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Quality Fade in Medical Device Manufacturing: Thinness of Airway Breathing Circuit Plastic

Mechanical respirators typically use a plastic circuit apparatus to pass gases from the ventilator to the patient. Structural integrity of these circuits is crucial for maintaining oxygenation. Anesthesiologists, respiratory therapists, and other critical care professionals rely on the circuit to be free of defects. The American Society for Testing and Materials maintains standards of medical devices and had a standard (titled Standard Specification for Anesthesia Breathing Tubes) that included circuits. This standard, which was last updated in 2008, has since been withdrawn. Lack of a defined standard can invite quality fade-the phenomenon whereby manufacturers deliberately but surreptitiously reduce material quality to widen profit margins.

Join the Plastic-Free Parks TrashBlitz

People visiting U.S. national parks and other wild spaces are advised to leave no trace of their presence on the plants, animals and ecosystems they visit. Despite this, the Department of the Interior (DOI), which manages the nation’s parks, produced almost 80,000 tons of solid waste in 2020, much of it plastic. But what if your next national park vacation could actually have a positive impact on this problem?

California Dairy Uses Lots of Water. Here’s Why It Matters

Amid the climate crisis and unprecedented drought, we examine the industrial dairy industry’s impact on groundwater in the state, as well as on low-income residents, communities of color, and small-scale farms.

Fashion brands pause use of sustainability index tool over greenwashing claims

An alliance of major fashion brands has announced that it is pausing its use of a tool to measure garments’ sustainability after critics described it as greenwashing.

Keep your kids safer in the sun this Fourth of July

Kids often get sunburned when they’re outside longer than expected without protection from the sun. But it can be tough to know where to start with sun safety. Sunscreen is only one line of defense against the sun and by itself is not enough. These ideas can help.

A Disturbing Process Has Been Accelerating in Freshwater Lakes Worldwide, Study Finds

On top of intensifying algal blooms and depleting oxygen, a new study reveals Earth's bodies of freshwater are also evaporating at a greater rate than we realized.

Road injuries are killing young people, and it's hardly slowing down

New research led by UNSW Sydney reveals traffic-related fatalities and injuries are the biggest killers of young people worldwide—causing more deaths than communicable and non-communicable diseases or self-harm.

Closed High School Restrooms Affect Student Comfort

Public school restroom conditions have been a major health and safety concern for years. However, a recent development has led to even more chaos as school officials in some urban districts, including the Boston area, have begun closing the restrooms during the school day in an attempt to prevent unauthorized vaping and vandalism on campus, The Boston Globe reports.

The toxic tale of the Great Salt Lake

The Great Salt Lake is shrinking, and toxic metals contained in the exposed lakebed — cancer-causing toxins — are blown toward us with every dust storm