective, thank goodness those kids spoke up."

Florida's first LEED-certified hotel

CLEARWATER, FL — The Sandpearl Resort has been awarded Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), making it the first hotel in Florida to achieve such an honor, according to Jamble magazine.

The 253-room resort, which opened in 2007, boasts several sustainable aspects, including a state-of-the-art chilled water air conditioning system that cools the hotel with water rather than Freon, the story stated.

On top of preferred parking for hybrid vehicles, the hotel also encourages a green lifestyle by outfitting rooms with water-saving fixtures and intelligent room monitoring systems that automatically shut off lights and air conditioning when rooms are unoccupied, the story noted.

The restaurants in the hotel use biodegradable packaging and make use of seasonal, organic and Fair-Trade food, the story added

According to the story, even the staff uniforms in the resort spa are made from readily renewable and biodegradable hemp.

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Janitor allegedly threatens entire school

CALIFORNIA, PA — A California Area High School janitor was suspended and is facing criminal charges after allegedly threatening to physically harm teachers, students and administrators, according to the Herald-Standard.

Michael Tiernan, a janitor at the high school for over a decade with no prior criminal record, was charged with terroristic threats and harassment after he began heckling fellow employees in February, the story stated.

The harassment allegedly continued until Tiernan was suspended by the California Area School District in April, the story noted.

According to the story, Tiernan allegedly told coworkers that if he loses his job, "nobody is coming out of this building alive."

Tiernan was released on $2,500 unsecured bond following his arraignment and is to have no contact with school employees and no access to the high school for the time being, the story added.

Mandated green cleaning in Connecticut schools

HARTFORD, CT — A law that passed the state Senate yesterday will require schools across the State of Connecticut to develop green cleaning programs by 2011, according to the News-Times.

Bill 6496, which is awaiting the signature of Governor M. Jodi Rell, requires cleaning products, including general-purpose cleaners, glass cleaners, floor finishes, floor strippers, hand cleansers and soaps, be certified by Green Seal or EcoLogo, the story stated.

The law does not apply to disinfectants, disinfecting cleaners or other products regulated by the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), the story noted.

According to the story, the law takes effect July 1, 2011, and gives districts time to use the products already on hand rather than throwing them away.

Representative Chris Lyddy said: "Kids can't learn and teachers can't teach when they are in an environment that negatively impacts their health. We owe it to our children to provide the best learning environment that we possibly can. This legislation is a bold step in the direction of protecting our children. I believe prevention is the best intervention to any issue."

Connecticut laws now regulate environmental issues affecting schools that range from monitoring indoor air quality, requiring environmentally green construction and renovations and restricting pesticides in school buildings and on school grounds, the story added.