Occupational health is a specialized field in environmental health focusing on the protection of the working population from different occupational hazards. My research interests involve the characterization of adsorbent materials for respirator improvement, exposure assessment of understudied working populations, effectiveness of worker protection methods, and worker knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding personal protective equipment and other exposure prevention strategies.
Design and Testing of Activated Carbon Fibers (ACFs) as Respirator Adsorbent
My primary research interest is the assessment of activated carbon fibers (ACFs) for improved design of respirators. In my previous research prior to coming to ECU, I investigated the potential of different ACF types to serve as alternative adsorbents to granular activated carbon (GAC) in respirators for protection against airborne toluene. This research has demonstrated that ACF makes a good candidate for developing thinner, lighter and more efficient respirators. My research goal is to design and test the actual respirator or respirator cartridges using different types of ACF as the adsorbent. I have found that certain ACF types and dimensions resulted to acceptable pressure drop across the ACF cartridges and promising adsorption characteristics of ACF respirator cartridges for toluene and, potentially, other volatile organic compounds. I will further investigate the effects of humidity and respiration rate on ACF adsorption.
Assessment of Occupational Hazard Exposures among Understudied Work Groups
I have always been interested in characterizing the exposure profile of poorly studied worker population to occupational hazards, and their personal protection practices against such hazards. I have conducted a study investigating the exposure of working college students, as young workers, to a variety of physical, chemical and biological health hazards and safety hazards, with the aim of identifying their workplace hazard exposures, characterizing their occupational diseases and injuries, and describing the worker protection provided to them by their employers. Understanding the unique characteristics of these working students and their hazard exposures will enable the development of occupational health and safety strategies that would provide better protection for young workers. Another working group that I have investigated is the groundskeepers and their workplace exposures to noise during equipment use, and heat stress and ultraviolet radiation due to sun exposure, with the aim of assisting managers and supervisors in the development of hearing conservation and other relevant worker protection programs and preventive measures that are appropriate for this workgroup.
Assessment of Permethrin-Treated Clothing for Vector Exposure Prevention
I continue to collaborate with multidisciplinary researchers in the University in conducting studies on worker protection. These studies include the assessment of the effectiveness of insecticide-treated clothing in preventing the exposure of foresters to disease-carrying vectors (e.g., ticks and mosquitoes) as biological hazards; of the effects of certain environmental factors (e.g., sunlight, temperature) and washing on the effectiveness of treated clothing in preventing tick and mosquito bites; and of methodologies in quantifying permethrin in treated clothing. The ultimate goal of these research studies is to identify effective worker protection strategies that may mitigate risks to vector-borne diseases.
Occupational Exposure Assessment and Prevention Strategies for Agricultural Workers
My current research study investigates the use of available technology (i.e., mobile apps) as an alternative exposure assessment method for reducing exposure and related risks of agricultural workers to heat stress and solar ultraviolet radiation. I have also been involved in studies, in collaboration with public health researchers in the University, that aimed to characterize the actual knowledge, attitudes and practices of agricultural workers on the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) against workplace hazards, such as pesticides, dust, noise, heat stress and ultraviolet radiation from sun exposure; and to assess the end-of-service life of respirator cartridges for protection against airborne agricultural pesticides. A better understanding of the potential use of available technology and worker use of PPE use can help in the development of training interventions to reduce worker exposure to targeted occupational hazards found in agriculture. The expected outcome of this research will lay the groundwork for a larger scale study among agricultural workers throughout NC.