1.Safety Culture in Handling Radioactive Materials for Radiation Practitioners: A Review
Nor Farah Amirah Nor Azman ; Siti Amira Othman ; Nurul Fathihah Abu Bakar ; Nurin Saqinah Jasrin
International Journal of Public Health Research 2021;11(2):1379-1406
Safety culture refers to how safety is addressed and communicated in the workplace. It
encompasses the attitudes, beliefs, perceptions, and values of all employees in an organization
about safety. A good safety culture can be promoted by management through a commitment to
safety, realistic practices for handling hazards, continuous organizational learning and concern
for hazards shared across the workforce. The objective of this paper is to reviews the safety
culture in handling radioactive sources. The radioactive substances used should comply with the
following characteristics where radiotoxicity must be as low as possible, short-living isotopes
are preferred to long-living ones and the amounts used must be kept to a minimum. Therefore,
the As Low As Reasonably Achievable (ALARA) principle was applied that based on the
minimization of radiation doses and limiting the release of radioactive materials into the
environment by employing all reasonable methods. Besides that, the ALARA principle is an
integral part of all activities that involve the use of radiation or radioactive materials and can
help prevent unnecessary exposure as well as overexposure. The three major ALARA principles
to assist with maintaining doses are time, distance and shielding. It takes a whole team effort to
successfully implement the ALARA in safety culture while doing routine elements of working
in handling radioactive materials.
2. Antimicrobial effect of Malaysian vegetables against enteric bacteria
Hassanain AL-TALIB ; Norliana Dalila Mohamad ALI ; Mohamed Harreez SUHAIMI ; Siti Shafika Nabila ROSLI ; Nurul Huda OTHMAN ; Nur Ain Sakinah MANSOR ; Amira Kartini Sulaiman SHAH ; Nurul Syuhada ARIFFIN ; Alyaa AL-KHATEEB
Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine 2016;6(3):211-215
Objective: To investigate the antibacterial activities of green vegetables (pennywort, mint, garlic, parsley and celery) against four common enteric bacteria [Salmonella enterica (ATCC 25957) (S. enterica), Shigella flexneri (ATCC 12022) (S. flexneri), Escherichia coli (ATCC 43889) (E. coli) and Enterobacter cloacae (ATCC 13047) (E. cloacae)] as an alternative medicine for controlling food borne diarrhea disease and the synergistic effect of green vegetables against those bacteria. Methods: Five common vegetables (pennywort, mint, garlic, parsley and celery) were purchased and extracted. The antimicrobial activities of these extracts were tested against four common enteric bacteria (S. enterica, S. flexneri, E. coli and E. cloacae). Ten different concentrations of the extracts (from 640 to 1.25 mg/mL) were prepared and used for the study. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) was determined by the broth dilution method. The antimicrobial activities were assessed by using both well diffusion and disc diffusion methods. Results: Garlic extract showed excellent inhibitory effects on all enteric bacteria. Other plants (parsley, celery, mint and pennywort) were not effective against enteric bacteria. The MIC of garlic against S. flexneri and E. cloacae was 40 mg/mL. The MIC of S. enterica and E. coli were 20 and 10 mg/mL, respectively. The performance of the well diffusion method was better than that of the disc diffusion method with clear and sharp inhibition zones of tested bacteria against plant extracts. Conclusions: Garlic had excellent antimicrobial effects against enteric bacteria and was recommended to be given to patients with gastroenteritis. The other vegetables (pennywort, mint, parsley and celery) showed no inhibitory effects on enteric bacteria but still can be used for its richness in vitamins and fibers. The performance of the well diffusion method was better than that of the disc diffusion method in detecting the antibacterial effects of green vegetables.