AlsO A CAREER LESS ORDINARY From wine tasting to working in

Transcription

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YEARBOOK FOR THE Environmental
health officers’ association 10/11
insidE
LIFE ON THE FRONTLINE Environmental health at
times of crisis LEPTOSPIROSIS A forgotten zoonotic
disease? VITAL PROJECT Impact of viruses HOW
DID I GET HERE? Environmental Health can lead to
a diverse career
Also A CAREER LESS ORDINARY From wine tasting to working in
Haiti Human Bio-monitoring Developing a harmonised approach
Scallop processing Investigating the food safety implications
11th WORLD CONGRESS Reports from Vancouver And more ...
www.ehoa.ie
EHOA | yearbook 10/11
1
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EHOA | yearbook 10/11 www.ehoa.ie
ten11
Welcome
Chairman’s welcome
Colleagues,
would like to welcome you to the
2010/2011 Environmental Health
Officers Association Yearbook.
Year on year, the publication of our
Yearbook is one of the highlights in our
calendar and our members look forward to
perusing it and reading the many articles
of environmental health interest.
It is very gratifying that this wonderful
publication is produced solely by
volunteers from our own membership, and
that the majority of contributions and
articles are penned by our own members.
Notwithstanding that, it is not an easy
task to seek, gather and proofread all the
articles and contributions and I want to
take this opportunity to sincerely thank
the Editorial Committee for delivering this
high quality publication. I also want to
express a special thanks to our Editor, Ms
I
Lorraine Dowling who dedicated so much
of her time to ensure its publication.
In addition, I’d like to thank our
contributors for sharing their insights and
expertise, as well as our publishing
partners Zahra Publishing, who published
the Yearbook for us for a second year.
As you will see, the articles in our
Yearbook are again wide-ranging,
interesting and informative. This year, it
also captures and describes some of the
many projects and events we were
involved in over the course of the last
twelve months.
I trust you shall enjoy and benefit from
our 2010/2011 Yearbook. I also hope that
it will inspire you to continue your
individual participation and contribution
to the many projects that our Association
is involved in at present in order to
achieve our objectives.
Mise le meas,
Shane Keane
Chairperson,
Environmental Health Officers
Association
editor’s welcome
T
he articles in this, the 28th edition of
the EHOA Yearbook, demonstrate
the variety of work carried out
by members of our profession, both in
Ireland and internationally. Through our
participation at world environmental health
conferences, we maintain contacts with and
have shown leadership in the promotion
of the profession worldwide. Some of
the original founders of the International
Federation of Environmental Health (IFEH)
are members of the EHOA.
Acknowledging our social responsibility, the
EHOA awards the John Shelley Bursary each
year to a worthy project, either at home or
abroad. The Kulanga Bana Project in Zambia
was awarded this Bursary in 2010 and details
of this project are included in this edition.
I have featured articles written by
environmental health professionals who
have and are working for non-governmental
organisations such as Concern and the Red
Cross/ Red Crescent Societies, on
assignments in some of the world’s most
dangerous situations, where they use their
expertise in environmental health, health
education and disaster management to
assist vulnerable populations.
In response to our need to understand and
www.ehoa.ie
adapt to emerging environmental health
challenges, we have included an article that
details the VITAL Project, which is
investigating the impact of viruses on food
safety risk management. An article entitled
‘Human Bio Monitoring for Europe and
Ireland - developing a harmonised approach’
details the DEMOCOPHES study, which
seeks to provide more accurate information
on the exposure of populations to
environmental chemicals. An article on the
new Bathing Water Regulations
demonstrates how computer modelling can
be used to make environmental health data
more accessible to the public.
Not to be outdone by new thinking and
new technologies, an article on
Leptospirosis, which has increased in
Ireland in recent years, highlights this old
but emerging zoonotic disease.
Investigations including surveys are
important means by which Regulators
determine compliance or otherwise, with
legislation designed to protect public health.
We feature an investigative study into
complaints about scallops.
I wish to thank the following people who
made this publication possible: the members
of the Editorial Committee: Andrew Byrne,
Sara Duffy, Padraic Gorby, Damien Lynch and
Kay O’Connor; Lisa Fitzpatrick PRO EHOA;
and Ray Ellard Honorary Secretary of the
IFEH, who provided photographs from
various EHOA and IFEH events during 2010;
and a special thank you to the authors of the
many fine articles featured, for taking time off
from their busy schedules to write about their
work experiences and for providing valuable
insights into their academic areas of expertise.
Well done everyone.
Sincerely
Lorraine Dowling
Editor,
EHOA Yearbook 2010/2011
3
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contents
image credits
We would like to thank Concern Worldwide for allowing us to use images in this publication.
The image featured on the bottom right hand side of the cover is of Sofi Zawadi, Masisi,
Democratic Republic of Congo. Photographer: Kim Haughton.
Thanks also to Enda Scahill for allowing us to use his photographs of Blackrock, Co. Galway,
which appear on the cover, contents page and page 40.
contents
24
News & Updates
06 Chairman’s address from the
EHOA AGM 2010
08 Honorary secretary’s report
from the EHOA AGM 2010
10 Retirements
Jennifer Shorten, Hon. Secretary,
Heraghty House, 4 Carlton Terrace,
Novara Avenue, Bray, Co.Wicklow
E: [email protected]
[email protected]
W: www.ehoa.ie
Editor
Lorraine Dowling
Editorial committee
Kay O’Connor, Sarah Duffy, Damien
Lynch, Padraic Gorby and Andrew
Byrne
Published by Zahra Publishing
Gerry Moran, Mary Hynes, Mary Falvey
Bernadette Conneely, Sheila and Ian Daly
Fergus Barry, Richard P. (Dick) Fitzgerald
13 Obituaries
Michael Griffin, Dr Harold O’Sullivan
14 EHOA Photo Gallery
Familiar faces at EHOA events held during
2009 and 2010
16 John Shelley Bursary 2010
This year, the John Shelley Bursary was
presented to Touch Shannonside for the Kulanga Bana Project
17 Conversations for tomorrow’s environmental health
Lisa Fitzpatrick reports from the EHOA Forum
18 Official launch of the primary
publishing
For further information
on this service, contact:
Zahra Publishing
T: 01 235 1408
E: [email protected]
W: www.zahrapublishing.ie
course in food safety and DVD,
food safety for you
Jennifer Shorten explains the advances in
the new primary course in food safety
20 Memorandum of Understanding
A new memorandum of understanding sets
out the framework of co-operation
between the HSE and EHOA
21 Risk Assessment in Focus
Account Manager
Anna Clarke
Design
Siobhán McNabb
Andi Anderson
4
EHOA | |yearbook
EHOA
yearbook
10/1110/11
Niamh Kelly discusses our first annual
educational event
22 Our role in student training
Emer McShea discusses changes in our role in
student training
www.ehoa.ie
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contents
23 Launch of the Yearbook 09/10
24 11th World Congress on Environmental Health
Shane Keane, Aoife Merriman, Ann Louise Grant and Stephen Murphy report from Vancouver
26 Viva Aviva
40
Sean Mrozek introduces some of the
environmentally friendly features of the new Aviva Stadium
environmental
health matters
38 Human Bio-monitoring for Europe
and Ireland – Developing a
Harmonised Approach
Maurice Mulcahy and Dr Reinhard Joas
explain the significance of the Democophes
project
40 New Bathing Water Regulations – A computer modelling project
32
Paul Hickey introduces an
innovative computer modelling project undertaken in galway
42 Vital: Impact of Viruses on Food speak up
28 How Did I Get Here?
Niall Roche charts his interesting career, which has taken him around the globe
32 Life on the Frontline of Health
and Hygiene
Angela O’Neill De Guilio shares her experiences as an environmental health officer in some of the most challenging environments on earth
Safety Risk Management
Kris A. Willems and Rita Moloney introduce
the Vital Project
48 Leptospirosis: A Neglected Zoonotic Disease
Ado Van Assche, David Moloney and Kris A.
Willems discuss the prevalence of
leptospirosis and measures to prevent its
spread
52 Investigating Scallop Processing Practices
Liam Kennedy presents the findings of a
recent study to investigate the processing
of scallops
35 An Environmental Health Career Less Ordinary
John Fleming discusses a career that has taken him from wine tasting to co-ordinating
health programmes in Haiti
www.ehoa.ie
56 Logos and listings
58 EHOA Contacts and listings
5
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C h a i r m a n ’ s Add r e ss
Chairman’s
address - EHOA
AGM 2010
I would like to introduce to you the
other members of your Officer Board who
are here today: Stephen Murphy, National
Treasurer; Jennifer Shorten, Honorary
Secretary; and Lisa Fitzpatrick PRO.
This is my first year as Chairman of the
EHOA. l will make some remarks shortly,
reflecting on my first year as Chairman of
your organisation during a period, which
I’m sure we’d all agree, saw extraordinary
and dramatic change in our country and
in our professional working environment.
But first, I should summarise the major
achievements and events that have taken
place in the past year.
This has been the 57th year in the life
of our Association. All our activities in
this year have been focused on achieving
the ideals set out in our mission
statement; namely, to promote, educate
and advise our members, the public and
industry on environmental health and
public health issues in the 21st Century.
Late last year, we concluded a
lengthy process whereby we reviewed
the activities of the organisation with
an emphasis on identifying what the
focuses for the Association should be,
in line with our mission. In order to
then translate this mission into practice,
towards the end of 2009 we drew up a
Development Plan. This plan provided us
with a coherent picture of the business
aims and objectives of the EHOA for the
next five years. At its heart is a desire
to improve services to you, protect and
expand our current income streams and
put Environmental Health policy change
at the heart of our business.
Throughout the year, the themes
within these objectives, namely Members
Services, Organisational Development
and Policy and New Horizons were
each overseen by the Officer Board and
specific groups or committees were
established to implement them.
I will now briefly outline the
6
EHOA | yearbook 10/11 various projects and work that we
have undertaken to implement these
objectives, with these themes in mind:
We have done a lot of work in the
last twelve months to realise our
objective to enhance excellence in our
professional practice and the service of
the Association to its members.
We currently have work well underway
on a couple of publications, namely the
revision of the Food Hygiene for Food
Handlers Book and a document for
butchers shops that aims to present all
the recent legislative changes in a user
friendly format.
It was recognised that our members’
role in the interview of third year DIT
Environmental Health students and
correction of their work placement
logbooks required improvements and
this would be in the interest of students
and our membership. In response, we
commenced a review of our involvement.
This review highlighted concerns that
the Association had in relation to the
core course syllabus. To this end, our
Education and Examination Committee
met with DIT and brought our concerns
to their attention. I am glad to report
that we have commenced a new and
meaningful dialogue with them on
this important issue. This discussion
also clarifies the exact roles of the
Association, DIT and the HSE in relation
to responsibility for student training and
development.
A lot of work has been done by our
group to look at the revision of our
Articles of Association, with a view
to making sure that they are fit for
purpose and current. This work is almost
complete and a separate meeting of
members will be organised to consider
the proposed changes within.
In a first for our Association, this year
we held our Educational Event. This was
deliberately focused to give the greatest
Pictured Shane Keane,
Chairman, EHOA.
benefit to our members and our pricing
structure for the event reflected this. The
day was extremely well supported and
the feedback from our members was very
positive and encouraging. We intend that the
Educational Event will be an annual event.
In May this year we were in Athlone
for our Annual Forum, which was
again a joint event with our partners
in CIEH Northern Ireland. Our theme
this year was “Conversations for
Tomorrow’s Environmental Health” and
we were honoured to have Ms Mairead
McGuinness MEP deliver the key note
address. Again, the feedback from our
members was very encouraging. In a
change to the normal format of the
Forum, we recorded interviews with each
of the speakers about their key points.
These will be available on our website
very shortly.
As you are aware, we have developed
an awards process, which is designed to
showcase significant achievements and
innovations in the field of Environmental
Health, not just within the profession
but, where appropriate, in other likeminded professions, academia or the wider
community. As such, the Awards will add
significantly to our existing award scheme,
which grants fellowships to EHOA
members who we wish to recognise for the
distinctive service that they give. These
awards will further promote professional
excellence and recognise leadership in
Environmental Health.
We are aware that our website is
www.ehoa.ie
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C h a i r m a n ’ s a dd r e ss
important to our organisation and we wish
all our members, licensed food hygiene
training course providers and the public
to have a better experience browsing the
EHOA website. On this basis, we have
entered into a service agreement with a
new service provider, and the new site will
be unveiled very shortly.
Two areas of work under this objective,
which we did not address and have
deferred to look at in 2011, were exploring
the merits of additional honorary
positions and how to ensure greater
branch involvement and revitalisation.
When it comes to our policies and what
lies ahead on the horizon, we have done a
lot of work in the last twelve months to
progress these areas. Part of this includes
identifying key areas and developing a
position or policy on them. The areas we
have focused upon are pest control and
climate change. In relation to pest control,
we now have a very active committee
in place. A group led by the Western
Branch is working on the area of climate
change. Our policy development is being
undertaken on an all-Island basis and in
conjunction with CIEH Northern Ireland.
It will also deal with the practical changes
that each of us as members should take to
demonstrate our commitment to leading
by example and any similar steps that we
should be taking in Heraghty House.
The Officer Board were in detailed
discussions with the Chartered
Institute of Environmental Health, UK
regarding the mutual recognition of the
academic qualifications of graduates
of the Dublin Institute of Technology,
BSc (Environmental Health) four year
degree course who wish to work as
Environmental Health Officers in the UK.
In response to this and calls from our
members’ Central Council, we agreed that
the Association should revisit the area of
statutory registration for our profession
and a group was to be set up to explore
this. Of course, any decision would be
dependant on approval by members and
consultation with the IMPACT Vocational
group. As yet, we have not established
our group to act on this and this has been
overtaken by the submission of a motion
on the topic today. We will all have an
opportunity to formally discuss the matter
then.
Other actions that relate to our
organisational development include
ongoing work regarding the progression of
tattoo policy, the establishment of a small
www.ehoa.ie
group to keep a watching brief on the area
of Tobacco Control, participation in the
International Federation of Environmental
Health and with the Advisory Board to
the DIT course. We also commenced
revisiting the whole area of NEHAP
(National Environmental Health Action
Plan).
In relation to our objective of developing
the Association as an organisation while
protecting our resources, we have again
been very busy.
One of the largest and most complicated
pieces of work that we undertook this
year was the review of the EHOA Primary
Course in Food Safety. This resulted in us
entering into a partnership with a UKbased publishing company, which has a
wealth of experience in this area. This
review also highlighted the need for us to
seek FETAC accreditation for ourselves as
a training body – I know that Jennifer will
be going into more detail in these areas
shortly.
Other areas of our organisational
development that we considered this
year but have yet to finalise included,
options for Heraghty House; services to
Association/Policies; and the creation
of a formal marketing strategy for our
products and services. I hope that that we
can bring these to fruition in 2011.
As you will appreciate, we have had an
extremely active year and I am happy to
say that we have made a lot of progress.
However, this comes at a time when
the Irish economy is clearly in a severe
recession. Reports of weakening economic
data, not only for the Irish economy, but
worldwide, is a cause for concern. So,
what does this mean for our Association
moving forward?
Shortly, you will see from Stephen’s
detailed report, that our income is going
down and that we have made a substantial
investment on the development of
the new course and put a lump sum
into paying off our mortgage. Like any
business, you need to reinvest to profit,
and it takes time to reap the benefit.
This benefit is largely influenced
by the strength of the market at the
time. Considering our experience and
reputation in the food safety training
market and changes in how our members
will provide this training, we nevertheless
expect dividends to accrue to our
Association from the newly designed
EHOA Primary Course in Food Safety.
I expect too that we will be able to
respond to the changes we are facing as
a result of the recession and changing
environment. However, we will need to
take a more conservative approach to
budgeting for 2011 and to reflect this, I
will be proposing a number of changes to
the way we do business.
The key element to achieving this, in
my opinion is, we need to attract greater
member involvement at branch level
to support our activities and generate
ideas and energy for projects to happen.
We cannot rely on the cohort of active
members.
This brings me to my conclusion. I want
to thank most sincerely the members
of your Officer Board who have given
so much of their own personal time and
efforts to manage the Association on
your behalf: Stephen Murphy, Honorary
Treasurer; Jennifer Shorten, Honorary
Secretary; and Lisa Fitzpatrick, PRO.
These people have never shied away
from the sometimes difficult situations
that arise in our activities and they have
always remained truly professional and
loyal to our Association.
I want to mention Stephen again, as this
is his last task as Honorary Treasurer.
Stephen has given five long years to the
Association and has been at the forefront
of some of the many high points in our
recent history e.g., the smoking ban,
purchasing the building and the Dublin
World Conference. Stephen, we are
indebted to you for all you have done for
the Association. We also want to thank
Adrianne and your daughters for giving
their Daddy so often to the Association.
Go raibh mile maith agat Stephain!
Particular thanks, as ever, to our
support team in Heraghty House:
Deirdre and Amanda, for all your hard
work, inputs and commitment to the
Association in the last year.
Finally, I would like to thank my own
wife, Teresa and daughters for their
patience with me while I have been
preoccupied with my work as chairman of
the EHOA.
Thank you for your presence and patient
listening. I welcome any questions you
may have, but I will leave this opportunity
until after the other reports. n
Mise le meas,
Shane Keane
Chairperson,
Environmental Health Officers
Association
7
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Honorary secretary’s report
Honorary Secretary’s
Report – EHOA AGM 2010
Yearbook Launch
The Eastern Branch hosted the launch
of the EHOA Yearbook 2009/2010 in
Heraghty House in April. The launch was
later this year due to publisher problems
but Marie Ryan and Zahara Publishing
saved the day and produced an excellent
publication. The yearbook was officially
launched by Senator Niall O’Brolchain,
Green Party Spokesperson on Children
and Health. As always, a sincere thank
you must be extended to the Editorial
Committee for the hard work in
producing another excellent publication,
particularly with the problems
experienced in such close proximity to
our usual launch date. We must extend
our sincere gratitude to Marie McCarthy
for the years of service she has given to
the EHOA Yearbook and we wish her well
in her retirement as Editor, as she heads
to Texas for a change of scenery.
Pictured Jennifer Shorten,
Honorary Secretary, EHOA.
W
e’re at the end of another year
and it has been an extremely
busy and fruitful year for the
EHOA. As always this has been down
to the efforts of the various working
groups, members and officer board that
we have completed so many projects and
produced new training material for the
EHOA. It’s hard to believe so much has
been completed in such a short time.
8
EHOA | yearbook 10/11 All Island Environmental
Health Forum 2010
We again chose the Hodson Bay Hotel,
Athlone as the venue for this year’s
Forum. The two day, one night format,
which worked so well in 2009, was
retained and again, we found this year’s
event to be a great success.
As always, we were delighted with the
range and calibre of speakers and subjects
and were delighted to welcome Senator
Mairead McGuinness to address us on
the Thursday.
This year, we tried to involve the
members more in the Forum, which
was seen by the excellent final session
on Friday during which a number of
members from the EHOA and CIEH
NI presented papers on work that is
currently being done by our colleagues on
the ground.
Hygiene Education Expert
Working Group
I would like to remind you of what was
said last year regarding the reason for the
establishment of the Hygiene Education
Working group - General Aims – to
undertake a review of the Primary Course
material as part of the FETAC application
and to further develop EHOA training
material in line with the proposed
Business Plan and MOU with the HSE.
I’m delighted to say that the majority of
the work that we set out to do has been
completed.
FETAC – I am delighted to say that we
have completed the FETAC application,
which involved the production of EHOA
policies and procedures in line with
very strict and detailed FETAC Quality
Management requirements – we have
in fact developed a quality management
system for the EHOA, which is currently
being implemented.
We have also carried out a major
review of the existing Primary Course
in Food Safety and have rewritten the
course in line with the FETAC syllabus
for the award we are hoping to achieve.
Once we have been accredited by FETAC
we will then be submitting the Primary
Course.
As mentioned, the Primary Course
has been reviewed and changes have
www.ehoa.ie
ten11
Honorary secretary’s report
been made in line with comments
from Members and Trainers, FETAC
requirements, legislation and standard
changes – we now have in fact the new
Primary Course in Food Safety. The
aim of the review was also to improve
the interactivity and accessibility
of the Primary Course, so we have
also produced new course books and
workbooks and have also been given
some of the interactive material that is
available with the Highfield course –
which is at a similar level to our own.
The DVD has been completed. It was
a little more interactive for a number of
us then originally expected, so you will
see a few familiar faces masquerading as
Chef’s in the DVD. We made the DVD in
partnership with Highfield, so there is a
mixture of English and Irish accents and
venues – but your own colleagues will be
immediately recognisable.
In relation to literacy/plain english
– the end of session questions and
PowerPoint slides have been reviewed
and changes have been made in line with
Plain English requirements – our next
step is to seek accreditation from NALA
for the course, which will advise any
potential Learner that the course is in
Plain English.
Exam Papers – all exam papers have
been reviewed and republished - we
ensured that all questions on an exam
paper are covered in the revised course.
When all this work is complete, we will
launch the new Primary Course in Food
Safety – the new course will comprise
of the DVD, up to date course slides,
interactive exercises and games, course
book and the course workbook. The
tutors manual will we designed to assist
trainers in training with the new material.
We have also ordered food safety
posters and stickers for sale in the
food industry, with our branding. Our
www.ehoa.ie
partnership with Highfield has been
of great benefit to us – and we have
achieved so much in the year since
agreeing to make the DVD with them.
Members of the working group will
be piloting the course prior to finalising
the Tutor’s Manual and we are aiming
to organise a road show in the new year,
where we will go to a number of locations
around Ireland and meet trainers and
members alike to demonstrate the
changes associated with the new course.
We are also planning the direct delivery
of training and will commence this as
soon as all material has been finalised.
Sheila Ryan, retired member has agreed
to train on our behalf.
Primary Course in Food
Safety
Number of Exams Taken,
September 2009 – August 2010
Total Health Service
Executive Exams 992 (down 785)
Total External
Tutor exams
4146 (down 68)
Total Primary
Course Exams
5138 (down 853)
Total Safefood
Exams
2755 (down 42)
Grand Total
7893 (down 895)
Value to EHOA
€21,955
Summary Table of Exams
Completed from 1999 - Present
We need to change how we market the
food safety training products owned by
us – our members can no longer train if
in employment with the HSE, so we need
to get to the food businesses that would
have been trained by EHOs. We are
therefore planning to:
ó Use the website for the sale of all new
"
This year, we tried to
involve the members
more in the Forum,
which was seen by the
excellent final session
training material – we will be able to
take on line payment
ó Use the new website for private trainer
advertising
ó Increase the regional advertising of
course which are being run by EHOA or
Private Trainers.
Retirements
As of the EHOA AGM 2010, we
have been notified of the following
retirements; Sheila Ryan and Bernadette
Conneely, both of whom were former
Officer Board Members and Richard
Fitzpatrick Principle EHO, Co.Clare.
We wish them all a long and happy
retirement.
John Shelley Bursary 2009
The 2009 JSB was awarded to the
Chernobyl Project, who was nominated
by the South Eastern Branch on
December 4th in the Clarion Hotel, IFSC.
We were also delighted to be presented
with a poster display at this year’s Forum
showing how the money has been spent
and the improvements it has made to the
living conditions of the people in this
complex.
The 2010 John Shelley Bursary will be
awarded to Touch Shannonside on Friday
the 3rd of December 2010.n
9
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Retirements
Retirements
We wish all our retired colleagues
a long and happy retirement
Retirement of Gerry Moran
Author: Sean Moore
G
erry Moran, Environmental
Health Officer, Naas, retired on
31st March 2010. The dangling
carrot of the ISER was just too much for
Gerry so he grabbed his chance and went
whistling off into retirement (too early)
bringing to an end his almost 33 years
involvement in Health Inspection and
Environmental Health. And what a 33
Retirement of Mary Hynes
Author: Anton Mullen
F
riends old and new gathered to
say farewell, but not goodbye to
Mary Hynes when she retired
from the service in 2010.
Mary had a double career. From 1974,
Mary worked in the northeast sector of
10
EHOA | yearbook 10/11 years they were!
From the time he received his diploma
from Charlie Haughey in the Gresham
Hotel in 1977, until he handed in his
badge and gun (ok, his warrant and
probe!) in March 2010, he has basically
lived and worked in Kildare. There was
a short sojourn in Cork for a few
months, but that was too far away for a
man born and reared in the shadow of
Croke Park.
Those early years enforcing everything
from Public Health Nuisances, to Food
Hygiene Regulations, were very
challenging, but Gerry was well up to the
task. To those who baulked at his
demands, Gerry had a wonderful
response:- “We can do this the easy way
or the hard way”.
Over the years, Gerry’s knowledge,
experience and great common sense were
shared generously with all who crossed
his path. He was no respecter of titles,
despised waffle and treated everyone
equally, thus earning the respect of his
colleagues and the general public.
Gerry was a perfectionist and
everything had to be just right. He even
kept a can of three in one oil so that the
office doors were always lubricated!
the city of Dublin, with responsibilities
for both local authority and health
board services, as the service was not
yet split at this time. She left in 1980
to look after her young family, but
returned to the service in 1991 until
her retirement.
Mary remains a much loved and
highly respected colleague and friend.
They were not the only things lubricated
over the years and many of you will
remember Gerry in full flow at summer
schools (oops conferences!) and AGM’s,
playing his guitar and downing copious
amounts of the black stuff, slagging all
and sundry. In recent years, Gerry has
swapped raucous nights and the guitar
for quiet meditation and the violin,
which he happily plays with his daughter
Lydia (she makes a show of him!)
It would be very remiss of me not to
mention the legend that is the tea break
in the Naas Office, as pioneered by
Gerry. None of your instant coffee and
digestives here. Only the finest brewed
coffee and savoury delights were served,
and woe betide anybody who produced
inferior chocolate or biscuits.
Sadly, just after he retired, Gerry
learned of the terminal illness of his
great friend and colleague Seamus Mc
Intyre. Typical of Gerry, he spent much
of his time helping to look after and care
for Seamus.
As a great believer in karma, Gerry can
be sure of two things - he will have many
deserved years of peace and joy and he
will not be reincarnated as an E.H.O.!!
All our best wishes go with him. n
Since retiring, Mary has completed
her Bachelor of Arts degree in
Theology and Philosophy and is
involved in pastoral work in her local
parish.
We wish Mary a long, happy and
healthy retirement with her family,
husband John, and children Miriam,
Martin, Cormac and Rachel.n
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retirements
Retirement of Mary Falvey
Author: Ger Faughnan
O
ctober 29th 2010 was a great
day of celebration in the ‘wilds
of west Cork’…it was the last
working day in a very hectic career
spanning almost 40 years for our
Principal, Mary Falvey.
Mary Falvey (nee Maguire) started her
adult working life training to be a nurse,
before changing career to life as a
teacher. She didn’t realise it, but both
career moves were of huge benefit to the
profession that she eventually chose and
that she loved up to the day she retired.
Mary joined the Diploma in Health
Inspection course in 1969 and graduated
from the College of Technology, Bolton
Street in 1972. During her time there she
made many wonderful friends, including
Lilly Byrne, Annette Fitzgerald, Breda
Flynn, Bernadette Conneely, Marie
Quinn to name but a few and this is
where she met the love of her life, her
husband, Ned Falvey.
Mary always enjoyed a good laugh and
she certainly generated much merriment
here in Skibbereen recounting those
years, whether it was with Matrons,
Tutors or classmates. After college, Mary
and Ned emigrated to the UK, where she
was employed as a Health Inspector with
Hammersmith Council in London. She
then returned to Dublin in 1976, where
she worked as a Health Inspector with
the Eastern Health Board, based in
offices in Dame Street.
In 1978, Mary became a lecturer in the
Dublin Institute of Technology on the
Health Inspectors course. Her sense of
humour certainly helped her survive
because I can assure you, as a student at
that time, she did not get away lightly from
the constant commentary that the classes
of 1980 and 1981 dished out. She admitted
later that we intimidated her more than we
could ever have imagined!
In 1979, she was promoted to Senior
Environmental Health Officer and made
the move to Cork City in 1980. She quickly
set about making and setting standards for
both the environmental health service and
the food industry, with our late colleague,
Paddy Kiernan. In 1982, she moved to West
Cork, where she was instrumental in
developing new inspection techniques and
tools, such as checklists, long before the
Food Safety Authority of Ireland was
established. Mary was never afraid at
embracing new ideas or technology.
I had the priviledge of joining the good
ship ‘West Cork’ in 1990. Mary was
particularly adept at encouraging colleagues
to participate with her ‘if I can do it ,so can
you’ attitude which meant that even
someone like myself, with computer
phobia, soon embraced the improvements
that IT brought to the environmental
health service. That enthusiasm,
encouragement and ability to laugh at
oneself, together with her practical and
common sense approach made Mary
extremely popular with staff in the HSE
South.
Mary was very proactive in the
development of the Environmental
Health Service at national level. She was
appointed to the board of the Food Safety
Authority of Ireland by Minister for
Health Mary Harney, where she was an
active and much respected contributor.
On behalf of my colleague in the HSE
South, I wish Mary, her husband Ned and
sons Robert and Colin a lifetime of health
and happiness. It is our sincere wish that
they enjoy many years of travelling the
highways and byways of Ireland and
Europe, enjoying another of Mary’s
passions- the Camper Van!. n
Retirement of
Bernadette Conneely
Author: George Sharpson
2010. Many friends came to wish her
well at her retirement party in the
Fingal County Council Offices. Donal
Cooney gave a brilliant speech about
the good times he had working with
her. Fingal County Council presented
Bernie with a beautiful Crystal Vase
for her loyal service to Fingal County
Council and to Dublin County
Council.
As well as being a role model and
changing the Association for the better,
Bernie is missed by her colleagues for
her wicked sense of humor. She is
wished well in her retirement. n
I
reland was a different place today than
when Bernadette Conneely left Carlow
to study to become a Health Inspector
in Dublin in the late 1960s.
Like many women during that period,
Bernie set out to change all that. She
was elected Vice Chairman of the all
male officer board of EHOA in the
1970s and was rightly considered a trail
blazer and an inspiration to many within
the profession.
Bernie retired on the 31st March
www.ehoa.ie
The EHOA wishes both former members
of the Officer Board, Sheila and Ian Daly
many happy years of retirement.
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Retirements
Retirements
Retirement of Fergus Barry
Author: Brian McKeever
ergus began his career as an
Health Inspector in Dublin City,
working in general duties and was
there for the big move from Dame Street
to the Quays. This was followed by six
months working in Tullamore, County
Offaly with Tom Horkan, Supervising
Health Inspector – an experience that
left him with very happy memories.
In October 1979, Fergus took up a
permanent position as Health Inspector
in the then North Eastern Health Board
reverting to general duties in Cavan
where he joined Sean Kelly (RIP), Bridie
Eames (RIP) and Ramon McLaughlin.
These duties consisted mainly of
planning, housing and the monitoring of
drinking water supplies on behalf of
Cavan County Council. He also worked
for a time in Monaghan, following the
departure of the late John Ryan (RIP).
When the issue of water pollution from
agricultural sources became a major
problem in Co Cavan, Fergus was very
involved in the protection of Lough
Sheelin.
In the early nineties, Fergus became
more and more involved in I.T. duties
and the application of the new
technology for the benefit of the
environmental health service. Following
his appointment to the position of Senior
Environmental Health Officer in August,
2001 he was instrumental in the
development of various databases for use
in relation to housing and drinking
water. These made possible the
production of valuable management
information. Fergus also played an active
role in the development of food safety
F
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EHOA | |yearbook
EHOA
yearbook
10/1110/11
information systems for the North East.
His pioneering work in producing the
first tobacco control database in the
country was a major achievement and
became the model for similar projects
elsewhere. He was a major influence in the
positive development of the tobacco
control service in Cavan-Monaghan. An
example was his promoting the school
buses project. This involved the joint
participation of the service with Bus
Eireann, which successfully eradicated the
problem of school children smoking on
buses.
Somewhere in the middle of all of this, he
managed to serve as Treasurer of the North
East Branch of the EHOA for nigh on fifteen
years.
The track record described above will give
some idea of the loss suffered by the
service, not only in Cavan-Monaghan, but
nationally, when Fergus retired from the
service in March, 2010.
It is with a sense of deep affection and
gratitude that we bid farewell to Fergus and
wish him every-happiness long into the
future with his wife Martina and family. n
Retirement of Richard P. (Dick)
Fitzgerald
Author: Martin Nestor
ur colleague, Richard P. (Dick)
Fitzgerald retired his position as
Principal Environmental Health
Officer with the Environmental Health
service in Co. Clare, on the 17th
September 2010.
Dick undertook the four-year Public
Health Inspection course in Bolton
Street, Dublin, where he graduated in
1970. He was initially employed in
County Cork as a Health Inspector and
O
worked mainly in West Co. Cork. Indeed,
he often later recounted one of his worst
days working when he witnessed
harrowing scenes that arose following
the Bantry Bay/Whiddy Island oil fire
disaster which claimed the lives of 50
people.
In 1982, he was appointed Supervising
Health Inspector in County Clare, a
position later to become known as
Principal Environmental Health Officer.
For the next 29 years, under his
stewardship, the service increased from a
staff of four to 22. His work in the field
of environmental health advancement
was most notable, aided to some degree
by his twin involvement, at national
level, in the Impact trade union. Dick was
the ideal candidate to stress test any new
environmental health plan or initiative
and was adept at anticipating potential
pitfalls. He always embraced new
developments and was never shy to
advocate the taking on of new initiatives.
He will always be remembered as a
great supporter of staff who might have
been experiencing any personal
difficulties, family illness etc.
On 17th September last, a large group
of family, friends and colleagues
convened in the Old Ground Hotel, Ennis
to wish Dick all the best in his
retirement. Never backward about
coming forward with an opinion
(especially political), Dick was renowned
for his ‘chairing’ of late night/early
morning ‘think tanks’ at conferences,
even before working breakfasts were
invented, and he duly didn’t disappoint
on the night (or morning) of his
retirement also.
A lifelong, paid-up member of the
Cork ‘rebels’, he also had great affection
for referees and neighbouring Munster
counties. Maybe his only small regret
was that his retirement function was not
held a fortnight later (after Cork’s
football All Ireland victory) and with
some ex-Kerry footballers in the
audience.
From all of his colleagues in County
Clare and the Mid-West Branch of the
EHOA, we wish him many happy years of
retirement. Somewhere out there, some
other venue, or project, is about to be
‘livened up’. n
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obituaries
obituaries
Obituary – Michael Griffin
Author: Barbara Delaney, DIT
any in the Environmental Health
community would have been
saddened and shocked to hear of
the untimely death in November 2009 of
Michael Griffin, who had been a lecturer in
DIT for many years and would have been a
feature of many DIT graduates’ memories
of their time in college.
Michael didn’t stray far from DIT for
very long; he qualified as an architect in
the College of Technology (as it was then
called), Bolton Street in the mid-1970’s.
Michael often reminisced about these
times and about how the architecture
M
Obituary – Dr Harold O’Sullivan
Author: Brian McKeever
n the 20th of October 2009,
the death occurred of Dr.
Harold O’Sullivan, former
health inspector and Fellow of the
Environmental Health Officers’
Association.
Following retirement from the army
after the war, Harold took up duty as
a health inspector in Dundalk, where
his contribution to the improvement
of housing and sanitation is still
O
of Dublin was changed, with many fine
buildings of the Georgian and other eras
being lost forever.
He later acquired associateship and
subsequently, membership of RIAI. He
worked in a number of architectural
practices and also set up his own practice.
One of the signature commissions
from his own practice was the design
of the Irish Wheelchair Association
headquarters. He had a lifelong interest
and campaigned in the area of disability
and was, for many years, Disability
Advisor for the Faculty of Tourism and
Food in DIT. It was fitting that, after
Michael’s death, students of the School of
Food Science and Environmental Health,
in memory of Michael, made a donation to
the Irish Wheelchair Association.
He started lecturing in DIT in
the early 1980s and contributed to
many programmes in the Schools
of Food Science and Environmental
Health, Culinary Arts and Hospitality
Management and Tourism. Michael was
always keen to be actively involved in
issues and was a member of many DIT
committees and was very well known
throughout the Institute. One of the DIT
initiatives that had Michael’s enthusiastic
support was the Bolton Trust, which was
set up by DIT staff in the 1980s to foster
enterprise and job creation. He was also
involved in the area of arbitration.
remembered with gratitude.
It was during his time with the
local authority service that he became
increasingly involved in Union
activities. This culminated in his
being a leading force in the formation
of the Irish Local Government and
Public Services Union – the precursor
to IMPACT. He also served as
president of the Irish Congress of
Trade Unions.
During this period, he helped to
negotiate important national wage
He was a keen and talented musician,
playing the guitar and, occasionally,
keyboards. Those at his funeral heard
music from one of his favourite bands Pink Floyd.
He bore his illness with inspiring
fortitude and typical optimism. Just a
couple of weeks before his demise, his
family and many of his friends in DIT
and elsewhere will remember with great
fondness a dinner held at Michael’s
initiative. He used the occasion to launch
his memoir ‘The Happiest Days Of My
Life’, describing the previous six months
of his life during his illness’.
Michael was always a colourful
and larger than life character, and
full of entertaining stories. He had a
strong commitment to the welfare and
development of students and was always
a strong support to them.
Michael was a true and loyal friend
to those lucky enough to have known
him and his kindness to his friends was
reflected in the support he received
from so many of his friends and family
during his illness. Those of us who knew
Michael can count ourselves lucky to
have had as a friend such an engaging
character who added enjoyment and
colour to our lives.
We’ll remember you, Michael (and
we’ll always smile when we think of
you!) n
agreements and played an important
role in the establishment of the
Labour Court.
Alongside these activities, Harold
was deeply involved in the research
and dissemination of information on
the local history of Dundalk and its
surroundings.
With his passing, the
environmental health service has
lost a good colleague and a proud
standard bearer.
Ar dheis De go raibh a anam. n
Due to the number of retirements that occurred during 2010, only those that occurred earlier in the year could be featured in this
publication. All other retirements and obituaries will be featured in the 2011/2012 publication.
www.ehoa.ie
13
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photo gallery
EHOA Photo gallery
2009/10
Events and people from the past year
Student of the year
Pictured (Above): Shane Keane, Chairman presenting the DIT Environmental
Health Student of the Year Award to Karen Conroy.
14
Photo
ten11
gallery
Tiger Woods watch out!
Attending the annual EHOA golf outing were (L-R): Tom Maguire (Meath), Dave
O’Brien (Dublin), Eugene MacDonagh (Waterford), Paul Rutherford (Dublin) and
Matt Grogan (Wexford). The golf was played in glorious sunshine at South County
Golf Club, Brittas, Co. Dublin on the 20th August 2010. Tom Maguire was the
winner with 29 (Points) Singles Stableford.
www.ehoa.ie
15
ten11
John Shelley
John Shelley
Bursary 2010
T
he John Shelley Bursary was
accepted by Seamus Gleeson of
Touch Ireland on behalf of Touch
Shannonside for the “Kulanga Bana
Project” on the 8th December 2010. Touch
Shannonside is one of a number of Touch
Ireland support groups.
Launched in July 2003, with the aim
of ensuring that all money raised goes
directly to serve the project they take
on, Touch Ireland is an umbrella group
for a number of support groups around
the country. Each support group takes
on responsibly for fundraising and
managing specific projects. To date,
Touch Shannonside, has engaged in
projects focusing on vulnerable children
orphaned as a result of the Aids crisis
and/or suffering from poverty and other
related diseases such as TB, in Zambia.
The projects are multi faceted and
provide immediate basic needs such as
child sponsorship and food and clothing
containers, and more long term support
such as housing, sanitation, educational
and nutritional support.
Over the past four years, Touch
Shannonside has worked tirelessly to fund
a number of projects. With the assistance
of a similar group in Kildare, in April 2007,
they succeeded in building two school
blocks (Mapepe School House) in Lusaka,
Zambia, each consisting of three large
classrooms, a computer room and an office,
together with a separate kitchen block
where a food programme is operational and
a block of toilets. In 2008, to accommodate
salary-less teachers, a group of thirteen
young men and women from the Leitrim/
Carrick and Boyle areas built six houses
and connected electricity and water to
16
EHOA | yearbook 10/11 Pictured Lorcan
Shelley presenting
the John Shelley
Bursary to Seamus
Gleeson of Touch
Ireland. Also pictured
are Shane Keane,
Chairman EHOA
and Ray McLoughlin
SEHO.
them. A bore-hole was also drilled and an
electric pump installed to serve the people
living in one adjoining compound.
The following year, 2009, the
Shannonside group of “Touch” funded the
building of a nutrition centre in Chipata
compound, which is also on the outskirts
of Lusaka, Zambia’s capital. Sr. Paula
Healy a Franciscan missionary based in this
compound for many years had approached
“Touch” to request a building where many
hundreds of children could come to be fed
every day. This project is completed and is
up and running. It is a centre to be proud
of and was officially opened by one Irish
Ambassador to Zambia, His Excellency
Tony Cotter, when the volunteers were out
in May 2010.
Kulanga Bana Project
At the moment, the Shannonside group is
evaluating the drawings/plans for a project
that consists of three terraced houses at
Kulanga Bana Farm, an area of 50 acres
that was donated by villagers to help take
children off the streets. Already, a small
group of older “street” boys, using only
hand tools, have cleared eight acres for
maize and four acres for vegetables. They
are living on the farm and off the products
of the farm, but in a building that one could
only describe as a poor hen house. We hope
to accommodate up to 32 children in the
new building, making every effort to keep
siblings together under one roof to help
to restore the family concept to “street
children”.
At time of going to press, the group has
raised over half of the €55,000 target,
which they estimate will be required to
complete the project. The group aims to
have this done before the end of 2011.
All monies raised by “Touch”
volunteers goes directly to the projects.
Volunteers who travel either to work
on the construction projects, or in the
orphanages and those who operate the
child-sponsorship schemes, do so at their
own expense entirely. This is what makes
the charity unique! Details of the group
can be accessed at http://touchireland.
bluewaterroad.ie/support-groups/
shannonside-group
Finally, no mention of Shannonside
and particularly the Boyle area could be
made without an environmental health
connection. One of the main drivers
behind the group is Eileen McGowan,
sister of our esteemed colleague Donal
O’Connor. n
Pictured (L-R)
School at Meppe, Lusaka, under
construction in 2007. This was completed
entirely by local labour.
Pumping water at the school site at
Mapepe. Electric Pump has been installed.
Eileen McGowan with sponsored children
at Kiwte Orphanage in Zambia.
www.ehoa.ie
ten11
EHOA F o r u m
Author: Lisa Fitzpatrick PRO EHOA, reports from the EHOA Forum
Conversations
for tomorrow’s
environmental health
T
he two day Forum entitled
“Conversations for Tomorrow’s
Environmental Health” organised
jointly by CIEH/ EHOA welcomed over
one hundred and seventy delegates to the
Hodson Bay Hotel, Athlone. The Forum
commenced on the 14th of May 2010
and proved to be a major success. The
speakers certainly got everyone chatting
by concentrating on the issues that will
face the environmental health profession
in the not so distant future.
Mairead McGuiness MEP started
proceedings and delivered a superb,
passionate and descriptive keynote
speech. A member of the Environment,
Food Safety and Public Health Committee
of the European Parliament, Mairead
spoke about some of the important
new challenges facing the food industry
and those who regulate it into the
future, including ‘novel’ foods, food’s
produced using nanotechnology, the use
of cloned animals in the food chain and
the interaction of packaging materials
on foodstuffs. She informed the group
that there have been no applications
submitted to the European Food Safety
Authority (EFSA) for nano products.
The first section Food – Future Issues,
touched on such topics as a sustainable
food system for all in Ireland, Challenges
and Initiatives, Hospitality Trends and
concluded with a debate chaired by Ray
Ellard FSAI and Marie Jennings FSA.
The afternoon session focused on the
very relevant issue, Emergency Planning
– Extreme Weather Events.
Delegates could have listened for longer
to the insightful words from Dr. Pamela
Bartley on her topic, Extreme Rainfall:
Potential Impacts on Groundwater &
Surface Water Resources – Quantity &
Quality.
Gavin Maguire, Assistant National
Director - Emergency Management and
now of Environmental Health defined
Major Emergency Management and
explained how this is conducted at
local, regional and national levels in the
www.ehoa.ie
Pictured
Above left: (L-R) Ray Ellard FSAI,
Steven Cooper CIEH NI.
Right (Top-bottom): Sinead Murphy
EHO; Paul Hickey SEHO; Delegates
at the forum; Stephen Murphy, Shane
Keane, Jacinta Greene Beatty, Mairead
McGuiness MEP, Steven Cooper.
Republic of Ireland. His presentation
focused on the roles of the three principle
response agencies. In April 2009,
Ireland saw the very first activation of
a national emergency response coordination committee (ERCC) in response
to pandemic influenza. Since then, it
has met to co-ordinate response to
nationwide impacts from flooding, severe
weather and most recently, volcanic
eruption. This session was brought
to conclusion by case studies from
EHO Joan McCaffery EHO and Karen
Prendergast SEHO, who spoke about how
the recent floods had been dealt with by
the professionals on the ground.
But it wasn’t all work and no play
as the forum dinner dance had all the
elements of a great night.
However, we rose bright and early for
session 4 – Communicable Diseases, an
interesting topic after your bacon and
eggs. Dr. Paul McKeown, Specialist in
Public Health Medicine, HPSC spoke on
pandemic planning. In addition, Dr. Mary
McNamara, Head of Graduate Research
Programmes DIT may have planted a seed
in some delegates’ minds about returning
to study.
The highlight of the Forum came on the
Friday afternoon session when several
SEHO and EHO professionals presented
a range of insightful case studies on such
topics as volatile organic compounds,
bathing water modelling and looking
at an alternative route to enforce noise
regulations, to name but a few.
The majority of our speakers at the
forum participated (some reluctantly)
in making a short VT, by giving a
short synopsis of their respective
presentations with Chis Lodge on camera
and Michael McAller on sound. These
VT’s are available for all our members
to view on the members section of our
website. n
17
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primary course
Pictured (L-R)
Left: Members of the Hygiene
Committee (L-R): Aishling Kenna,
Jennifer Shorten, Margaret O’Meara,
Noel Donnelly, Joanne Lorriman
and Shane Keane.
Right: Martin Higgins, CEO Safefood.
Author: Jennifer Shorten
Official Launch of the
Primary Course in Food Safety
and DVD Food Safety 4U
Jennifer Shorten explains the advances
in the new Primary Course in Food safety
O
n the 19th of November 2010,
Mr Martin Higgins, CEO of
SafeFood officially launched the
revised EHOA Primary Course in Food
Safety and our brand new DVD, Food
Safety 4U.
The EHOA Primary Course in Food
Safety had been revised in 2007.
However, the existing training video
was not reviewed at that time and was
therefore a priority project for the
EHOA. A partnership was formed with
Highfield Publication in the UK and a
decision was made to produce a market
leading, modern and up-to-date training
DVD with Highfield.
As part of the EHOA’s ongoing
commitment to providing the most upto-date and pertinent information when
it comes to food safety training, it was
also decided to carry out another review
of the Primary Course in Food Safety,
in line with recent legislation changes,
new focus areas for food safety and a
desire to improve accessibility of the
course for all. We also felt there was a
need for training support material and
the production of training handbooks,
card games, posters and stickers was also
undertaken.
The new course, which now consists
of ten sessions compared to the previous
eight, will cover a broader range of
subjects.
An EHOA working group was formed to
18
EHOA | yearbook 10/11 look at all training aspects – a huge body
of work was undertaken over the last year
by a small number of volunteer members.
Over time, the group separated into
various projects – DVD, Plain English,
Course review, FETAC, Training material
(books, workbook, stickers, posters,
handouts).
All comments received from members
and trainers alike since the launch of the
last version have been addressed:
ó Course now consists of 10 modules
ó HACCP is addressed in 2 stages
from delivery and storage (stage 1) to
preparation, cooking and service (stage 2)
ó Structural hygiene requirements are
demonstrated by an interview with
an EHOA member who is an SEHO in
Dublin City
ó Food Safety Law is a standalone section
– detailed information is included
regarding the various agencies involved
in food safety and the action open to
EHOs towards non compliance
ó Allergens is covered in the section on
food contamination
The Tutor’s manual has been reviewed
and there are some changes to the
administration of the course.
Session notes to the tutor on the
primary course have also been reviewed
– suggestions are made for particular
areas the tutor is to emphasise. There are
also handouts for use as a class exercise
in various sessions of the course.
Plain English
The end of session questions and session
summary sheets have been rewritten
in Plain English by Margaret O’Meara,
member of the Hygiene Education
Committee. We have two versions
of the summary sheets for use with
different groups. Our next step is to seek
accreditation by NALA - National Adult
Literacy Agency.
Interactivity
Additional training exercises have been
included for use by tutors – these include
various handouts that have been provided
by Highfield for use as ice breakers or re
- invigorators and can be used to take a
break from the Flash presentation.
New Material
We now also have a course book, course
workbook, an induction level book, food
safety posters and stickers and a food
safety card game.
Members, Private Trainers and guests
were invited to the official launch, in the
Victory Centre, Firhouse where we had
a number of speakers and an informal
reception during which members and
trainers could meet and share training
experiences. Martin Higgins informed
the delegation of the importance of food
safety training to the food industry and
acknowledged the EHOA’s position at the
forefront of hygiene training. n
www.ehoa.ie
HYGIENE
ten11
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19
ten11
memorandum of understanding
Author: Shane Keane, Chairperson
Memorandum of
Understanding
A new memorandum of understanding
sets out the framework of co-operation
between the HSE and EHOA
Pictured (L-R) Above: Martin Devine and Shane Keane.
Below: Lisa Fitzpatrick, Shane Keane, Martin Devine, Maurice Mulcahy, Noel Donnelly.
O
n the 20th December 2010, a
Memorandum of Understanding
setting out a framework of cooperation between the Health Service
Executive (HSE) and the Environmental
Health Officers’ Association (EHOA)
was signed. Mr Martin Devine, Assistant
National Director, HSE and Mr Shane
Keane, Chairperson, EHOA signed on
behalf of the parties.
The purpose of the Memorandum of
20
Understanding is to identify best methods
and technologies for the promotion of
environmental health, to share experience
between the two parties and to combine
strengths to best achieve objectives in a
cost effective and efficient manner.
The document outlines how the
HSE and the EHOA jointly affirm their
commitment, in the interest of serving
the community to promote better
environmental health status and to
develop effective working relations so as
to ensure relevant issues are focused on in
an effective manner.
Some of the key themes that fall within
the scope of the Memorandum include:
ó Mutual cooperation in developing
education and information campaigns
for improvements in environmental
health.
ó Promoting the importance and
relevance of the interconnections
between environment and health
to quality of life issues, sense of
place, health and well-being, social
inclusion, economic development and
sustainability.
ó Development of specialised EH training
programmes.
ó Support and promote evidence-based
research on EH issues.
ó Promoting high standards of
professional competence training,
experience and qualification.
ó Actively work towards the
implementation of a National
Environmental Health Action Plan
(NEHAP).
ó Promotion of sustainable environmental
health practices within government/
industry/home environment, through
collaboration with statutory and other
agencies.
ó Advocate for health improvement
and highlight/raise awareness of
environmental threats.
ó Collaboration/partnership and
developing common work programmes.
ó Be proactive in identifying and
developing strategies for emerging
threats e.g. epidemics/pandemics,
climate change.
ó Promote sustainable development and
Local Agenda 21.
ó Progress environmental improvement
at local level through community and
like minded groups.
ó Develop best practice through
environmental health standards and
guidance.
ó Sponsorship of educational awards for
good environmental health practices.
ó The establishment of advisory/
consultative committees to assist both
parties to deliver on their objectives. n
The full Memorandum of
Understanding document is available
on the Members area of the EHOA
website www.ehoa.ie
www.ehoa.ie
ten11
r i sk a ss e ss m e n t
Author: Niamh Kelly
Risk Assessment in Focus
Niamh Kelly, EHO discusses our first annual Educational Event
Pictured (L-R)
(L- R) Caitriona Stack, Jennifer Shorten, Prof. Pennington, Lisa
Fitzpatrick, Stephen Murphy.
W
e held our first,
annual Educational
Event on the
5th October, 2010 in Aviva
Stadium, Dublin. This event
was entitled ‘Risk Assessment
in Focus’.
Attendees were welcomed on
the day by EHOA chairperson,
Mr. Shane Keane, before
enjoying a truly motivational
and informative event.
The keynote speaker was
Professor Hugh Pennington,
Emeritus Professor of
Bacteriology at the University
of Aberdeen, Scotland who
chaired two public inquiries
into E. coli 0157 outbreaks, in
Scotland in 1996 and Wales
in 2005. Following these
enquiries, the Pennington
Reports were published, both of
which included many important
recommendations of interest
to EH professionals. EHOs
were presented with a unique
opportunity to gain an insight
into the two enquiries, the
learning outcomes from the
outbreaks and how a repeat of
these tragedies can be avoided.
Professor Martin Cormican,
Medical Microbiologist,
National University of Ireland
www.ehoa.ie
Galway followed Professor
Pennington with a presentation
on ‘VTEC – An Irish
Perspective’. E. coli 0157 and
other verocytotoxigenic E. Coli
(VTEC) continue to evolve as a
serious public health issue and
Professor Cormican provided
attendees with an excellent
overview of the current
situation in Ireland.
A lively question and answers
session, chaired by Ms. Lisa
Fitzpatrick, PRO EHOA,
followed these talks.
Mr. Denis Kiely of Industrial
Management Systems gave
an extremely well received
presentation on ‘Risk
Management – Principles and
Guidelines’. The presentation
focussed on the ISO 31000
document and explained how
risk management is now a
central theme of all food safety
standards.
Ms. Rita Maloney, A/PEHO,
HSE West, Co. Clare and
Professor Kris A. Willems,
Associate Professor at K.U.
Leuven gave a two-part
presentation on their Europewide study entitled ‘VITAL:
Impact of Viruses on Food
Safety Risk Management’. An
article on the VITAL project is
presented in this Yearbook.
The afternoon session was
chaired by Ms. Caitriona Stack,
Vice-Chairperson EHOA.
EHOA members were
offered an optional discussion
tour on Aviva Stadium’s
Healthy Stadia Initiative and
environmental sustainability.
Aviva Stadium was chosen
in part by the EHOA due to
its ethos on sustainability
and its involvement in the
Health Stadia initiative. There
were morning and evening
tours and both were oversubscribed, with extremely
positive feedback received from
members on the contents of
the tour. The discussion tour
covered such topics as Aviva
Stadiums’ smoking policy,
waste management strategy and
traffic and transport initiatives.
It was widely agreed by
attendees that the day was both
worthwhile and instructive and
members are already looking
forward to next Autumn’s
EHOA Educational Event. n
The four presentations
referred to above are available to EHOA members on
the website www.EHOA.ie.
ESSENTIAL ADVICE FOR EVERYDAY LIFE
Healthy eating and food safety
For more information visit www.safefood.eu
21
ten11
our role in student training
Author: Emer McShea
Our role in student training
Emer McShea A/SEHO discusses new developments in the EHOA’s
role in student training and development
Pictured
EHOA members participating in
Professional Practice Assessment
Training at DIT’s Learning, Teaching and
Technology Centre.
A
s part of their degree
programme, students of the
BSc (Environmental Health)
must carry out an approved term of
professional practice. This includes the
satisfactory completion of a Logbook/
Portfolio. This requirement has been in
place for the last number of years.
In 2010, DIT revised the Logbook/
Portfolio and this was circulated to
EHOA members for comment and input.
We expect that a revised Logbook/
Portfolio will be used by students who
undetake their placements in 2011.
We expect that the reviewed
Logbook/Portfolio will be of greater
assistance to students as they strive
to achieve the maximum benefit from
their professional practice and to
demonstrate their skills, knowledge and
competence.
For graduates seeking employment
outside of the HSE or abroad, the
22
portfolio has become very important
to prospective employers and
professional or certification bodies
who assess the graduates. We hope
that the new portfolio will allow
students to demonstrate their levels of
achievements.
In early 2010, a sub-group of the
Educational Committee (i.e., Aoife
Merriman and Emer McShea) reviewed
the EHOA’s role and procedures in
relation to student training. Based on
this review, they presented a document
to the Examination and Education
Committee entitled, “Issues with
Student Placements, Logbooks and
Interviews”. From this document,
it became clear that there was an
opportunity for those involved in
professional practice to offer greater
definition of each party’s role. The
organisations who have been involved in
professional practice are the EHOA, HSE
and DIT.
The EHOA’s role in student training
was subsequently described by the
Educational Committee as follows:
1.To provide (subject to resources and
availability) a group of members who
will participate in the marking of
professional practice logbooks and the
interviewing of students in respect of
the professional practice component
of the course. This role is dependent
on mutually acceptable arrangements
being in place for this purpose.
2.To participate in the DIT Advisory
Sub-Committee on the B.Sc.
Environmental Health course.
3.To advise DIT, as appropriate,
on matters that may arise in the
EHOA’s other areas of interest, or
from their dealings with national and
international organisations.
From the sub groups review, it was
also clear that members who participate
in the correction and interview process
require training in order to ensure
that we protect the interests of the
Association and can ensure the highest
standard of professional service to
the students. A training module was
subsequently designed by DIT’s
Learning, Teaching and Technology
Centre (LTTC) in conjunction with
EHOA (where EHOA specified the
learning objectives required by its
members). This course was delivered by
LTTC to 12 EHOA members in January
2011.
The first part of the training (presented
by Martina Crehan, from the LTTC)
focused on assessing learning in the
practice placement and understanding
the purpose of and techniques to use
during the interview process. The
second part of the training (presented by
Sara Boyd, EH Lecturer) dealt with the
importance of the Logbook/Portfolio,
including the issues, styles and learning
outcomes in the Logbook/Portfolio.
Barbara Delaney ended the training
with a presentation on the assignment
and the marking schemes applied to
the Logbook/Portfolio, Assignment
and Interviews. Barbara also spoke to
the group about the importance of the
Feedback session to students about their
overall performance, as demonstrated
by them in their Logbook/Portfolio and
during their Interview. Each member
was awarded with a Certificate from
DIT LTTC confirming attendance at
the training seminar on Assessing
Professional Practice Portfolios.
Members reported that they found
this training to be extremely beneficial
with regards to the Logbook/Portfolio
corrections and techniques to use while
conducting the oral interviews with the
students.
The Logbook/Portfolio corrections and
the oral interviews took place on 25th
and 26th January 2011 in DIT. Thank you
to DIT and to all members who took part
in this process. n
www.ehoa.ie
ten11
Launch of the yearbook
Members of the EHOA Yearbook 2010/2011 Editorial Committee and the PRO
EHOA. (L-R): Kay O’Connor, Damien Lynch, Padraic Gorby, Lorraine Dowling Editor
and Andrew Byrne (not pictured - Sarah Duffy), with Lisa Fitzpatrick PRO, EHOA.
Author: Lisa Fitzpatrick
Launch of the yearbook 09/10
Well done to all involved in producing our yearbook 09/10
M
embers, associate members,
fellows and guests gathered
at HQ, Haughty House, Bray,
County Wicklow to celebrate the launch
of the 2009-2010 yearbook publication
on 13th March, 2010. Chairman, Shane
Keane officiated and the publication was
officially launched by Senator Niall Ó
Brolcháin.
Speaking at the launch, Senator
Niall Ó Brolcháin commented: “I am
pleased to launch the Environmental
Health Officer’s Association Yearbook
2009-2010, as it is a major source of
information to professionals in the
field of Environmental Health and,
indeed, to everyone with an interest in
Environmental Health. Not only does it
contain useful reference material, there
are also a number of informative articles
on issues which are very relevant in
today’s world”
Particular praise and thanks were
directed to Marie McCarthy, Editor of
the yearbook on the creation of such an
excellent, relevant publication. After
three years at the helm of the editorial
team, Marie stood down following
the publication of the 2009-2010
yearbook. n
Pictured (clockwise from
top)
Senator Niall O Brolchain,
Stephen Pearson (Zahra
Publishing) Marie McCarthy
Editor for 2009/2010
yearbook, Ann Pyle (Zahra
Publishing), Lorraine Dowling incoming Editor.
Fiona Toolan, Lisa Fitzpatrick,
Stephen Murphy, Jennifer
Shorten, Marie McCarthy.
Maurice Mulcahy, Sheila Ryan,
Maria Wood, Philip Ruttledge.
Dorothy Guina-Dornan,
AnnMarie Part, Ray Ellard,
Steve Konkel (DIT).
www.ehoa.ie
23
ten11
w o r l d c o n g r e ss
11th World Congress on
Environmental Health
Shane Keane, Chairperson, reports from the 11 World
Congress on Environmental Health in Vancouver, Canada
T
he 11th World Congress on
Environmental Health, organised
by the International Federation of
Environmental Health (IFEH), together
with the Canadian Institute of Public
Health Inspectors (CIPHI) was held
in Vancouver, BC, Canada between
September 5th – 10th 2010.
The theme of the Congress was
‘Global Health Protection From Sea to
Sky’, which provided a broad platform
from which the universal challenges
to environmental health in an era of
increasing globalisation were discussed,
with a focus on the following areas:
ó Food safety
ó Promotion of active living & healthy
communities
ó Sustainable communities &
environments
ó (Air quality, water quality, and climate
change)
ó Disaster preparedness and emergency
response
ó Occupational health, risk and injury
prevention
ó Uniformed Services Health Protection
ó Indigenous Peoples’ Environmental
Health
ó Environmental health management
ó Core Competencies for Environmental
Public Health Professionals
Representing the EHOA were Shane
Keane, Chairperson, Stephen Murphy,
Treasurer, Ann Louise Grant and Aoife
Merriman, Members.
The Congress afforded us an
opportunity to meet with colleagues
from around the world. It was some
comfort to see that we share many
similar challenges with these colleagues
when it comes to our work and the
operation of and management of our
Association. The congress papers can be
downloaded from the IFEH website www.
ifeh.org
A Council meeting and the AGM of the
IFEH was held prior to the Congress and
our IFEH delegates, Ray Ellard (Secretary,
IFEH) and Martin Fitzpatrick represented
the EHOA at these events. n
Cooking up a storm in Canada
Aoife Merriman reports from the IFEH 11th World Congress on
Environmental Health, where she bonded with international EHOs
A
s part of the IFEH 11th World
Congress on Environmental
Health, five technical tour options
were available to delegates attending the
congress. The “Vancouver Convention
Centre Sustainable Design and Kitchen
tour” appealed to me as I am a Food
Control Officer working in Dun Laoghaire
and the tour covered a massive 7000
square feet of kitchen facilities (every
Environmental Health Officers dream/
nightmare), plus the unique ethos of the
centre, which aims to be as self sufficient
and sustainable as it could be sparked my
interest. The facility included a living roof,
seawater heating and cooling system and
an on-site water treatment plant, which
was all explained to us in detail by different
24
EHOA | yearbook 10/11 members of staff, who were involved with
each area.
The magnitude and scale of the
convention centre was overwhelming
and its conversion into the International
Broadcast Centre and Main Press Centre
to house the world’s media during the
2010 Olympics and Paralympics Winter
Games was ideal. The kitchen provided
meals for nearly 10,000 journalists during
the Olympics and was operating 24 hours
a day as the media broadcasted 24/7 to
the entire world. The Executive Chef,
Blair Rasmussen bravely brought the eager
group of Environmental Health Officers
around the kitchen facilities in the East and
West building and readily answered all our
questions regarding the operation of this
massive kitchen facility.
The amazing surroundings and
the technical wonder of this centre was
overwhelming, yet the most photographed
area of the convention centre was a white
board in the main kitchen on which
was written in red ink: “DO NOT PUT
ANYTHING IN FRONT OF THIS SINK
AS PER HEALTH INSPECTOR”. The
giggles, bonding and photo opportunities
that ensued in front of this white board
made me realise that even with the many
different nationalities and languages
spoken by the Environmental Health
Officers present for the 2010 World
congress, we were all the same. This was
a memorable and enjoyable moment that
will always bring a smile to my face. n
www.ehoa.ie
ten11
w o r l d c o n g r e ss
Making Whistler
more sustainable
Ann Louise Grant EHO took a trip on the Sea-to-Sky Highway to Whistler
T
here were no lie-ins for those
who chose to take part in a tour
to Whistler, during the IFEH 11th
World Congress on Environmental Health.
The bus left Vancouver at 7.30 am and
headed north through Stanley Park and on,
to the Sea-to-Sky Highway. We were on
our way to Whistler.
Stop number one was to an
interpretative centre in Whistler,
where we listened to a talk about the
programme for sustainability, which had
been undertaken by the Municipality of
Whistler. Tourism is Whistlers’s main
source of income. Primarily, it is a winter
ski resort. In order to expand the tourist
season, summer sports such as mountain
biking and hill walking are now being
promoted.
The influx of tourists to the area means
that keeping the area’s programme for
sustainability on track is challenging.
Water usage is the biggest challenge as
it is always in high demand to service
showers, hot tubs and for other general
usage.
The plan is for Whistler to move
towards a zero waste society. Again, the
challenge is to educate the visitors on the
local initiatives in place in the business in
the area..
The next stop on the tour was the
wastewater treatment plant. This was
another initiative that forms part of
the sustainability programme. Large
investment, to the tune of $51.5 million,
led to the upgrading of the facility
including: using microbes instead of
chemicals; using UV light to reduce
chlorine usage; using aeration to minimise
odours; and, after treatment, using the
temperature of the treated water as an
energy source to heat homes.
The final stop on the tour was to the
Olympic village, which was home to the
athletes during the Winter Olympic games
2010. The village was built with the view
to using it for affordable housing for local
Metro Vancouver’s
Water Treatment Supply
Stephen Murphy SEHO learnt about the Metro
Vancouver Water Treatment Supply and the
construction of the new water supply and
treatment facilities
M
etro Vancouver (MV) serves
a large population (2.3
million and growing). Metro
Vancouver’s drinking water comes
from reservoirs in three watersheds –
Capilano, Seymour and Coquitlam.
The Seymour and Capilano
watersheds typically supply up to
70 percent of Greater Vancouver’s
drinking water. In 2003, MV began
constructing new water supply and
treatment facilities and these include:
the Seymour-Capilano Filtration Plant,
the Twin Tunnels (to be completed by
2013) and the Energy Recovery Facility
(to be completed in 2012).
www.ehoa.ie
The Seymour-Capilano Filtration
Plant, the largest of its kind in the whole
of North America has improved MV’s
drinking water by removing turbidity and
micro-organisms and by reducing the
amount of chlorine required to maintain
water quality.
In order to treat water from both
sources at one plant, water will be
conveyed between Capilano and Seymour
through underground twin tunnels.
When completed in 2013, the twin
tunnels will transfer up to 1,250 million
litres of treated water each day back to
Capilano for distribution throughout
Metro Vancouver.
residents after the games had come to a
close. All the houses were built with green
technologies and sustainability in mind.
The village was built next to the area’s
municipal landfill, which was closed ahead
of schedule to allow the building to go
ahead. When we visited, the plan for the
landfill was to use it as playground for the
children who would live across the road
in the Olympic village. Measures were in
place to make the area suitable for use. n
The plant design itself is largely
conventional. Water from the two
reservoirs enters a rapid-mix head
works, where coagulant is added. From
here it enters flocculation basins and
is subjected to a slow mix process. The
subsequent direct filtration phase uses a
2m deep filter dual-media bed consisting
of anthracite and sand and from here the
filtered water enters the UV disinfection
unit, which is the largest UV disinfection
facility in the world. Flowing into treated
water storage clear-wells, the pH is
then adjusted before the water enters
the Capilano and Seymour distribution
networks. Whereas, UV treatment is the
primary disinfection method, secondary
chlorination will remain a feature, to
guarantee the safety of the potable
water travelling through the municipal
distribution systems.
The single unique aspect of this project
is that its two feeder watersheds are
permanently closed to all human activity.
This closed watershed policy provides a
barrier against water contamination from
human sources.n
25
ten11
viva aviva
Sean Mrozek Environmental Health Officer introduces
some of the environmentally friendly features of the
new Aviva Stadium
Author: xxxxx
Viva Aviva!
Author: Sean Mrozek
F
ew things bring a tear to my eye,
but as I stood overlooking the
pitch from the Presidential box
in the new Aviva Stadium (or, as it was
formerly known in Dublinese, Landsdow-in), a sense of pride swelled inside
my chest and a tear hung on the corner of
my eye. Thankfully, after a moment I got
a grip and sucked it back into a tear duct.
No new age man blubbering here, this is
where men risk life and limb for the glory
of Irish rugby and soccer, a place where
bones crack and sinews snap. I stood
in awe of a sporting and environmental
achievement, a new age had arrived for
player and punter.
The new Aviva Stadium is not just a
stadium; it’s a work of art. It is Bauhaus
meets the beautiful game, or Salvador
Dali meeting Dunphy, take your pick it’s
beautiful.
The green seats from the stands merge
with the pitch in a universal oneness that
would leave even the Dali Lama in a state
of envy.
The north end opens onto the city and
skyscape and although this condition
was imposed to prevent the local housing
26
EHOA | yearbook 10/11 from being dwarfed by the stadium, it
works as a happy coincidence that it
allows the city and arena to merge, from
the view point of the spectator. Maybe
this is not the case for those in the upper
tiers, where the roof structure dips, but
that’s what you get when you win tickets
in a one euro gamble at the local GAA
raffle in Ballypooreen.
The green, green grass of
home…
Then there is the pitch itself, the focus of
conflict and delight, rapture and despair.
Light pours across the freshly seeded
pitch, which contains some of the
original soil from the old pitch, thus
fertilising it with the history of past
victories and memories of the greats who
once thrilled us and still do … Giles, The
Keanos, Houghton, McGrath, O’Driscoll,
Ollie Campbell and Ward etc. the legends
list goes on.
It’s overwhelmingly green in
colour, with a thick mantle of spring
grass and also ‘green’ in terms of its
environmentally friendly function. This
was thought out and full credit to the
design team; at a time when nothing
seems right in this country, someone got
it right.
Imagine a time in the future when
global warming leaves the Phoenix Park
looking like the Serengeti after a sevenyear drought and littered with the ribs of
dead deer. Meanwhile, the groundsman
of the Aviva is on holiday in Spain,
lying on an inflatable duck in the hotel
swimming pool, sipping a piña-colada.
Suddenly, he realises that the pitch
needs watering! Does he head for the
airport in his dripping wet Speedos to
pay his budget airline an extra €300 to
change his flight instead of the one euro
he had paid to get there and back in the
first place? (Hoping against hope he can
get back in time to turn the sprinkler
system’s master tap on before the noon
day sun frazzles the pitch to dust like
Dracula when hit by the early morning
sun!) No he does not!
No need for panic, the groundsman
simply sends a text message from his
phone to a computer in the stadium
and the in-built sprinkler system
automatically springs into life, delivering
www.ehoa.ie
ten11
viva aviva
the perfect soaking to the pitch. The
pitch is saved and visiting teams can only
drop their jaws in envy as they think of
playing in their own dustbowl Stadia
back home. No mouthfuls of grit and
dust for our Rugby lads when they touch
down for a try, just a smooth, continuous
slide on the green velvet of luscious
grass, a true body surfing experience for
the saviour of Irish pride.
In addition, the water used to quench
this green pasture’s thirst is harvested
from the roof of the east side of the
stadium and stored for just that purpose.
Power in the darkness!
There are four diesel generators on
the roof that provide power. These are
insulated so that the heat recovered can
be used to heat the water used in the
building.
Solar power panels would have
required extra steel support and
cancelled the green benefit because of
the high carbon footprint of steel. In ten
years time, solar panel technology will
probably be totally changed and may be
an option then.
The stadium of light
It truly is a stadium of light. The glass
louvers of the outside structure reflect the
sky colour, thus blending the structure
into the landscape, so it is less intrusive.
Each flood light is computerised to give
an exact focus of light onto the pitch, so
the spread of light is even and provides
2000 lux with a light leakage of only 20 lux
from the stadium, so the local birdlife and
neighbours can still have a decent night’s
sleep, with the minimum of light pollution.
Planes, trains and
automobiles?
If you want some exercise yourself, you
can cycle to the stadium and there is a
designated area where you can park your
bike or alternatively, use the DART or bus.
Colour-coded tickets tell you which
DART stop is the best route for you and
your green-clad mates to disembark at,
so you can get to the entry point closest
to where your seats are.
You can sip a beer when you enter
the Stadium as a pre-match aperitif as
you anticipate another loss by the Irish
soccer team against a mediocre team, or
a logic defying destruction of the current
world champions. Such are the foibles of
our national team.
www.ehoa.ie
You won’t miss any action queuing for
your beverage of choice or your hot dog
as TV screens are everywhere showing
the action (slight 2 second relay delay).
Your waste plastic beer glass will be
processed on site for recycling, as will
any waste fluid and food (what exactly
happens to the waste beer I’m not sure,
but it is recycled!)
If you wish, you can even see Senor
Trappatoni in all his Armani splendour
from behind a layer of protective glass on
level 3, while others shiver in the stands.
It’s as comfortable or as in the mix with
the fans as you want it to be.
Smoke does not get in your eyes!
Now, if you want to indulge in a cigarette,
No! No! No! You naughty thing. This is
not allowed anywhere in the stadium, as
the Aviva is part of the Healthy Stadiums
Programme. The prestigious award was
presented earlier this year to the stadium.
The idea of the Healthy Stadium
programme is that the stadium itself
will inspire a healthy lifestyle choice
by influencing its staff, the community
and the spectators, by changing
unhealthy habits and influencing diet and
promoting exercise in order to fight the
main causes of heart disease and obesity.
The menu on match days offers some
healthy options as well as traditional
burgers and chips.
Part of this initiative is a complete
ban on smoking at sporting events. So, if
you smoke, go stick on a nicotine patch,
suck on nicotine gum but do not light
up! Designated Tobacco Control teams
in hi-viz jackets sweep the levels looking
for signs such as circles of smoke over
the head of a punter, or the red glow of
a hidden cigarette concealed in a cupped
hand. There’s no exit and come back
in policy, so if you smoke, be prepared
to do without and maybe think about
your habit, what it is doing to you and
quit for good. No smoking signs are
everywhere as you enter the stadium and
announcements over the P.A. deliver the
no smoking policy in English and in the
visiting team’s language.
Let’s hope the concept and ideology
of the Healthy Stadium programme
and healthy lifestyles spread out from
the Aviva through the immediate
community, the city and the land.
Let’s wish for many a sporting victory
and a long healthy life for the punter and
shout VIVA AVIVA! Olé, Olé, Olé! n
27
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How did I get here?
Author: Niall Roche
How did I get here?
Niall Roche, WASH/Environmental Health Specialist and Adjunct
Lecturer in Global Health at Trinity College Dublin, charts his
interesting career and explains why he has such a long job title
T
o begin, I should not only explain
how I got here, but also why I have
such a ridiculously long job title.
As they say, it is a long story, but I’ve
only got so many words, so let’s begin.
It all began after I graduated from Cathal
Brugha Street in 1988. After a few months
packing carrots and onions, I managed
to secure one of the few temporary jobs
as an EHO in Dublin City. My work was
primarily involved in local authority
(housing standards mainly) and involved
walking The Coombe, Rialto and Dolphins
Barn areas of the south inner city. After
three years and several pairs of shoes,
I got the opportunity to join Concern
as a volunteer for two years and to go
somewhere with lots of sunshine. That
place was Thailand, where another EHO,
Angela O’Neill was already working to
assist Cambodian refugees in water,
28
EHOA | yearbook 10/11 sanitation and hygiene services at two of
seven camps along the Thai/Cambodian
border.
1991 – 1994 The volunteer with
Concern
During the 18 months that I spent in
Site 2 (a camp of 180,000 people) in
Thailand, I began to learn the trade
of aid. While there, I assisted largely
to ensure that Khmer staff in the
camps were supported to deliver basic
environmental health services. This
included the provision of latrines (one
for every two families), household waste
collection and disposal, vector control
of rats and the mosquitoes (which
are responsible for the transmission
of dengue fever), plus all mass media
health education for the entire camp.
In addition, I took on responsibility for
the delivery of repatriation information
to inform those returning to Cambodia
of what they could expect upon return
there, in some cases after 14 years as
a refugee. Approximately half of the
refugees returning were actually born in
the camps.
Naturally enough, I moved to
Cambodia itself when all the refugees
repatriated in advance of democratic
elections in Cambodia in early 1993.
Once I crossed the border into Cambodia,
all the modern comforts of life in
Thailand were gone and replaced by one
long sweat! I stayed 14 months, during
which time I assisted returnees mainly in
the provision of safe water, through the
construction of hand-dug shallow wells
in rural villages and chemical vector
control by thermal fogging to control
dengue fever, a major cause of death of
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How did I get here?
children under five years old.
At a broader level, we set up a Health
Information and Promotion Office to
assist the provincial Ministry of Health
in Banteay Meanchey in the provision
of wider health education. This included
some of the first attempts to inform
Khmer people about HIV and AIDS, an
emerging threat in a newly opened up
country. While Cathal Brugha Street had
not exactly prepared me for the delivery
of public health in the tropics, at least
I had the principles and could learn
from my local Khmer and international
colleagues, not only within Concern,
but those in other Non-Governmental
Organisations (NGOs) and UN agencies.
From there, I ended up in one of the
largest humanitarian crises in living
memory, getting posted to a place called
Ngara in Kagera Region of Tanzania
to assist in the control of flies, waste
management and a host of other jobs
including food distribution, public works
and camp management (when others
went to Kenya on rest and recuperation)
in camps hosting Rwandan refugees,
following the genocide of up to a million
people. While waste management did
not require that much attention (people
with nothing tend to produce little in
the way of waste), the bigger challenge
was the control of flies emanating from
the communal, and later, from family
www.ehoa.ie
pit latrines provided by other Water
and Sanitation agencies. The challenge
was directly linked to the diseaseburden, with diarrhoeal diseases such as
dysentery accounting for the majority
of deaths in the camps. With others
refusing to invest in the infrastructural
improvement of latrines by converting
them to Ventilated Improved Pit (VIP)
latrines, it was left to us to control flies
by chemical means. Unfortunately,
the lack of expertise amongst all
agencies in vector control was, in my
opinion, a serious problem and led to an
unacceptable situation in those first six
to eight months.
One of the jobs I was glad to avoid at the
time was the removal and management of
dead bodies coming down the river into
Tanzania at a place called Rusumo Falls.
As a “sanitarian”, it is a job that naturally
falls within the remit of an Environmental
Health person.
In April 1994, when the crisis began, I
did not speak French (a useful language
to possess in that region) and I did not
get transferred from Cambodia until July.
It was said that at the time, up to 5,000
bodies a day were said to be in need of
dealing with. I was also lucky to avoid
the Cholera outbreak in Goma, Zaire
(now DRC) at the time of my arrival
when in excess of 45,000 people died
in a three week period; over 90% of
"
I ended up in one of the
largest humanitarian
crises in living memory,
getting posted to a
place called Ngara, in
Tanzania
whom died outside a health facility. One
can only imagine the scene facing aid
workers in Goma on the western side of
the Rwandan border at that time when I
was on the eastern side.
After more than three years,
experience in three countries and a few
months of reflection on the dole at home,
I determined that I no longer wished
to go back to Environmental Health in
Ireland, but wished to pursue a career in
public health as it relates to developing
countries. To progress I needed further
qualifications.
Pictured
(From left-right) Thermal fogging to
control dengue fever, Thailand, 1992.
Restoring water supplies in earthquake
affected villages, Takhar Province,
Afghanistan, 1998. Making latrines in
Cambodia 1993.
29
TEN11
How did I get here?
1995 – 1999 The transition to
career aid worker
Before pursuing further studies, I needed
money. $65 - $90 US dollars a month
as a volunteer allowance with Concern
didn’t stretch far, so I was fortunate
to get a posting (or mission as they
say) with the Belgian section of MSF
(Medecins Sans Frontieres) in the Somali
region of Ethiopia for one year. It wasn’t
very environmental health-focused but
it was a medically focused NGO (NonGovernmental Organisation) and a
different type of experience.
Essentially, the programme supported
the regional Ministry of Health in
running the regional hospital and 14 rural
health centres within a 100 km radius
of the hospital. My primary role was
logistics in support of the construction
of three new clinics, several hospital
buildings, including a kitchen and TB
ward, plus management of non-medical
stores, as well as oversight of vehicle
maintenance. By the end, I at least knew
at which end of a Toyota Landcruiser the
engine was situated!
With enough money saved (there was
nothing to spend money on in Jijiga!) and
a wealth of experience playing scrabble,
I went to Manchester and studied for
a Masters in Public Health and Health
Promotion.
Upon completion and return home, I
was fortunate to get a call from Trocaire
30
EHOA | yearbook 10/11 and was hired to respond to a flood and
malaria epidemic at a place called Bulla
Xawa, Gedo Region, Somalia, which is
situated next to Mandera in northern
Kenya. A key part of the response was
the organisation of a campaign of indoor
residual spraying in every household in
Bulla Xawa, to try to control the adult
population of the anopheles mosquito,
which is responsible for the transmission
of malaria. Luckily, we had access to a
telephone and technical advice could
be gathered from a grouping called the
Malaria Consortium within the London
School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
After the heat and dust of Somalia,
I saw news reports of an earthquake
in snowy Afghanistan and the scene
looked very different to Somalia and
somewhat appealing. Somehow, I ended
up rejoining Concern in March 1998
to assess the environmental health
situation in northern Afghanistan
following that earthquake, in which
15 villages were destroyed. I ended
up staying for nine months, during
which time I was primarily involved in
the provision of earthquake resistant
shelters following a second earthquake
of 6.9 or 7.0 on the Richter scale. In
many respects, Afghanistan was the
toughest of assignments and I’m not
just referring to the fact that I survived
the weird experience of being close
to the epicentre of an earthquake that
"
I ended up evacuating
with my colleague,
in quite dramatic
circumstances, on a
bamboo raft, close to
the front line
killed up to 20,000 people, nor am I
referring to the aftermath of trying to
launch an emergency relief response in a
remote location, with little in the way of
resources and access by donkey the best
way to get around in many cases.
Apart from the relatively minor
troubles of nearly slipping off a mountain
while trying to view the source of a
spring, getting kicked by a horse I
had chosen to ride on a rare piece of
time off, the isolation of having next
to no contact with women for the
best part of nine months, and being
prevented from leaving a village by
armed representatives of that village
commander, two incidents will stay with
me for a very long time.
The first happened in late May 1998,
about a week before the earthquake,
when I made the painfully long journey
(up to 13 hours in a jeep if it rained) to
www.ehoa.ie
TEN11
How did I get here?
the provincial capital of Taloqan in order
to get some basic supplies. While there,
I was fortunate to have left the main
market just 10 minutes before a bomb
was dropped, killing 58 and wounding
48. The story was that the Taliban
were trying to target (very badly as it
happens) a meeting of senior generals in
the Northern Alliance that was said to be
taking place in Taloqan that day.
The second incident involved getting
trapped in Rustaq, the small town I was
living in after Taloqan eventually fell
to the Taliban a few months later. It
occurred because I failed to be decisive
in evacuating on time. As a consequence,
I ended up evacuating with my colleague
in quite dramatic circumstances, on a
bamboo raft close to the front line and
into Tajikistan, whose border at that
time was controlled by the Russians.
From the frying pan of Afghanistan, into
the fire that was southern Sudan (soon
to be an independent country). My role
was programme co-ordinator based in
Lokichokio, Kenya, supporting Concern’s
response to a famine in several counties of
southern Sudan. Southern Sudan at that
time was extremely tough for aid workers
based there, access was only possible
by plane to some very dodgy airstrips.
Landing or taking off with cattle on the
airstrip was not uncommon.
1999 - 2005 The Ireland-based
career aid worker
To her son, an aid worker in his early
30s, my mother often asked, “when are
you going to settle down and get a real
job”. As it happens, I met my wife (a
fellow Dubliner) in southern Sudan in
1999 and decided that I wanted to settle
down a bit. Fortunately, I managed to get
the job I wanted, to work with Concern
and act as their adviser on all matters
environmental health. Environmental
health for Concern was defined as
issues related to hygiene promotion,
excreta disposal, water supply, waste
management, vector control, shelter
and settlement planning and control of
pollution, with an emphasis on indoor air
pollution.
In addition, I had the opportunity to
be on the Rapid Deployment Unit (RDU)
and to travel to several emergencies
to work in establishing the response.
It was an interesting time to be in the
RDU, as I got to go to Kosovo (after
the NATO bombing), Turkey (following
www.ehoa.ie
an earthquake), Orissa State, India
(following a super-cyclone), Mozambique
(following floods), Gujarat, India (after an
earthquake), the DRC (following a volcanic
eruption), Pakistan (following 9/11) and
an assessment in northern Iraq prior to
the war in 2003. As time went on, I ended
up supporting more countries working in
non-emergency contexts, often referred
to as in transition or development. For
example, in this regard, I made frequent
visits to Tanzania and Liberia, during
which time I would often be gone for two
to four weeks, five or six times a year.
2005 – Present The Consultant
In April 2005, despite having a well
paid, permanent and pensionable job
in Concern, I decided to give it all
up and took the plunge to become an
environmental health consultant with
respect to developing countries, in
addition to being a house husband to a
wife and two small children.
My clients are numerous and
include several academic and training
institutions (TCD, UCD, RCSI,
University of Copenhagen, Dtalk at
Kimmage Development Studies Centre
and the UN Training School in Ireland
at the Curragh) in addition to Irish Aid
(the Overseas Development Aid wing
of the Department of Foreign Affairs),
UN organisations such as UNICEF and
NGOs (Oxfam GB and my old employer,
Concern). Teaching environmental
health/public health and conducting
evaluations is the bulk of my activity.
My last field trip in November/December
2010 saw me spend two weeks in
Tajikistan evaluating a public health/
WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene)
project for a Danish based NGO.
The long job title is partly explained
by the fact that, in many developing
countries, our profession is sought in the
area of WASH and few understand the
term Environmental Health. I maintain
reference to environmental health partly
because I am stubborn and proud of my
profession, but also to try to capture
the fact that environmental health goes
beyond WASH and can examine issues
such as indoor air pollution from cooking
fires, which causes a very significant
burden of disease in developing
countries. One aspect of my work that
I am most proud of is an environmental
health module I run on the Masters in
Global Health at Trinity College. This,
alongside a module on Climate Change
and Health and contributions to other
modules and thesis supervision justifies
the other part of the title “Adjunct
Lecturer in Global Health”.
Conclusion
In conclusion the “auld” career so far
has, for the most part, been rewarding
and varied. To some extent, it is baffling
that one does not meet more people of
an environmental health background
in this area of global health. To say
environmental health people are needed
is an understatement. Unfortunately,
many people in emergency relief and
development don’t understand the value
that environmental health people bring
to developing countries, nor does the
profession sufficiently engage donors,
UN agencies and NGOs to demand a
more meaningful role in promoting
and protecting the lives of the most
vulnerable in our global community. n
Pictured
Opposite page: (Left) Monitoring the emergency response in Haiti, June 2010.
(Above right) Supplying water to earthquake affected people, Azad Jammu and
Kashmir, Pakistan, January 2006. Below right: near Siem Reap, Cambodia, 1993
This page: (Left) Afghan refugees arrive in Balochistan Province, Pakistan, October
2001. (Right) Meeting rural communities in western Nepal, July 2007.
31
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Life on the frontline
Author: Angela O’Neill De Guilio
of health and hygiene
Angela O’Neill De Guilio, Regional Director, Concern shares her
experiences as an environmental health officer in some of the
most challenging environments on earth
Pictured: Hawa Endrie, TemsasVillage, Wollo, Ethiopia. Photographer: Petterick Wiggers
R
eflecting upon my career todate, I realise that it all started
a little unconventionally. At the
time that I graduated, the expectation
was that if you were lucky, a temporary
Environmental Health Officer position
in one of the health boards might be
attainable and a future permanent
appointment would follow at some point.
However, temporary posts were few
and far between and therefore, many of
my classmates went to the UK and were
employed in a variety of environmental
health posts. Their experiences seemed
very exotic indeed and their varied work
situations seemed very different to
Ireland at the time.
Undoubtedly, I would have been in the
UK too, if it was not for an opportunity
32
EHOA | yearbook 10/11 with Stewart’s Hospital in Palmerstown,
who created a new position, that of
a health and hygiene advisor. The
management team wanted to see how
the role might develop and consequently,
there was scope for innovation. It was an
interesting role that involved assessing
the current situation in an in-depth
manner, much like a health, hygiene and
safety auditing process. Following my
analysis, I then reported to management
and discussed with them how
recommendations could be implemented
and work practices adapted or changed.
This early experience of working
within a community to analyse
risks and provide technical input to
enhance health and hygiene standards
in a consultative and participatory
manner, led me to develop an interest
in understanding how adults learn
and in community development
approaches.
This post also gave me some early
experience of trying to influence
management and present the business
case for environmental health. During
this time, I undertook a post-graduate
course in adult and community
education, thinking that my career
might be in health education.
I was lucky to have experienced the
challenge of defining my own job, for
looking at new ways of doing things
and of engaging with people to ensure
that health, hygiene and safety were
internalised in an organisation’s
culture, rather than being monitored
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by a set of rules and regulations.
Following a brief stint as an
Environmental Health Officer in Dublin
City’s food hygiene unit, I began to
realise that my unconventional beginning
had given me a desire to do something
different. I couldn’t have articulated
what I was looking for at the time,
but when I saw an advertisement for
a post in environmental health on the
Thai-Cambodian border with Concern
Worldwide, I knew instantly that this
was the opportunity I was seeking.
I set off on my assignment to Thailand,
having first looked at an atlas to
ascertain where Thailand was located! I
was assigned to work in a refugee camp
of over 150,000 Cambodian refugees,
all of whom lived within a few square
kilometers. Concern was responsible for
sanitation, vector control, water supplies
and health education for the camp
population. It was like working for the
local authority of a small city, managing
provision of services in rather basic
conditions: bamboo and thatch housing,
dirt roads, ventilated pit latrines, and no
running water or electricity.
I cannot articulate my initial feelings
upon arrival in ‘Site 2’ as it was called,
other than that I felt an overwhelming
sense of, “What on earth have I to offer,
with my extensive knowledge of the Irish
food hygiene regulations?”
Luckily, I was working with a very
competent team of Thai sanitarians and
Cambodian staff who had been managing
services to the camp population for
some considerable time. However, one
month into my assignment (while all
our experienced sanitarians were on
Pictured: Well built by Concern and
maintained by the community in Mayira
village, Tonkolili District, Sierra Leone.
Photo: Concern Worldwide, 2009
www.ehoa.ie
holiday) a cholera epidemic broke out in
the camp and I was asked to co-ordinate
Concern’s response. As the sanitation,
water supplies and health education
service provider, Concern’s response was
of significant importance. The learning
curve during those three weeks during
which I worked non-stop to contain the
epidemic was one of the steepest that I
have ever ascended.
I held daily meetings with the United
Nation’s health team; communicated
with staff; had an input into the design of
a cholera centre and waste management
systems, water supply management; and
I was involved with developing health
education messaging strategies, not
to mention trying to convince health
workers of the futility of chlorine
disinfection of mud floors. And these
were just a few of the tasks required.
After such an exciting start, I slowly
began to understand how the camp
worked, where there were no health
or hygiene regulations to enforce and
where diseases that I had only ever read
about were common place – malaria,
dengue haemorrhagic fever, dysentery
and other diarrhoeal diseases to name
but a few. The camp population existed
in a complex, on-going emergency
context, without freedom to come or
go, not knowing if or when, they might
be able to return to their own country,
and dependent on external aid for the
basic essentials of life – food, water and
shelter.
What I learnt there over the course of
the next three and a half years was the
importance of recognising the capacities
of local people, the need to understand
the culture and beliefs, to understand
the needs of the refugees, the differing
roles and needs of men and women and
the key influencers and decision makers
in the community. Epidemiological data
was available to inform programming
decisions, but to design effective
interventions, I had to understand the
critical element of what motivated
people to change behaviour, the barriers
that existed to accessing information and
services and making changes.
My next assignment was to Africa,
in the aftermath of the Rwandan
genocide. I worked in more refugee
and displaced persons camps,
on various borders. By this time,
I was in a managerial position,
responsible for ensuring that effective
Pictured:
Angela O’Neill De Guilio
programmes were established as
quickly as possible. I saw firsthand
the environmental impact that is
made upon areas where large-scale
displaced populations have to forage
for firewood on a daily basis. I came
to understand the health impacts of
overcrowded refugee camps, where
mostly rural families had to adapt
to living in quasi-cities. All of these
factors needed to be considered in the
design of interventions.
I subsequently worked in the Caucasus
and the Balkans, working with both
internally displaced persons and local
people who had been affected by conflict.
Preventative health care was almost
unheard of as an approach, so engaging
with communities in the aftermath
of conflict and displacement where
curative health care services no longer
existed to levels previously provided was
challenging. People were used to safe
water supplies, sanitation and adequate
health care. In order to make any positive
impact, I had to learn about people’s
needs and priorities, understand the
complex social, cultural and economic
dynamics and choices people have to
make and then, design programmes that
met the felt needs and priorities of the
given community.
Some of the greatest challenges
involved educating people about the need
to boil water, when they did not have
adequate fuel to heat their communal
living spaces; promoting hand-washing
33
TEN11
Pictured: Children at a Concern ‘bladder’ in Boliman Brant IDP camp.
Photographer: Kim Haughton
when soap was a luxury; and advocating
safe disposal of rubbish to people who
lived in overcrowded communal school
buildings where there was barely a
curtain between one family and the next
and no service provision.
Throughout my international work
to-date, my training in environmental
health has acted as an important
backdrop to the poverty agenda. As is
well documented, poor people suffer
more ill health; they have less access to
services, they are more vulnerable to
risks and hazards, they have to engage
in more risky behaviours to survive
and have less choice and control over
decisions affecting their lives.
My insights into the factors affecting
people’s health led to an interest and
subsequent study of equality. Women
and girls are disproportionately
affected by poverty and ill health. We
have seen a growing feminisation
of poverty and yet we know that
empowerment of women reduces child
and maternal mortality, improves
nutrition and promotes health,
including the prevention of HIV and
AIDS. Therefore, a vital part of my
work is ensuring that the work we are
doing is empowering women.
I now work in Concern’s headquarters
in Dublin, as a Regional Director with
responsibility for oversight of Concern’s
work in five countries in southern and
east Africa. A central focus of the work
is to significantly improve the food
34
EHOA | yearbook 10/11 "
Environmental health
expertise is particularly
sought after in
emergency situations
but also in public
health and water and
sanitation programmes
in long-term
development work
security, nutrition security and health of
extremely poor people both in emergency
and longer-term development contexts.
My work requires frequent travel to
Africa to meet with the communities
with whom we work, Concern staff,
local partners, government officials
and international donor agencies. The
job involves a mixture of programme
planning and appraisal for quality
programmes, strategic planning with
teams in-country, financial and human
resource management, monitoring
implementation and ensuring adherence
to best practice, while remaining up-todate on the myriad political, social and
economic dynamics at play globally and
at country level.
The challenges of working for poverty
elimination in the world continue to
become ever more complex. At present,
some of the big issues exacerbating
poverty include issues of climate
change, population growth, increasing
urbanisation and the current global
economic and financial crisis.
Reading this article, people may
ask how it is possible to get involved
in international development. Aid
agencies require staff with significant
experience, given the complexity of
the environment and the imperative
to ensure that international staff
adds significant value. Gaining this
experience is not easy, but there are
a number of internship and trainee
schemes that enable recent graduates
to gain some experience. Increasingly,
post-graduate qualifications are
necessary to gain entry and for more
senior roles, significant experience
internationally is required.
Environmental health expertise is
particularly sought after in emergency
situations, but also in public health and
water and sanitation programmes in
long-term development work. Additional
knowledge and skills in areas such as
community development, training and
facilitation, monitoring and evaluation
and behaviour change methodologies are
very desirable. n
For information on Concern
Worldwide’s work please contact
www.concern.net
Pictured: After the Haiti Earthquake,
piped water source provided to displaced
population at Tabarre Issa resettlement
site, Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Photo: Allison
Shelley for Concern Worldwide, 2010.
www.ehoa.ie
TEN11
A Career less ordinary
Author: John Fleming
An environmental health
career less ordinary
John Fleming BSc (Environmental Health) MPH discusses a
career that has taken him from wine tasting to war lords, to
co-ordinating health programmes in Haiti
A
fter completing my studies in
Cathal Brugha Street in 1984,
I worked for two years as an
Environmental Health Officer in Co.
Kildare and then (with some reluctance)
came back to Dublin City in early 1986.
In October of that same year, I took
a ‘leave of absence’ and emigrated
to New Zealand, settling initially in
Wellington, where I spent two years,
and subsequently in Auckland, where I
was employed by the then Department
of Health as a Health Protection Officer.
I thoroughly enjoyed New Zealand (still
do) and the work that I did there was
interesting and varied. One of the most
interesting periods of my career in New
www.ehoa.ie
Zealand was the two years that I spent
working in the Takapuna Office. At the
time, this office had the responsibility
to certify all New Zealand export wines,
meaning that all wine exporters sent
three bottles of their finest to us. One
bottle would be sent for a formal tasting
panel and one to the laboratory. The
third bottle was kept as a reserve sample
in the event that one of the first two, for
whatever reason, failed. Seldom did a
sample fail, which resulted in us having
the finest wine collection in the field
of environmental health (something we
fully availed of).
In 1987, a 100-year storm (Cyclone
Bola) hit the Eastern Cape of the North
Island and I was a member of the health
response team from the Department.
Most of the team were Environmental
Health Officers and two had just come
back from Red Cross deployments in
Afghanistan and Uganda. I had the
chance to discuss Red Cross with them
and the work sounded really appealing,
so I applied for a place on the New
Zealand Red Cross roster. I had to wait
three years before getting a place on the
Basic Training Course (in August 1990),
but thanks to events in Kuwait, I did not
have to wait long for my first posting. In
December, I was asked to go to Iraq as a
Water & Sanitation Delegate to work in
the north amongst the Kurds.
35
TEN11
"
The work I was
doing was exactly
what I had always
imagined basic
environmental health
work to be
From Iraq to Liberia
The stint in Iraq was short (three
months) and from a technical
perspective, frustrating, since the
weather was awful. Snowdrifts made it
difficult to achieve anything tangible. I
had been given some time off work and
when I returned, I was quite anxious
to be sent out again. I had my chance
exactly one year later when I headed to
Liberia.
At that time, Liberia was in the midst
of a bizarre civil war. Liberia was the
real thing and there were pressing
environmental health needs since the
capital, Monrovia, was full of displaced
people from the rest of the country.
Those who had been displaced were
running from the forces of Charles
Taylor. The city’s water treatment plant
had been bombed out of commission and
there was a threat of diarrhoeal diseases,
with a massive risk of significant
casualties. Again, my focus was on water
and sanitation as we had a big team
digging shallow wells around the city,
carrying out water trucking operations,
constructing latrines and focusing on
hygiene promotion activities. I found
it a massive adrenaline rush as it was
36
EHOA | yearbook 10/11 a real life war situation and the work I
was doing was exactly what I had always
imagined basic environmental health
work to be.
Two years later, I quit my job as an
Environmental Health Officer and have
worked most of the last seventeen years
as an aid worker with the Red Cross –
my current posting, which I began in
January is as the Health Coordinator for
the Haiti Earthquake Operation.
Utilising my training in Haiti
Looking back at this time, I can
honestly say that our training in
environmental health presents us
with some key advantages. In a world
where the trend is for increased
specialisation, there remains, within
emergencies and development work,
a demand for the jack-of-all-trades
generalist who can simultaneously
juggle competing priorities. Every day
is different and there’s a constant
uncertainty about what will be thrown
at you. Our grounding in a variety of
topics, ranging from communicable
diseases to pest control and from
microbiology to health education
gives us a broad-brush advantage.
A premium is placed on adaptability
and generally, environmental health
professionals are skilled adapters.
Interpersonal skills are also important
and I think that we as a group, and
certainly the group that gathered in
the Welcome Inn circa 1984, are adept
at dealing with a variety of individuals.
At the end of the day there’s only a
very subtle difference in the technique
used to calm a gun-toting warlord at a
road checkpoint and a knife-wielding
Ballaghadreen butcher.
Haiti is by far the most complex
operation that I have worked on. On top
of the earthquake, we are dealing with a
cholera crisis and political uncertainty
is making travel and working in some
areas occasionally dangerous. The rains
will further complicate the situation, as
will the unpredictable hurricane season,
which begins in July. The main activity
areas within the health programme are
at the community level, with the focus
on health education promoting hygienic
practices, as well as an emphasis on the
prevention of malaria, dengue, vaccine
preventable diseases, diarrhoeal diseases,
www.ehoa.ie
TEN11
HIV & AIDS and maternal, newborn and
child health. We also have a psychosocial
support programme component
addressing mental health needs in the
camps, re-settlement sites and the
general population and instructing
communities in first aid. After the
earthquake, the main focus of attention
was on the treatment of the wounded
through the deployment of emergency
health units and this has been ramped
up again with the flying in of selfsupporting cholera treatment centres.
The pros and cons of aid work
As for giving advice to EHOs regarding
the pros and cons of aid work as a career
choice, I would definitely recommend it to
those who are interested in getting back
to basic environmental health work. You
have to have the flexibility to travel and
be happy to spend long periods of time
in uncomfortable situations. Working
with multicultural teams is a big plus (we
have over 200 international staff in this
operation from all over the globe) and
you get the satisfaction of contributing to
something worthwhile. I have thoroughly
enjoyed the opportunity and feel
privileged to have been able to work in
a variety of countries and usually, when
something interesting is happening there,
and to have been able to mix with and
learn from the local population.
The challenges that have manifested
themselves now that I am of a certain
age and have kids in school are
precisely the aspects that drew me
to the job in the first place, more
particularly the lack of permanence
and job security. It can be a hassle
getting a family position, meaning
that you may have to spend protracted
periods away from your family.
Contracts are usually for between
six months and a year, although
more senior positions are for up to
two years, meaning that you have to
relocate with some frequency. This
is great at the beginning, but a bit
tedious where schooling is concerned;
although the kids do great in
geography, history and languages.
Environmental health qualifications
can open a number of doors, especially
in water and sanitation and public health
positions. On the water and sanitation
front, it’s usual that environmental
health people work on the software
or health and hygiene education side.
www.ehoa.ie
Pictured A member of the Red Cross on assignment in Haiti following the arthquake.
To work in public health positions,
experience and a Masters in public
health or other advanced degrees would
be useful, as are additional languages.
Work experience and preferably work
experience in the developing world,
is a prerequisite. Open positions
are advertised on the International
Federation of the Red Cross & Red
Crescent Societies (IFRC) website at
www.ifrc.org, or you can approach your
National Red Cross Society. Given the
nature of the work, its more common to
find openings after disasters. n
Another site recommended for
international aid positions is
www.reliefweb.org.
John Fleming BSc (Environmental Health) MPH was formerly Zone Health Co-ordinator
for Southern Africa and now, is Health Co-ordinator Haiti Earthquake Operation for the
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).
37
TEN11
Human Bio-monitoring
Author: Maurice Mulcahy and Dr Reinhard Joas
Human Bio-Monitoring
for Europe and
Ireland – developing a
harmonised approach
Maurice Mulcahy, Regional Chief Environmental Health Officer,
HSE –West. For the Cophes consortium: Reinhard Joas, Anke Joas and
Ludwine Casteleyn, BiPRO GmbH, Germany and University of Leuven,
Belgium, COPHES project leaders. For the DEMOCOPHES consortium: Ir.
Pierre Biot and Ir Dominique Aerts, Federal Public Service Health, Food
Chain Safety and Environment, Belgium DEMOCOPHES project leaders.
A
ccording to the European
Public Health Alliance,
‘Human biomonitoring
(HBM) is the key to integrating
human health considerations into the
environmental health policy decisionmaking and evaluation process. The
Human Biomonitoring data opens
the perspective of a health policy
which takes into account geographical
differences. The project (described
below) also makes it possible to detect
population groups with high levels of
environmental exposure and lead to
health strategies of better environmental
equity’. (European public health alliance
available at http://www.epha.org/a/2715)
The measurement of chemical exposure
has for a long time been confined
to the analysis of air, water, soil or
other environmental samples with
extrapolations then made for human
dose- exposure concentrations and
attendant health consequences. Human
biomonitoring (HBM) technology now
offers the opportunity to calculate
the actual concentrations of certain
chemicals within the human body
by using surrogates or biomarkers,
extracted from body fluids/substances
such as blood, urine, saliva or hair.
The problem is that HBM activity in
Europe has little been coordinated up
to now, limiting the possibilities to
compare results, to draw conclusions and
be able to react. For this reason capacity
is now being developed in a strategic
38
TEN11
Human Bio-monitoring
way across Europe to use human
biomonitoring (HBM) as a tool through
the Consortium to Perform Human
biomonitoring on a European Scale
(COPHES) and its sibling pilot project
that will demonstrate methods across
Europe, the so called DEMOCOPHES
project ((DEMOnstration of a study
to COordinate and Perform Human
biomonitoring on a European Scale).
Under the European Environment
and Health Action Plan 2004-2010,
European scientists and stakeholders
from 35 institutions in 27 countries
(including Ireland) have formed this
Consortium (COPHES), funded by
the European Community’s Seventh
Framework Programme (FP/2007-2013),
and 17 countries (including Ireland) will
implement the pilot DEMOCOPHES
study co-funded by the LIFE + financial
instrument of the European Community.
The Overall objective of the COPHES
Project and of the DEMOCOPHES pilot
study is to “test the hypothesis that
HBM can be performed in a coherent
and harmonised approach throughout
Europe by means of commonly developed
protocols, strategies and scientific tools
ensuring reliable and comparable data,
whilst also leading to a more effective
use of resources”.
More specifically it aims to :
ó Gain practical knowledge of access
to study populations, recruitment
procedures and response rates
ó Test the developed guidelines,
protocols and technical procedures for
field work, questionnaires, chemical
analyses, data handling and processing
ó Test ethical guidelines and gain
experience on ethical rules, within the
frame of social and legal aspects of the
different Member States
ó Receive practical information
on, evaluate and improve overall
performance of participating Member
State units including the laboratories
involved via an inter-laboratory
comparison
ó Collect HBM data from different
European countries
ó Obtain basic data (values) on selected
biomarkers from all participating
Member States.
ó Obtain basic data on the distribution
of specific biomarkers among defined/
selected study population strata/subgroups of the general population
www.ehoa.ie
ó Develop linkages of HBM values with
environment and health indicators
ó Assess the costs of the applied HBMprogramme, preferably including a
concept to improve time and cost
efficiency
ó Develop practices and guidelines for
effective communication and raise
awareness for the wider public and
policy makers
ó Establish protocols for the translation
of HBM results into policy
recommendations
For this purpose between September
2011 and the end of 2011 in Ireland and
across partner countries, 120 mother and
child pairs per country will be sampled
for four chemicals in hair and urine.
The chemicals that have been chosen
are cadmium, cotinine (a metabolite
of nicotine), mercury and phthalates.
The mother and child pairs will be
recruited from one urban and one rural
location in each country. The recruits
are to be boys and girls between the
ages of 6-11, and their mothers who are
to be age 45 or less. The sample sizes
whilst not statistically representative
will allow harmonised procedures and
methodologies to be developed allowing
comparability across States and will
facilitate larger studies in the future no
doubt across a larger range of chemicals.
Capacity building in Ireland will
include :
ó An HBM framework
ó Trained HBM units
ó Bio-banking policies and crycryogenic
storage facility arrangements for
archived biological samples
Key tasks include :
ó Establishment of a National monitoring
unit to oversee the project
ó Preparation of a National study
protocol based on the consensus
protocol developed with COPHES.
ó Recruitment and sample collection.
ó Development of a quality assurance/
control programme between the
various laboratories participating in
the pilot study.
ó Statistical analysis of the data.
ó Obtaining ethical approval and parental
consent
ó Communication of the purpose of
the study to the general public and
subsequent communication of results to
policy makers.
"
The Human
Bio-monitoring
data opens the
perspective of a
health policy that
takes into account
geographical
differences
Via participation in DEMOCOPHES
training will be provide on key elements
of the project including, enrolment
procedures, chemical analysis for the
chemical parameters selected (cadmium,
cotinine, phthalates and mercury) in
the matrices selected (urine and hair),
statistical analysis, bio-banking and
communication.
Key partnerships will be developed
throughout the life of the project within
the HSE (Environmental Health, Public
Health and Public Analyst Laboratory
Services), within Ireland (with key
stakeholders such as the Department
of Health and Children, Environmental
Protection Agency) and across Europe
through the Consortium.
In the USA similar HBM capacity
is showing results, between 2001 and
2005 three Reports on Human Exposure
to Environmental Chemicals have been
published by the CDC. The first report
of chemicals and metabolites in blood
and urine of a representative sample of
the U.S. civilian population included 27
chemicals, the second expanded to 116 and
by the third, 148 chemicals were included.
Certainly, it will be of interest to compare
Europeans exposure to cadmium, cotinine,
mercury and phthalates with that of those
living in the USA. n
39
TEN11
B a t h i n g w a t e r r e g u la t i o n s
New Bathing Water
Regulations - A Computer
Modelling Project
Paul Hickey discuses new EC bathing water legislation and an
innovative computer modelling project undertaken in galway
T
he objective of the Bathing
Water Directive 2006/7/EC is
to preserve, protect and improve
the quality of the environment and to
protect human health.
The new Bathing Water Quality
Regulations 2008 (SI No. 79 of 2008)
transposed the 2006 Directive into Irish Law
on 24th March 2008 (Source: www.epa.ie ).
These new Regulations specifically
aim to minimise human health risks
associated with bathing and to ensure
public awareness and involvement in
bathing water quality management.
This new legislation demands the
implementation of tools with wide
application and preparedness to deal
with public participation.
It is envisaged that people will have
access to information in the near
vicinity of the bathing waters and via
the Internet. Key stakeholders, including
government agencies and interest
groups, will also be able to avail of text
messaging of forecast results. Similar
systems are already in place in Scotland,
Portugal and Australia.
The Galway Environmental Health
Department engaged with a number
of partners to devise a pilot study on
40
EHOA | yearbook 10/11 bacteriological water quality modelling at
Blackrock, Salthill, Galway – one of the
best-known bathing areas in the West.
The project commenced in 2006 and
was completed in 2009, when a report
was submitted to Mr. Maurice Mulcahy,
Regional Chief EHO with responsibility for
Environmental Health Research and to Mr.
Martin Devine, the then Assistant National
Director for Environmental Health.
Water Quality Modelling
Models to forecast water quality, such as
the DIVAST (Depth Integrated Velocities
and Solute Transport) modelling tool are
useful to evaluate the impact of inputs and,
combined with efficient public information
tools, can assume a considerable
importance in the implementation of early
alert systems. Dr M Hartnett, Department
of Engineering, NUIG has developed such a
model for Galway Bay.
In 2006, funding was secured from the
Assistant National Director of Population
Health for a pilot project, with a view to
determining the best predictors of bathing
water quality at Blackrock, Salthill, a
popular “Blue Flag” swimming location
in Galway. The project concentrated on
progressing and refining a water quality
modelling system and assessing its
capability in forecasting bathing water
quality at this specific location.
The project partners included Dr M
Hartnett’s team, Engineering Dept.,
NUIG, in particular Dr Indiana Olbert
and Mr Brian Harold; the Environmental
Change Institute; Prof. M Cormican,
Department of Bacteriology, National
University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland
and staff, Dr D Morris, Dr. Sandra
Galvin and Ms Fiona Boyle; Ms Martina
Mulligan, Plant Manager and staff of
the Mutton Island WWTP (Earth Tech.
Ltd.); Mr T Hernon, Mr Kevin Swift
and staff of the Environment Section,
Galway City Council.
Timeframe
The project was carried out
incrementally over a period of three
years, with sampling of inputs carried
out during the busy tourist season, when
the treatment plant was working under
maximum loads. Details of the main
sampling programme carried out during
the study are outlined below and the
resultant microbiological results, which
helped to inform the model are available
from the author.
www.ehoa.ie
Photograph: Enda Scahill
Author: Paul Hickey
TEN11
B a t h i n g w a t e r r e g u la t i o n s
Project work included:
ó Assessment of all historical data in
relation to the bacteriological water
quality of samples taken at Blackrock,
Salthill.
ó Assessment of bacteriological quality
of River Corrib system and its
significance as an input to the inner
bay.
ó Investigating the hypothesis of a
correlation with antecedent rainfall,
elevated river water levels and
increased bacteriological seawater
sample counts.
ó Survey of the lower river basin/
intertidal zone for rogue discharges,
to inform the decision as to the most
suitable location for sampling in lower
river basin. Sampling and assessment
of bacteriological loading from this
source.
ó Profiling of the Salthill bathing location,
with a view to identifying and assessing
the pollution sources that might
affect bathing water quality, including
sampling of some of the relevant surface
water and storm water inflows.
ó Familiarisation with the Mutton
Island waste water treatment plant, its
processes and discharge mechanisms.
Sampling of waste water prior to
discharge, to assess bacteriological
loading from this source. Assessment of
flow data from plant to inform model.
Main Sampling
ó Sampling on nine days towards the
end of August, 2006 (one day in early
September) at three pre-determined
locations, namely; 1. Nimmos Pier, in
the lower river basin, 2. Mutton Island
WWTP – treated effluent (including
composite samples taken over a 24
hour period) and 3. Blackrock, Salthill
to determine bacteriological quality
and inform model.
ó Sampling at high and low water on
three days (which included Spring and
Neap tides) at five pre-determined
locations in the inner bay during 2007.
ó Sampling at five pre-determined and
geo-referenced locations in August
2008, with the use of pilot boat from
Galway Harbour Company. The
locations included an area positioned
directly over the discharge diffuser
area, the point of discharge for treated
effluent in the Bay and the Blackrock
swimming area. These five locations
were sampled at high, mid and low tide
www.ehoa.ie
on the same day, with samples brought
directly to the laboratory, in order to
test model results.
Outcomes and follow-on
research
The most significant outcome of
the research is that it suggests that
numerical modelling could be utilised to
set up a warning system of likely water
breaches at Blackrock. The conditions
that might give rise to elevated levels of
bacteria are largely known and most are
being measured as it is. Combined with
efficient public information systems,
there is considerable scope to provide
a predictive methodology for bathing
water quality to the general public
utilising Blackrock.
The main findings are summarised
below:
ó A bacteriological plume is formed in
the vicinity of the effluent discharge
location, the movement of which is
highly influenced by the state of the
tide.
ó The results of the predictive
bacteriological model correlate well with
the results from water samples taken in
August, 2008.
ó Only effluent discharged at high tide or
soon after high tide will reach Blackrock
(See Figure 1).
ó E. Coli concentrations can increase or
decrease rapidly over the space of one
hour.
ó Concentration of bacteria largely
depends on the stage of tide, but are
influenced also by weather conditions
and time of day, particularly the absence
of sunshine.
ó At Blackrock, the highest levels were
indicated at plus one (+1) to plus three
(+ 3) hrs after High Water.
ó During Neap tides – the plume is more
compact, therefore it is unlikely to cause
an exceedance at the bathing area.
ó In general, wind effects do not appear to
have a notable effect on the movements
of the bacteriological plume, however,
a strong East or South East wind at
certain tidal stages merits further
investigation.
ó From the modelling and sampling
programmes undertaken in this project,
it appears that numerical modelling
4. Trapped coliforms carried
back seaward along the coast
on the second ebb tide.
Extent of Coliform Plume.
3. Coliforms trapped by the Mutton
Island Causeway
2. Coliforms pulled back in-towards
the inner bay on the flood tide.
1. Coliforms discharged from Mutton
Island are carried seaward on ebb tide.
Above: Transport of Mutton island plume
over two tidal cycles.
could be utilised to set up a warning
system of likely water quality breaches
at Blackrock. Figure 1. – Transport of
Mutton Island plume over two tidal cycles
Meetings were held with officials of
Galway City Council, during the term of
the project, which highlighted relevant
findings and the microbiological results
of the research. Most of the rogue
discharges in the lower river basin have
been eliminated under Galway Main
Drainage Scheme, which in turn, proposes
an upgrading of the existing treatment
plant to 145,000 population equivalent,
a significant increase of its existing
treatment capacity of 91,600. Other
potential sources of contamination in the
inner bay have been identified.
There is a potential for additional
modelling research to further improve
and refine the model e.g. to test at times
of significant mass loadings, or when
the wet well by-pass system is activated
at WWTP due to high rainfall, or when
strong South or South Easterly winds act
in combination with the outgoing tide.
Rapid on-site tests are currently being
developed, which can be used to determine
coliform contamination and have been
used in other jurisdictions. The use of
such methods, in combination with a
reliable modelling tool, to predict bathing
water quality, could provide a robust early
alert system. This would minimise
bather’s exposure to pollution due to
contamination episodes and improve
bather’s confidence in the water quality.
The communication of real time
information would provide scope for
health promotion interventions aimed
at getting larger numbers of the
population to actively engage in healthier
activities. n
Paul Hickey, holds a Diploma in Health Inspection CDVEC, an MA in Health Promotion,
NUIG and is employed as a Senior Environmental Health Officer, HSE West.
41
TEN11
V i t al p r o j e c t
Author: Kris Willems and Rita Moloney
VITAL: impact of viruses
on food safety risk
management
kris A. Willems1,2 and Rita Moloney3 introduce the VITAL project
F
ood-borne viruses are recognised
as a major health concern, but more
and more, there is a realisation that
an evidence-based approach is required in
order to achieve their effective food safety
risk management. Although research into
food-borne viruses is increasing, there is
still more information needed regarding
their definition, distribution, transmission
and potential impact on food safety.
The discovery of new viruses and the
enlargement of the global food market,
presents new challenges for food safety
risk managers, whereby new measures
may be required to reduce the global
burden of food-borne viral disease.
Control of viral food safety hazards
often requires different measures to those
typically employed to combat bacterial
hazards. Therefore, when developing and
implementing an effective HACCP system,
an important consideration must be that
current food hygiene practices, which have
been optimized for the prevention and
control of bacterial infections, may not
be effective for viruses. In Europe, it is
difficult to identify the proportion of viral
illnesses that are foodborne because of the
inadequacy of virus surveillance systems,
under reporting and the difficulty in
differentiating the proportion of disease
that is linked to foodborne routes, as
opposed to common routes.
VITAL: an integrated approach
to risk management of foodborne viruses
From April 2008 to September 2011,
Areas of concern: untreated water supplies.
fourteen institutes of eleven countries
joined forces as a consortium in VITAL,
an EC FP7 Small Collaborative Project
(www.eurovital.org), to study the impact
of viruses on food safety management
(table 1). The VITAL consortium is
composed of expert practitioners in
food analysis, quantitative viral risk
assessment (QVRA), risk management,
and consumer safety. Their vision
is an integrated approach to the risk
management of food-borne viruses in
Europe, based on the study of three
farm-to-market food supply chains, i.e.
soft fruits, salad vegetables and pork
meat, at production, processing and
point-of-sale.
Various points along the food chain,
i.e. at production, processing and
point-of-sale, were monitored for the
presence of human or animal viruses
(tables 2, 3). By gathering real inprocess data for the first time, VITAL
shall provide necessary information
1. Laboratory for Process Microbial Ecology and Bioinspirational Management (PME&BIM), Consortium for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology (CIMB), Department of Microbial
and Molecular Systems (M2S), K.U.Leuven Association, Lessius Mechelen, B-2860 Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Belgium.
2. Scientia Terrae Research Institute (STRI), B-2860 Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Belgium.
3. Environmental Health Service, Health Service Executive (HSE), Sandfield Centre, Ennis, Co. Clare, Ireland.
42
TEN11
to effectively substantiate hazard
analysis and risk assessment before
regulations are drafted to address
virus contamination issues in food
supply chains. By sampling throughout
various food supply chains, VITAL
generates information on how foodborne
viruses are introduced and how their
presence is affected by elements of
the production and processing of the
foodstuffs. Data analysis in terms of
risk will contribute to the identification
of gaps in viral risk assessment and
the evaluation and development of
appropriate QMRA models for foodborne viruses. The critical evaluation
of strategies for minimising virus
contamination based on procedural
controls and/or inactivation practices
will help to determine whether existing
monitoring and control practices are
effective and consequently, HACCP
systems should be adapted. Results and
conclusions of the VITAL project will
be incorporated into the development
of the WHO Codex Alimentarius Code
of Good Practice for virus management.
Finally, dissemination of the results to
the stakeholders, e.g. regulators, food
business operators and consumers will
allow them to translate this Code of
Good Practice into HACCP models for
specific food supply chains.
VITAL’s challenges: Foodborne
Foodborne viruses of main
concern
Viruses are very small biological
entities, which can only be seen with
an electron microscope. They consist
mainly of genetic materials surrounded
by a protective coat of protein. Viruses
cannot multiply without invading a host
cell to produce more virus particles.
Outside, the host viruses appear as free
and infectious particles. When they
enter their host, they take over the host
cell’s metabolic machinery to replicate
themselves. After replication, virus
particles are released, during which
the host cell is most often dissolved.
Sometimes a virus can enter a latent
phase and stay in the host as an inactive
particle.
There are possibly no cells in nature
that escape infection by one or more
kinds of viruses. Infection usually results
in viral illness of the host organism.
For example, in humans, viruses
cause measles, mumps, yellow fever,
www.ehoa.ie
poliomyelitis, influenza and the common
cold. Some viruses cause illness and
then seem to disappear, while remaining
latent and later causing another,
sometimes much more severe form of
disease. Within the enormous diversity
of viruses, only a few viruses are foodborne or cause food-borne diseases.
All food-borne viruses originate from
the intestine and are, probably, the most
under-recognised cause of outbreaks
of gastroenteritis. Their relevance is
determined by the incidence and severity
of food-borne disease and the potential
for food-borne transmission and threat
to public health. Norovirus (NoV) and
hepatitis A virus (HAV) are of primary
importance, causing gastroenteritis and
hepatitis respectively. Other viruses
that may be involved in food-borne viral
infections include rotaviruses (Group A),
hepatitis E virus and new viruses such as
the SARS virus, coronavirus, Nipah virus
and avian influenza virus. Norovirus
food-borne outbreaks occur frequently,
whereas HAV and HEV outbreaks occur
incidentally. Food-borne viral diseases
vary in their outcome from self-limiting
to lethal.
Viral transmission routes
Viruses require a host in order to
multiply and food-borne viruses,
therefore, cannot grow in food. Since all
food-borne viruses originate from the
human intestine, food-borne outbreaks
are primarily the result of direct or
indirect human contamination of
foodstuffs (figure 1). Human infection
can occur following consumption of
contaminated food, person-to-person
body contact (human-borne), direct
contact with carrier animals (animalborne) or environmental contamination
(environmental-borne).
Food may be contaminated by direct
contact with treated or untreated sewage
and sewage-polluted water, as well
as infected food handlers during the
preparation and serving of food. Main
outbreaks of NoV and HAV food-borne
illness have been associated with the
consumption of shellfish that have
been harvested from sewage-polluted
waters. Shellfish are filter feeders that
can concentrate virus particles from the
surrounding water. Eaten raw, they are a
high risk, but even approved inactivation
or purification (depuration) processes
has not prevented viral outbreaks of
Norovirus and Hepatitis A virus.
Food-borne viral outbreaks have also
been associated with fruit and vegetables
that were fertilised with sewage sludge,
or irrigated with sewage-contaminated
water. Contamination through sewage
and human faeces is considered to be
the main risk for the primary production
of produce. Products involved in foodborne viral outbreaks are leafy vegetables
such as lettuce, watercress, raspberries
and strawberries.
Food handlers shedding virus are
the main cause of viral food-borne
illness during the processing of foods
and preparation of meals and this is
considered an important risk throughout
the whole food supply chain. It has
been reported that a 10 second touch
with virus-contaminated fingertips
can transfer around 10% of the viruses
onto a food or a surface. In most
reported cases of viral gastroenteritis
a food handler who was ill before or
while handling food was identified
as the source of infection. Fresh or
mildly treated products that receive
considerable handling are most
implicated in food-borne viral outbreaks.
Some of the reported products are salads,
fresh-cut fruit, diced tomatoes, fruit
juices, milk and milk products, cold meat
cuts and sandwiches. Consumption of
contaminated water and ice, or their use
in food preparation, has also caused viral
illness.
In some cases, such as hepatitis E
virus (HEV), avian influenza virus
(HPAIH5N1), and Nipah virus, foodborne illness is caused by direct contact
with animals. HEV is transmitted
primarily by the faecal-oral route,
through contaminated drinking
water. However, recent studies have
demonstrated that various animal
species, such as swine, wild boar, rabbit,
deer, rats, horse, cat, dog, sheep, goat,
bovine, chicken and duck, have serum
antibodies to HEV. In addition, people
with occupational contact, such as
veterinarians, farmers, butchers and
slaughterhouse personnel, show high
sero-prevalence of anti-HEV antibodies,
suggesting that hepatitis E is a zoonotic
disease. Although most of this is only
indirect evidence, more recent findings
regarding the consumption of HEV
infected meat from deer, wild boar and
pig, provide direct evidence for HEV
infection to be a zoonosis.
43
TEN11
Survival and control
The awareness that enteric viruses
can be highly infectious and their viral
load very high, e.g. 107 infectious
viral particles, emphasised the need
for a better understanding and
novel information on the efficacy of
elimination/preservation methods
against food-borne viruses. However,
studying the survival and control of
food-borne viruses is hampered by
the fact that most food-borne viruses
cannot be cultured in the laboratory.
Although no validated virus model or
model system is available for studies on
the inactivation of food-borne viruses,
it is common practice to use surrogate
viruses instead, which are structurally
and genetically related to the human
infecting strains, e.g. Murine Norovirus
(MuNoV). However, these surrogate
viruses are only indicative of reality
and the validity of the data obtained
is unclear. Therefore, there is a need
for virus-specific data on survival and
inactivation and because of the lack of
these data food safety guidelines, should
focus on the prevention of contamination
and be based on survival/inactivation
studies that have been carried out with
the most resistant enteric viruses, such
as HAV for foods and bacteriophages for
water.
Survival and control of viruses is
determined by virus characteristics as
well as environmental and processing
conditions. Virus characteristics include
aspects as their life cycle, structural
stability, infectious dose and viral
load. Environmental conditions include
parameters such as temperature, pH,
humidity and the food matrix. In general,
food-borne viruses are more resistant
than most vegetative bacteria to
standard control measures. They survive
well in unfavourable environmental
conditions induced by preservation,
inactivation and decontamination
methods and may survive for
prolonged periods in foodstuffs and
the processing environment. Several
studies indicate that foodborne viruses
are highly resistant to chilling, freezing,
preservatives and electromagnetic
radiation, such as ultra violet (UV) and
ionising radiation. HAV and NoV have
both been reported to survive 60°C for
10 minutes. However, these viruses are
inactivated at temperatures above 65°C
at a rate proportional to the temperature
44
EHOA | yearbook 10/11 "
Irrigation water
was sourced from
untreated shallow
wells, open reservoirs
and polluted streams
Areas of concern: untreated water supplies.
and dependent on other environmental
factors, e.g. the composition of the
medium. Full inactivation occurs at
boiling temperature. Thus, intervention
strategies inducing microbial
inactivation are required to achieve a
3 log reduction. Both viruses are also
resistant to acidic conditions (pH 3), and
high alcohol and sugar concentrations.
Therefore, foodborne viruses survive
well on chilled acidified or frozen foods
packed under modified atmosphere or in
dried conditions and in processes such as
pickling in vinegar or yogurt production.
Detection and monitoring
Detection methods - In the past, virus
isolation and serology have been the
most important methods for diagnosing
viral infections. However, these methods
lack sensitivity and are time-consuming
because of their complex preparation
of the sample. More recently, nucleic
acid amplification techniques (NAATs)
have been developed for most clinically
important viruses as part of the direct
examination of samples. However,
standardised molecular-based methods
for food-borne viruses are, except for
shellfish, not yet available for most other
foodstuffs.
Particularly, PCR is an extremely
sensitive technique and is increasingly
being used for viral diagnosis.
However, PCR has many problems
due to its sensitivity. The main one
is contamination, since only a minute
amount of contamination is needed
to result in a false positive result.
Furthermore, positive PCR results are
often difficult to interpret, as it does not
indicate the presence of infectious virus
particles or disease. This is of particular
importance to latent viruses and the fact
that inactivation and survival of viruses
can vary.
The great diversity of methods makes
comparison of results rather difficult.
Consequently, there is a pressing need
for standardisation, particularly with
new molecular-based tests. Challenges
include sample preparation, method
optimisation and formal validation.
Formal validation of the general rules for
PCR and different PCR tests (i.e. NoV
and HAV) is on-going within different
CEN committees (e.g. CEN/TAG4).
Monitoring - It may be clear that
the detection and monitoring of
viruses requires specialist laboratories
acquainted with the complex extraction
methods and different detection
methods. Most of the techniques
available are not suitable for routine
application and recovery rates remain
www.ehoa.ie
TEN11
poor. Additionally, the applicability
of the methods currently available for
monitoring foods for viral contamination
is unknown. For example, no consistent
correlation has been found between
the presence of pathogenic viruses and
traditional indicator microorganisms
of faecal contamination, such as
bacteriophages and the enteric bacterium
Escherichia coli.
Food supply chains
Information of verified outbreaks
worldwide indicates that foodborne
viruses are implicated in almost all food
supply chains. Implicated foodstuffs
include: seafood: crustaceans, shellfish,
molluscs and related products; fruit:
salads, juices and other related products;
vegetables: salads and other related
products; milk and milk products; meat:
raw and prepared, liver sausages and
related products.
VITAL’s Outcome
Sampling
Viruses monitored - Since food can
be contaminated by food-borne viruses
originating from human as well as animal
sources, VITAL has monitored the
presence of both groups of viruses at
various businesses involved at key stages
of the food supply chains to differentiate
between human or zoonotic source of
origin (table 2). Viruses included in the
monitoring program were adenoviruses
(HAdV), bovine polyomavirus (BpyV) as
so called “index” viruses and hepatitis A
virus (HAV), hepatitis E virus (HEV) and
Norovirus (NoV) as specific food-borne
pathogens (table 3).
Adenoviruses infect both humans
and a wide variety of animal species.
They are shed in large numbers in the
faeces of infected individuals and are
capable of robust survival. Adenoviruses
have been proposed as an index of viral
contamination, and the specific detection
of adenoviruses from human or animal
origin should be a useful tool for tracing
the source of faecal viral contamination.
Recent findings (unpublished) from
the European FP6 project VIROBATHE
Framework 6 project have supported
the view that adenoviruses are
quite commonly found when faecal
contamination is evident. However,
recently bovine polyomaviruses have
been reported to be better candidates
for tracing a bovine source of viral
www.ehoa.ie
contamination than bovine adenoviruses,
due to their higher prevalence in
faecal environmental samples. In the
VITAL project both human and porcine
adenoviruses, and bovine polyomavirus
were used as “index” viruses, thus
evidencing a risk of wider human or
animal virus contamination of the food
supply chain.
HEV is regarded as a model zoonotic
virus. If porcine adenoviruses were
detected in samples of soft fruit, salad
vegetables or shellfish, the sample was
also analysed for HEV. Furthermore, if
it was considered during the monitoring
that the foodstuff or material had
a chance of being contaminated by
norovirus (NoV) and hepatitis A virus
(HAV), e.g. if an outbreak has occurred
or is occurring locally, then the samples
were analysed for these agents. The viral
loads in all samples were detected and
quantified by RTPCR, QPCR and in vitro
culture, this last approach to confirm the
infectivity of detected virus.
Results - Table 4 gives the preliminary
data gathered by the different
laboratories. Index and pathogenic virus
have been found at various sampling
points in each of the food supply chains.
These data will be used to link them
to the information obtained during the
fact finding missions and to develop
risk models for each of the supply
chains identifying different routes of
contamination from source to foodstuffs.
Fact finding Missions
Methodology - A series of fact finding
missions (FFMs) on food safety practices
were carried out across all of the chosen
food supply chains at production,
processing and point-of-sale. Linking
the FFMs to the sampling of the different
site/points in order to ensure that the
sampling points are realistic to the
actual production situation was a crucial
element of the VITAL project. At the
moment of sampling the actual standards
of both operational and structural
hygiene are documented and linked to
the sampling results and subsequently
were used as a basis for the development
of a Code of Practice.
One of the chief concerns was the
problem associated with standardizing an
approach to evaluating current practices
in place at various sampling sites across
different EU countries. The analysis of
data will be coupled with the evaluation
of the associate partners existing
HACCP systems. This evaluation of
existing HACCP systems is crucial to
the validation of the proposed Code of
Practice, which will be developed based
on the outcomes of the data analysis.
It will include a comparative analysis
of existing poor practice (linked to
viruses’ proliferation) and the reduction
of viruses in an industry HACCP
compliant/Best Practice environment.
Standardisation and consistency of
approach in these evaluations was
therefore very necessary in order to
reduce the influencing variables that
impact on the efficacy of the existing
risk assessment/HACCP systems. The
consistent evaluation of these systems
prior to sampling is key to the validation
of proposed best practices. Accordingly,
the collaboration between K.U.Leuven
and the HSE, Environmental Health
was formed, whereby an auditing team
from this collaboration would carry
Areas of concern: sanitary accommodation. out all of the 33 Fact Finding Missions
"
In many cases, there
was an absence of
designated sanitary
accommodation for
field workers, including
hand washing facilities
45
TEN11
the points to be sampled (i.e. ad-hoc
samples) based on areas of concern
noted. These and regular samples were
taken by members of the data-gathering
laboratory.
6. Completion of the report
The report includes verified
information originally provided in the
questionnaires, areas of concern noted
during the audit with photographic
evidence where relevant and appropriate
and list of samples taken. The results
of the samples will be analysed and
linkages determined if any between
positive results and the areas of concern.
Subsequently these determination will
be used to assess whether current good
practices throughout the salad vegetable,
soft fruit and pork supply chains
comply with the forthcoming Codex
Alimentarius Commission Guidelines on
the Application of General Principles of
Food Hygiene to the Control of Viruses
in Food, and to inform the production
of guidance manuals for virus-relevant
HACCP implementation.
"
In most cases, at
primary production
of fruit and
vegetables, food
workers were not
provided with
protective clothing
Areas of concern: food handler’s personnel hygiene.
across 8 countries. The preparation and
completion of the FFMs consisted of the
following steps:
1. Compilation of Questionnaires
for each stage of the relevant food
supply chain, i.e. fruit and vegetables:
primary production, processing,
point-of sale; pork meat: slaughter
houses, meat processing and pointof- sale
All questionnaires were based
on best practice and EU legislation
including the main elements of food
safety systems, namely: prerequisites,
supplier control, process control and
management control. The layout of the
questionnaires consisted of 5 modules,
namely: (1) enterprise (farm) review,
(2) quality management systems, (3)
physical location and lay-out, (4)
production process, (5) product quality
and traceability. All sections of the
modules may not be relevant to each
food business operation.
2. Completion of the questionnaires
Each participating country had to
complete three questionnaires for
each stage of the relevant food chain.
These completed questionnaires
provide invaluable data and also ensure
that there is variety regarding the
46
EHOA | yearbook 10/11 final selection. When selecting the
food businesses the data gathering
laboratories had to ensure that each
stage of the supply chain was directly
linked.
3. Selection of the food businesses
The completed questionnaires were
analysed and a final selection of the food
business to be visited was made by the
auditing team. At this stage possible
areas of concern were identified and in
consultation with the risk assessment
team, included in the regular sampling
program (table 2, 3). Non-compliance
was based solely on EU legislation, i.e. is
the minimum legislative requirement.
4. Preparation of the fact finding
mission
A checklist was prepared using the
information furnished by the relevant
questionnaire. Liaison with the relevant
data gathering laboratories and logistic
arrangements for the fact finding
mission were finalised.
5. Completion of the fact finding
mission
The mission was carried out in
the company of the local partner
representative and sampling team of the
data-gathering laboratory. The factfinding team visited the site, identified
Areas of concern
The areas of concern noted during the
FFMs were based on non-compliance
with national guidance documents and
standards, industry best practices and
legislative requirements. The noncompliances not surprisingly included
food handler’s personal hygiene,
sanitary accommodation, water supplies
including irrigation water, sewage
disposal, manure, structural hygiene
and pest control. The greatest areas
of concern were noted in the fruit and
vegetable supply chain. The meat supply
chain presented lesser grounds for
concern as this industry across the EU
is tightly regulated. The following are
some examples noted.
Water supply – Water supply was
one of the major areas of concern for
the primary production of soft fruit and
vegetables. Irrigation water was sourced
from untreated shallow wells, open
reservoirs and polluted streams. In the
case of soft fruits, i.e. raspberries and
strawberries, the risk is particularly high
as there is no washing step in the food
chain from farm-to-fork. In most cases
the water source has never been sampled
for microbial pathogens.
Sanitary accommodation – In
many cases, there was an absence of
designated sanitary accommodation
www.ehoa.ie
TEN11
Recommendations
As the project is still ongoing
and the final analysis has
not yet been completed, the
following recommendations
are only preliminary. Focus
should be on the prevention
of virus contamination in
conjunction with control
(prerequisites). More
stringent personnel hygiene
and effective training of food
workers, especially in the
primary production of fruit
and vegetables, should be
provided. Vaccination of food
workers should be considered
where possible, especially for
HAV. Existing surveillance
systems should be improved
by combining laboratory
testing and epidemiological
information. Detection and
prevention of food-borne
viral infections should be
organised using more nucleic
acid amplification techniques
(NAATs), such as single PCR
and multiplex hybrid assays
combining broad range PCR
as well as multiplex PCR
with DNA array technology.
For the primary production
of fruit and vegetables, the
effective implementation of
Good Agricultural Practices
(GAP) is essential, but
should emphasise more
on the impact of viruses.
EU risk classification of
food businesses should
be reviewed as fruit and
vegetable businesses are
currently deemed of low
risk. Legislators and policy
makers should prioritise
the prevention and control
of viruses. As a first
step, findings of VITAL
are being included in the
development of the WHO
Codex Alimentarius Code
of Good Practice for virus
management. n
Figure 1 – Viral transmission routes
Production
Processing
Point-of-sale
Soft Fruit
Vegetables
Pork Meat
Shellfish
Irrigation water
Irrigation water
Pig faeces
-
Workers’ hands
Workers’ hands
Liver
-
Workers’ toilet
Workers’ toilet
Blood
-
Animal based
fertilisers
Animal based
fertilisers
Effluent
-
Equipment
Equipment
Equipment
-
Surfaces
Surfaces
Surfaces
Workers’ hands
Workers’ hands
Workers’ hands
-
Fresh/frozen fruit
(local)
Fresh lettuce
(local)
Raw sausages
Shellfish
(local)
Fresh/frozen fruit
(imported)
Fresh lettuce
(imported)
Liver
Shellfish
(imported)
Table 2 – Sample types taken during the VITAL project.
Viruses
Food Supply Chain
for field workers, including
hand washing facilities. In
some cases the sanitary
accommodation provided
was totally inadequate, for
example dry closets in wooden
structures whereby the faeces
are simply disposed of by
burying in nearby fields. In
one case the male sanitary
accommodation included a dry
closet with no hand washing
facility and the fruit packing
was mainly carried out by male
workers not wearing gloves.
Food worker’s personnel
hygiene – In most cases
at primary production of
fruit and vegetables food
workers were not provided
with protective clothing. If
gloves were worn they were
fingerless and were mainly
for the protection against
wounds. This coupled with
the absence of hand washing
facilities and produce rinsing
provides a huge risk in term
of virus contamination.
HAdV
BPyV
PAdV
HAV
NoV
HEV
Soft fruit
✔
✔*
✔*
✓
✓
✓
Lettuce
✔
✔*
✔*
✓
✓
✓
Pork
-
-
✔
-
-
✔
Shellfish
✔
✔
✔
✓
✓
✓
Table 3 – Viruses monitored during the VITAL project; HAdV: human adenovirus;
BPyV: bovine polyomavirus; PAdV: porcine adenovirus; HAV: hepatitis A virus;
NoV: norovirus; HEV: hepatitis E virus; ü: in each sample (* not latrine samples or
harvester’s hands); ü: only if presence indicated by indicator viruses; -: not taken.
Food supply chain
Phase
Sample type
Virus detected
Production
Harvester’s hands
hAdV; NoV gll
United Kingdom
Harvester’s hands
hAdV
2. Catholic University of Leuven
Belgium
Toilets
3. Veterinary Research Institute
Czech Republic
hAdV; NoV ggl,
NoV ggll
4. University of Helsinki
Finland
Toilet door handles
5. Democritus University of Thrace
Greece
hAdV, NoV ggl,
NoV ggll
6. Instituto Superiore Sanita
Italy
Irrigation water
hAdV, pAdV
7. RIVM
Netherlands
Lettuce
HEV, NoV ggl, pAdV
8. University of Wageningen
Netherlands
Faeces slaughterhouse
HEV, pAdV
9. National Veterinary Research Institute
Poland
Pig livers
slaughterhouse
HEV, pAdV
10. Scientific Veterinary Institute “Novi Sad”
Serbia
Knives
pAdV
11. University of Ljubljana
Slovenia
Foodworker’s hands
pAdV
12. Agrarian Research Institute
Spain
Environmental
pAdV
13. Veterinary Laboratory Agency
United Kingdom
Paté
hAdV
14. University of Barcelona
Spain
Participant
Country
1. Central Science Laboratory
Table 1 – The VITAL consortium: 14 institutes and 11 countries
www.ehoa.ie
Soft fruit
Salad vegetables
Production
Point-of-sale
Pork
Production
Processing
Table 4 – VITAL project: preliminary sampling results; hAdV: human adenovirus;
pAdV: porcine adenovirus; NoV: norovirus; HEV: hepatitis E virus.
47
TEN11
Leptospirosis
Author: Ado Van Assche, David Moloney and Kris Willems
Leptospirosis:
a neglected zoonotic disease?
Ado Van Assche1, 2, David Moloney1, 2, 3 and Kris A Willems1, 2 discuss the
prevalence of leptospirosis and measures to prevent its spread
W
eil’s disease is one of the
most notorious forms of
leptospirosis. Although the
disease is believed to have existed for
millions of years, according to modern
clinical description, Adolf Weil identified
patients with symptoms now associated
with leptospirosis including jaundice,
acute renal failure and nephritis for
the first time in 1886. In 1915, one of
the causative agents of leptospirosis,
Leptospira icterohemorrhagiae, was
first isolated and identified by Inada et
al. (1915). Most cases are reported in
wet, tropical and sub-tropical regions.
Developing countries have been shown
to have a higher incidence of the disease,
linked to unsanitary conditions, however
the disease is becoming an emerging
threat in developed countries.
Currently leptospirosis is recognised
as a worldwide zoonotic disease, with
more than 500,000 cases of severe
illness reported each year and mortality
rates as high as 23.6 per 100,000 (WHO,
1999). Recent outbreaks include the
infection of 75 inhabitants of the city
El Eulma in Algeria. It is presumed that
they drank from a contaminated well
at the town mosque and the outbreak
resulted in five deaths.
In Australia, to date, four cases of
leptospirosis have been confirmed
associated with the recent flooding. In
2008, six hundred cases were reported
in Europe (ECDC surveillance report,
2010). In most cases, infection can go
unnoticed or be misdiagnosed, with
patients presenting only a febrile illness
(Levett, 2004). This, coupled with a
lack of medical suspicion regarding the
presence of leptospirosis, means that it
is often overlooked (Maroun et al., 2011).
As a result, leptospirosis is presumed
to be under-reported. However, severe
cases will lead to Weil’s disease or
leptospirosis-associated pulmonary
haemorrhage syndrome (LPHS), with a
fatality rate of more than 50% (McBride
et al., 2005). Due to these findings,
leptospirosis is considered to be an
emerging zoonotic disease.
Leptospirosis in Ireland (1985-2008)
Figure 1 - Incident cases of leptospirosis
diagnosed in the Republic of Ireland.
Source: National Disease Surveillance
Centre ROI
Hazard identification of
Leptospira
Infections of Leptospira spp. in developed
countries usually occur after exposure
to faecal contaminated water during
recreational activities, i.e. swimming in
open waters, canoeing, etc.; transmission
from animals to humans, i.e. rodents,
livestock and domestic animals;
occupational risk to professions such
as veterinarians, butchers, farmers and
sewage workers, or during adventure
tourism. Natural disasters such as
flooding and cyclones have contributed
to outbreaks in developing and developed
countries.
Pappas et al. (2008) gives a
worldwide overview of the global
incidence of leptospirosis. Even though
the infection by Leptospira species
is more common in tropical regions,
the incidence in more moderate parts
of the world cannot be neglected.
Figure 1 shows the increasing numbers
of reported cases of leptospirosis
in Ireland (HPSC, 2009). In 2009,
thirty cases of leptospirosis were
documented. Ten cases were assumed
to be related to occupational activities,
of these ten cases, five were farmers.
Another nine cases were linked with
water sports activities, in three of
these cases the activities occurred
outside of Ireland. Six cases were
associated with gardening, spending
time by a river bank, or vacationing
in a tropical location. In five cases, no
risk information was available. It is
clear that, in recent years, there has
been an increase in the reporting of
leptospirosis in Ireland. The notification
rate per 100,000 population of
leptospirosis in Ireland is more than
four times the European average (ECDC
1. Laboratory for Process Microbial Ecology and Bioinspirational Management (PME&BIM), Consortium for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology (CIMB), Department of Microbial
and Molecular Systems (M²S), K.U.Leuven Association, Lessius Mechelen, B-2860 Sint-Katelijne-Waver, Belgium.
2. Scientia Terrae Research Institute (STRI), B-2860 Sint-Katelijne-Waver. 3. MicroBioMetrix bvba (MBM), B-2860 Sint-Katelijne-Waver.
48
TEN11
Leptospirosis
surveillance report, 2010). There is an
increase of up to 0.66 in comparison
to 0.51 and 0.43 notification rate per
100,000 population of leptospirosis
in 2007 and 2006, respectively. The
European average decreased from 0.22
in 2007 to 0.15 in 2008 (Data from
Spain and France are not included
in the European average). According
to Global Infection Diseases and
Epidemiology Network (GIDEON, www.
gideononline.com/2010/01/05/
leptospirosis-in-ireland/) this increase
is not in correlation with neighbouring
regions, i.e. North Ireland, Scotland,
England and Wales.
Serological classification
and grouping Classification
Leptospira species are a group of
bacteria that belong to the family of the
Leptospiraceae, which belongs to the
order of the Spirochaetales. The genus
Liptospira is divided into 20 species,
based upon DNA analysis, of which
14 are pathogenic or opportunistic
pathogenic species, others are called
saprophytic species. Based upon
serological typing, there can be a
differentiation of more than 250 serovars
organised into 24 serogroups, which
consists of serovars who are antigenically
related (Galloway and Levett, 2010).
Occurrence
According to Adler and de la Peña
Moctezuma (2010), leptospirosis is the
most widespread zoonosis. Leptospira
species survive in the renal tubes of
the kidneys of the carrier, other tissue
and organs may serve as a reservoir.
Many animals have been identified as
potential carriers, including rodents,
dogs, cattle, horses, pigs (Adler and de
la Peña Moctezuma, 2010), and even
marine mammals such as sea lions
(Gulland et al., 1996). Infected wild and
domestic animals can host leptospires
for a long time, shedding the infectious
agent into the environment by urinating.
Upon contact with infected soil or
water, other animals and humans can
be exposed to pathogenic leptospires.
Although Leptospira spp. are susceptible
to variations in salt concentration and
pH, Trueba et al. (2004) showed that
these organisms can survive for 110 days
in distilled water, and their survival
can be prolonged to 347 days in more
viscous solutions. Subsequently, Ristow
www.ehoa.ie
"
Natural disasters
such as flooding
and cyclones
have contributed
to outbreaks in
developing and
developed countries
et al. (2008) demonstrated the growth of
saprophytic and pathogenic leptospires
in biofilm. It is a well documented
fact that bacteria able to form biofilm
are protected from external changes
in the biotic and abiotic environment.
Considering these findings, the
occurrence of Leptospira spp. has to be
recognised as omnipresent.
Detection and monitoring
Although Leptospira spp. have been
cultured on artificial media (Baseman et
al., 1966), usually serum is added to the
growth medium. Nevertheless, because of
long incubation times and difficulties of
culturing leptospires from environmental
and clinical samples, other methods
are used. These methods include direct
dark-field microscopy, cross-agglutinin
adsorption test (CAAT), enzyme-linked
immunosorbent assay (ELISA), polymerase
chain reaction (PCR) and pulsed-field gel
electrophoreses (PFGE).
Leptospira species are about 0.25 by 6
to 25 μm in size, which enables them to
pass through 0.45 μm filters. Therefore,
leptospires are directly visualised by darkfield or phase-contrast microscopy of wet
preparations (Bharti et al., 2003), although
high concentrations are necessary. For
the differentiation of serovars, the CAAT
is used. This method is based upon the
serological characteristics of the isolate
and uses antibodies to recognise the
different serovars. Because these reference
serological reagents are not readily
available (Bharti et al., 2003), alternative
DNA-based techniques such as PFGE are
used. PFGE is mostly used because of
the international standardisation and the
exchange of data is made available through
the PulseNet model (Levett, 2004; www.
cdc.gov/pulsenet/).
Another DNA-based technique is PCR,
identification of the genotype is made
possible by amplifying the 16S rDNA gene
with leptospires selective primers (Mérien
et al., 1992). Commercial real-time PCR
are available for quantifying Leptospira
spp. on a culture-independent way,
resulting in fast detection times. Nucleic
acid amplification procedures (NAATs),
including PCR, nucleic acid sequencebased amplification (NASBA), and
loop-mediated isothermal amplification
(LAMP) are increasingly used in routine
clinical laboratories for the detection of
49
TEN11
Leptospirosis
"
Infections of
Leptospira spp. in
developed countries
usually occur after
transmission from
animals to humans,
i.e. rodents, livestock
and domestic animals
pathogenic microorganisms.
Most of these methods are convenient
for the detection of a single or a few
pathogens, screening for large numbers
of different pathogens relies on a
significant number of parallel tests,
often using different technologies
(Evangelopoulos et al., 2001; Frans et
al., 2008). Consequently, testing on
multiple targets using these methods
is laborious, time-consuming and
expensive. Multiplex PCR or DNA
arrays represent the latest diagnostic
approach, allowing for the detection of
multiple targets in a single assay. One of
these low-cost DNA arrays is the DNA
Multiscan® (www.multiscan.com), a
hybrid assay combining broad range PCR
as well as multiplex PCR with DNA array
technology to simultaneously detect
several water-borne and fish pathogens,
including bacteria as well as viruses
(Justé et al., 2010; Lievens et al., 2003,
2006, 2007, 2011).
ELISA is an immunological method
to detect antibodies in a patient’s
sample, opposed to the detection of
the Leptospira spp. itself. Patient’s
50
EHOA | yearbook 10/11 antibodies can be detected in the first
week of infection (Levett, 2004). WHO,
2003 gives an overview of commercial
test kits for the detection of Leptospira
spp. or its antibodies, including contact
addresses of suppliers. This document
is available at www.leptonet.net/html/
who-ils_guidelines.asp.
Hazard characterization
of Leptospira
Leptospirosis / Signs and symptoms
Leptospirosis has an incubation period of
five to 14 days on average, with a range of
two to 30 days. Initially, the first symptoms
are a febrile illness that often is not
differentiated from other acute fevers. In
most cases, the disease resolves after the
first week of symptoms (Ko et al., 2009). In
five to 15 % of the cases, patients develop
severe late-phase manifestations (McBride
et al., 2005). In different clinical studies, the
most common symptoms are fever, myalgia,
and headache, although it has been shown
that leptospirosis can have a wide range
of symptoms. Jaundice, renal failure and
pulmonary haemorrhage are more associated
with severe cases, but not exclusively.
Leptospirosis / Treatment and
prevention
Leptospires are susceptible to
β-lactams, macrolides, tetracycline,
fluoroquinolones and streptomycin.
Treatment of leptospirosis is most
effective when initiated early (Levett,
2004), which is in contrast with the
difficult diagnosis and detection
of the disease and the infectious
agent. Treatment options include oral
doxycycline or intravenous penicillin.
Doxycycline may be considered for
chemoprophylaxis if high-risk exposures
are anticipated (Edwards and Levett,
2004). Guidugli et al. (2000) concluded
that antibiotics could be a useful
treatment for leptospirosis, but scientific
and clinical evidence is insufficient to
provide clear guidelines for practice.
Nevertheless, the evidence suggests that
penicillin may cause more good than harm.
Vaccines have been developed and are
available in some countries, large scale
clinical trials have been reported in Cuba,
Russia and China. Long-term efficacy
studies have not been reported. Usually
these vaccines are based upon inactivated
www.ehoa.ie
TEN11
Leptospirosis
bacteria, which explains the short-term
efficacy. Furthermore, unacceptable
side effects, locally variable patterns of
Leptospira transmitted, the theoretical
potential for inducing autoimmune
disease, and the incomplete knowledge of
mechanism of protective immunity are the
basis of the lack of a vaccine (Bharti et al.,
2003). Animal vaccines are commercially
available and have been shown to suppress
disease. Nevertheless, there are scientific
papers published that underline the
awareness that shedding by urine secretion
is still possible after vaccination of animals,
coupled with the fact that different animal
can be infected by various serovar types,
thus vaccination does not eliminate the
risk of transmission to humans.
This observation underlines the risk
of contamination during drinking of
unpasteurised milk. Another route is
amongst the occupational group such as
butchers, veterinarians, farmers, rodent
control workers, rescue workers, etc.
Most likely, there are other transfer
routes who have not yet been identified.
For example, Singh et al. (2003) found up
to 20% of Leptospira spp. in the microbial
biofilm community of a dental unit’s
water system, using 16S rDNA gene clone
library analysis. Confirmation of actual
transfer to humans should be investigated.
Food-borne leptospirosis, either through
consumption of meat of an infected animal
or use of contaminated water in fruit or
vegetable produce has not been reported.
Exposure assessment
Transmission routes
The reservoir of Leptospira species is
without doubt many different kind of
animals (Adler and de la Peña Moctezuma,
2010). The transfer to humans can be
direct or indirect. Leptospires may be
excreted with urine, thus infective urine
is a major source of infection for humans.
To survive, leptospires must remain
moist as they do not possess a waterproof
membrane, and therefore are killed
immediately that their environment dries
out. Cans, bottles, etc. are considered safe
as the bacteria will rapidly dry out and die
on their surfaces.
Most infections are related to exposure
to contaminated water. These can
include recreational swimming in open
water (Narita et al., 2005), drinking of
unsafe water from public drinking water
fountains (Cacciapuoti et al., 1987),
or untreated wells (Aoki et al., 2001).
There is an increased risk after natural
disasters such as flooding (Gaynor et al.,
2007), heavy rain falls, due to enhanced
distribution and the higher penetration
of bacteria in soil, earthquakes (Aoki
et al., 2001) and cyclones (Sehgal et al.,
2002). In addition, not only swallowing
of contaminated water, but also
prolonged immersion may make the skin
more penetrable and allow leptospiral
invasion, even in the absence of skin
abrasions (Monahan et al., 2009).
Different direct modes of transmission
have been summarised by Vijayachari
et al. (2008). In the case of animals and
humans, these can be by exposure to
infected urine, by sexual contact, or by
suckling milk from infected mothers.
Conclusions
Current epidemiological data
demonstrates the omnipresence of
Leptospira species in the world. In
tropical regions, cases of infection are
much more common and therefore better
documented. For developed regions, such
as Ireland, preventive measurements can
be taken. These include a study of the
epidemiology of Leptospira species within
Ireland. The focus of such a study could be
wild, farm and domestic animals, natural
open waters and private wells (especially
after flooding).
Preventative control measures such
as routine sampling for Leptospira
in untreated water supplies in the
more vulnerable areas and designated
freshwater bathing areas should be
carried out. Also, molecular methods
can be used to assess suspect water
bodies prior to planned recreational
events (Monahan et al., 2009). The more
recent technological advances in testing
techniques such as the DNA Multiscan®,
should facilitate a more cost-effective
and less labour intensive approach to
multiplex testing. Health care providers
should maintain a high level of suspicion
for leptospirosis, even in well-developed
urban areas, following flooding events,
and public health officials should promote
awareness of leptospirosis among
flood affected populations. Workers in
flooded areas where Leptospira might
be present should be encouraged to
adopt appropriate protective measures
(Gaynor et al., 2007). Standard good
hygiene practise as for other bacterial
contamination are successful in
controlling infection. n
www.ehoa.ie
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51
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Scall o p P r o c e s s i n g
Author: Liam Kennedy
Investigating scallop
processing practices
A recent study investigated complaints about scallops and the
implications for food safety of scallop processing practices,
writes Liam Kennedy, Sea Fisheries Protection Officer
W
e have received several
complaints from seafood
processors and wholesalers
regarding scallops that were purchased
from large processors. Specifically, these
complaints were about strong chemical
smells, bleaching of the scallop meat to
improve the colour and soaking of the
scallops in freshwater to bulk up the
product. This practice of soaking the
scallops resulted in a large amount of
water exuding from the scallop meat
during storage or cooking. Another
facet of the complaints was that
polyphosphates were being used to aid
water binding. The purpose of the study
that will be discussed in this article was
to investigate the complaints made and
to assess their validity.
Added water
Complaints about added water are
common within the muscle meat
industry. The Food Standards Agency
UK has completed several studies based
on these complaints and on consumer
concerns; these studies are as follows:
A report published in 1997 by the
Food Standards Agency UK on “Added
Water in Cured Pork Products” found
that out of 614 products sampled, only
199 had declared added water. It was
also found that of the 415 products that
did not declare added water, either no
declaration was made or the declaration
“no added water” or “0% Water” was
put on the packaging. Only sixteen of
the samples were found to have failed to
52
TEN11
approved previously by inspectors
from packaging and returning them to
the holding area for scallops that were
awaiting approval. This was done to
increase the chance of un-inspected
scallops being approved. The employees
would then fill the previously emptied,
approved boxes with either rejected
scallops or un-inspected scallops and
these would be shipped to customers.
FDA agents were unable to determine
exactly how much money the company
earned from the scheme, but it was
calculated that two of these shipments
made had netted the company over
$54,000.
While the FDA was not able to
determine the health risk from the
consumption of fraudulent scallops, the
company was charged with economic
fraud with fines and penalties totalling
$120,000.
"
complaints were
about strong smells,
bleaching of the
scallop meat and
soaking of the
scallops in freshwater
accurately declare added water content.
Of all the sixteen products identified,
fifteen had no declaration of water
content and one had stated there was “no
added water” on its label.
A report published by the same
organisation in 2000, a “Survey of Added
Water in Chickens and Chicken Products”
found that out of 187 chicken products
sampled, only 34 where found to have
added water. For thirty of the samples,
water had been declared as an ingredient,
so only four out of 187 products were
found to be making a false declaration.
The most significant findings were found
for the samples of whole chickens. From a
total sample size of seventy-five chickens,
seventy-one had no declaration of water
content and out of these seventy-one,
it was found that 52% of these samples
were found to have “Added Water” and
thus, that they could be in breach of
labelling regulations.
Phosphates
The use of phosphates within the meat
industry appears to be an accepted
practice. The purpose of application of
phosphates seems to be to provide an
antimicrobial function, cause sensory
or colour changes (Chang and Douglas
1999).
Labelling requirements
The labelling requirements in relation to
added water and the use of phosphates
in foods are laid out in the following
directives:
www.ehoa.ie
ó Directive 2000/13/EC of the European
parliament and of the council of 20
March 2000 on the approximation of
the laws of the member states relating
to the labelling, presentation and
advertising of foodstuffs.
ó European parliament and council
directive no. 95/2/EC of 20 February
1995 on food additives other than
colours and sweeteners.
Directive 95/2/EC lays out the
requirements for use of additives within
the European Union.
Case Study
One of the largest incidences of breaches
was reported by Kurtzweil (1997) and
involved a seafood processor based in
Virginia, USA. An investigation was
initiated after two shipments that the
company exported to foreign countries
were rejected due to excessive moisture
content. An investigation by the Food
and Drugs Administration (FDA) found
evidence that, for a period of more than
a year, the company had soaked scallops
in order to increase their net weight and
thus price, since all scallops sold were
priced according to weight. The FDA
also found that the company had been
treating decomposing scallops prior to
sale, in order to cover up off-odours and
discolouration. The chemical that was
used was Chlorine Dioxide, an industrial
metal cleaner.
In addition, investigators discovered
that the company engaged in a practice
of taking scallops that had been
Materials and method
Samples were taken from a fishing vessel
for a baseline study and from processors
to test against the base line.
Scallops for baseline study
Fresh scallops were sourced from a
fishing vessel. The procedure was to take
scallops from the start of the trip, the
middle of the trip and the end of the trip.
The scallops were taken to a local
processor, where abductor and gonad
meat was taken out of the shell, washed
and allowed to drain, as would be normal
during scallop processing. Sixty scallops
were divided into three groups of 2 kg
each. These samples (sample one, two,
three) were tested for water content.
Six scallops were to be analysed for
phosphate content.
Scallops from processors
Scallops were sourced from the three
processors, the samples (sample four,
five, six) taken were commercially
packed.
Water content analysis
Water content was measured by
determining total apparent fish content
using the following parameters:
ó Protein
ó Ash
ó Carbohydrate
ó Fat
ó Moisture
ó Total apparent fish content
53
TEN11
RESULTS ››
Sample 1
Sample 2
Sample 3
Average
Protein Content %
17.3
17.4
17.4
17.36
Ash %
1.8
1.8
1.8
1.8
Carbohydrate %
2.4
1.4
1.9
1.9
Fat %
0.6
0.6
0.6
0.6
Moisture %
77.9
78.79
78.34
78.34
Nitrogen Factor %
2.64
2.64
2.64
2.64
0
0
0
0
Apparent Total Fish Content
% w/w
105
106
106
105.66
Phosphorus mg/Kg
3051
Fish Nitrogen g/100g
3051
Table 1. Results for baseline assessment
Sample 4
Sample 5
Sample 6
17.8
17.7
18.3
Protein Content %
Ash %
1.6
1.8
1.8
Carbohydrate %
2.5
0.8
2
0.7
1
0.8
Moisture %
Fat %
77.43
78.75
77.08
Nitrogen Factor %
2.64
2.64
2.64
0
0
0
Apparent Total Fish Content % w/w
Fish Nitrogen g/100g
108.2
106
106
Phosphorus mg/Kg
2986
2957
3308
Sample 4
Sample 5
Sample 6
Moisture %
77.43
78.75
77.08
Difference %
1.61
0.56
1.6
Table 2. Results for processor samples
Table 3. Percentile difference of moisture content found in scallops against the
average in Table 1
Sample 4
Sample 5
Sample 6
Phosphorus mg/Kg
2986
2957
3308
Difference %
2.13
3.08
8.42
Table 4. Percentile difference of Phosphorus levels found in scallops against the
average in Table 1
Polyphosphate analysis
The total phosphorus was measured and
when compared against a base line, any
added phosphate could be calculated.
Discussion
The baseline study was done as an
attempt to accurately compare processed
products. Unfortunately, the cost of
analysis was a limiting factor for total
fish content, so comparison is only
made from the average of three samples,
however, this does consist of sixty
54
EHOA | yearbook 10/11 scallops, which is quite a large amount to
base an average on.
The one exception is the phosphorus
level, which was based on a single sample
of six scallops. The sample was taken
directly from the trawler to ensure
that no processing had taken place. In
this instance, time and a lack of regular
scallop landings were limiting factors.
Results for the baseline study gave an
average moisture content of 78.34%,
which falls within the ranges found
in a study by Botta and Cahill (1992).
This studied Sea Scallops and Icelandic
Scallops and calculated moisture content
between 74.63% and 81.25%. The range
found in the study by Botta and Cahill
(circa 1992) was huge, but the same study
also recorded vast differences in moisture
content based on the harvesting season.
Of all results gained for the purpose of
this study, two of the most important data
sets are moisture content and phosphorus
content, as it is these that are used to
either adulterate product or aid in product
adulteration.
Samples one, two and three were fished
off the Isle of Man in a two-day period,
while samples four and five were taken
from the processors and fished from the
same fishing grounds. Sample six was
fished from an area off the Welsh coast,
approximately two hundred miles from
fishing grounds from the Isle of Man.
This could account for the slightly higher
phosphate level noted, which is not
considered significant because there is no
notable difference in moisture content.
In general, moisture content in scallops
from the processor was not found to be
significantly different to that established
from the baseline study, with a percentage
variance as shown in Table 3 of 0.56% to
1.16%, with only one processor sample
showing higher water content than the
baseline. Water content found during
sampling fell well under the legal bench
mark as set out in council directive
2000/13/EC, which states any added
ingredient over 5% would need to be
included on the ingredient list.
Phosphate levels noted in the study
were also not found to be significant.
The percentile variance found in processor
samples, as shown in Table 4 were
between 2.13% and 8.42% with two of the
samples actually having less phosphorous
than the baseline study. One sample had
a phosphorus level 8.42% higher, but as
discussed above, this would not appear
to be significant as it is not accompanied
with higher water content.
Conclusions and
Recommendations
Processors are open about the fact that
they soak scallop meat in fresh water for
a period of 2-6 hours. In some incidences
the reason stated was to improve colour
of scallop meat and for other processors,
it was claimed soaking was a customer
requirement.
In this study, two out of the three
www.ehoa.ie
TEN11
processors stated soaking of scallop meat
is common practice prior to packing.
The third processor makes a point of
not soaking scallops and uses this fact
as a marketing tool. Sample four and six
were sourced from processors who soak
scallop meat. Sample five was sourced
from the processor who does not soak
their scallop meat.
While the process of soaking appears
to be an industry norm, on assessment
of food safety management systems with
regards to the scallop line, no mention is
made of the soaking step, therefore the
process does not adhere to the principles
of a Food Safety Management system and
therefore, is contrary to E.C Regulation
852/2004, Article 5.
Another issue noted with the
practice of soaking was observed in
one processing premises. Scallops were
placed into water baths prior to meat
extraction, the purpose of which was to
cause live scallops to open. The same
water baths were then used to soak
the meat. While water was changed
between these two operations, there is a
significant risk that the water baths may
be contaminated with marine bio-toxins.
The most significant of these would
be Domoic acid, the causative agent of
Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning, which
is considered to be endemic in scallop
population.
Risk of intoxication is considered to be
minimised only once abductor and gonad
meat have been removed from the rest
of the scallop. As soaking is generally
an undocumented procedure, it would
never be clear whether this process has
been correctly controlled, including
the changing of waters, the cleaning of
equipment etc. As risk of contamination
is very significant at this point, the same
equipment should not be used for both
processes.
Based on results, there would appear
to be no difference in water content of
processed scallops against unprocessed
scallops sampled and in the same study,
no added phosphates were detected in
the samples taken. This would appear
to be contrary to anecdotal evidence
that states that scallops sourced from
some processors exude a large amount of
moisture. There have also been complaints
about a lack of taste due to soaking and of
chemical taint, noticeable when containers
of scallop meat are opened.
More samples need to be taken to
www.ehoa.ie
determine baseline levels of scallop
meat composition. Determination of
a baseline is hindered by the fact that
scallop composition is dependant on
feeding patterns, fishing grounds and
seasonality (Botta and Cahill (1992)), so
composition baselines would need to be
developed for each fishing ground and for
each season. Only after a true baseline has
been developed could significant data be
gathered from processors.
More samples need to be taken from
processors and more information is
needed on the processes taking place in
factories, which lead to the high levels of
drip loss and cooking loss associated with
complaints and to identify which chemical
is leading to odour complaints.
Despite the fact that in the case study
discussed in this study, the FDA was
unable to identify health risks associated
with the activities of the company, it
is clear that unapproved processing
and treatment of scallops with a strong
chemical could pose a risk to human
health.
At the moment, there is no legal limit
on what the moisture content for a
scallop should be. The FDA has a limit of
moisture content of 84%, anything above
this is considered to be a water-added
scallop product. If proper baseline studies
were completed, a limit could be placed
on scallops for marketing within the EU,
which would be a step towards preventing
processors soaking scallops and the
protection of consumer rights. n
References
Botta J.R. and Cahill F.M. (1992?) Moisture content
of scallop meat: Effect of species, time of season
and method of determining “added water” Canada
Department of Fisheries and Oceans, http://nsgl.
gso.uri.edu/flsgp/flsgpw93002/flsgpw93002_part2.
pdf (?circa 1992)
Chang R. Kim, Douglas L Marshall (1999)
Microbiological, colour and sensory changes of
refrigerated chicken legs treated with selected
phosphates, Food Reasearch International, Vol. 32,
p. 209-215
DIRECTIVE 2000/13/EC OF THE EUROPEAN
PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL of 20 March
2000 on the approximation of the laws of the
Member States relating to the labelling, presentation
and advertising of foodstuffs http://www.fsai.ie/
uploadedFiles/Consol_Dir2000_13.pdf accessed on
the 21/4/10 at 17.00
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND COUNCIL DIRECTIVE
No 95/2/EC of 20 February 1995 on food additives
other than colours and sweeteners. http://eurlex.
europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CONSLE
G:1995L0002:20060815:EN:PDF accessed on the
21/4/10 at 18.00
Food-Info Net (2010) http://www.food-info.net/uk/e/
e452.htm, last updated on the 31/3/10, accessed
on the 21/4/10 at 19.20
Food Safety and Standards Agency,. Survey of
Added Water in chickens and chicken parts. Food
Surveillance Information Sheet No. 8/00, October
2000
Joint Food Safety and Standards Group. Survey
of Added Water in Cured Pork Products. Food
Surveillance Information Sheet No 132, 1997
Kurtzweil P. Scallop Scheme Scuttled, FDA
Consumer, Vol. 31, 1997
Liam Kennedy is employed as a Sea Fisheries Protection Officer with the Sea Fisheries
Protection Authority, Dunmore East, Co. Waterford.
55
TEN11
Logos and listings
Logos and listings
Enviroclad Systems Ltd
Hygienic
PVC Wall & Ceiling Cladding
About Hygiene Ltd
High Street, Ballinamore, Co Leitrim.
Tel: 071 964 5111
Website: www.about-hygiene.com
Contact: Evelyn Cafferty/Fiona McLoughlin
Provide certified HACCP food safety & hygiene
training & mentoring nationwide. Members of
the Food Safety Professionals Association.
Consultancy + HACCP Implementation
training - Food Safety
Dublin Institute of Technology
School of Food Science
and Environmental Health
Cathal Brugha Street
Dublin 1
Tel: 01 402 4355
Website: http://fseh.dit.ie
Contact(s): [email protected]
Education and research in environmental
health, food and pharmaceutical areas.
education & research
Unit 57b
Hebron Industrial Estate
Hebron Road
Kilkenny
Tel: 056 775 2866
Fax: 056 777 0955
Website: www.enviroclad.com
Contact(s): Liam Moylan;
Liam Comerford
Supply and fit hygenic P.V.C
• Non-toxic
• Easy to Maintain
wall and ceiling cladding.
• Chemical Resistant
• Cost Effective
• No Unhygienic Grout
• Powerwashable
hygenic wall cladding
For Free Estimate, Contact Enviroclad:
Unit 57b, Hebron Industrial Estate
Hebron Road, Kilkenny.
Tel: +353 (0)56 775 2866
Fax: +353 (0)56 777 0955
www.enviroclad.com
Enviroclad_1-4.indd 1
Commercial Sinks Ltd
Unit 18 Ashbourne Business Centre
Ballybin Road
Ashbourne
Co Meath
Tel: 01 8350269
Website: www.commercialsinks.ie
Contact: Noel Fisher
Stainless Steel Fabrication, Hygiene,
Catering and Refrigeration Equipment.
Ecolab
La Vallee House
Upper Dargle Road
Bray
Co Wicklow
Tel: 01 276 3500
Website: www.ecolab.com
We are a chemical supplier and hygiene
partner operating in several markets.
hygiene
Food Safety
hygiene
cleaning chemicals
02/09/2009 16:16:38
Food Safety Professional Association
c/o Annmount
Glounthaune
Cork
Tel: 087 919 8168
Website: www.fspa.ie
Contact(s): Mary Daly
Food Safety Professionals Association is a
professional body of food safety trainers
+ HACCP consultants. We offer support on
kitchen design & allergy awareness.
Training - Food Safety & HACCP
Auditing - Hygiene & Food Safety
56
TEN11
Logos and listings
Irish Pest Control Association
23 St. Brigid Square,
Portarlington,
Co. Laois
Tel: 087 7702059
Website: www.ipca.ie
Contact(s): Michael Loughlin, President
Helena Bracken, Secretary/Administrator
IPCA representing the interests and
professional development of its members and committed to the protection of public
health food and property.
Pest Control
Training
National Tobacco Control Office
Willow House, Millenium Park,
Naas, Co. Kildare
Tel: 045 852700
Website: www.otc.ie
Contact(s): Helen O’Malley
P.J. Boner & Co Ltd
35 Western Parkway Business Centre
Ballymount Drive
Ballymount
Dublin 12
Tel: 01 450 5050
Website: www.pjboner.com
Contact(s): Patrick Michael Boner
Calibration and sales of instrumentation and
weighing products, including temperature,
humidity, pressure and weighing products.
thermometers/probes
temperature monitoring/calibration
www.ehoa.ie
ReiTech Instrumentation Ltd
Mount Pleasant,
Dundalk
Tel: 042 937 1043
Website: www.thermometer.ie
Contact(s): Frank Reihill
Thermometers, cooler boxes, probe wipes,
calibration and repairs, see website for
prices.
Thermometers
Cooler Boxes
Probe Wipes
Calibration
www.thermometer.ie
thermometers
Safefood
7 Eastgate Avenue
Little Island, Co. Cork
Tel: 021 230 4100
Website: www.safefood.eu
Contact(s): Dr. Gary Kearney,
Director of Food Science
Safefood promote food safety and healthy
eating messages to consumers on the island
of Ireland.
food safety
healthy eating
calibration service
Reitech Instrumentation Ltd
Dundalk
Tel 042 9371043
[email protected]
Rototherm Ltd
Unit C2 Clonlara Avenue
Baldonnell
Business Park
Naas Road, Dublin 22
Tel: 01 466 0260
Website: www.rototherm.ie
Contact(s): Maria Kenaney,
Annemarie Delaney
Over 60 years expertise in
temperature monitoring for regulatory
compliance in food, healthcare
and pharmaceutical industries.
Super Drain Ltd
112 Elm Road
Western Ind Est
Dublin 12
Tel: 01 409 7070
Website: www.superdrain.ie
Contact(s): Stephen Meakin
Drainage, grease traps, grease management,
pump station, CCTV.
drainage
grease traps
HACCP compliance
instrumentation
thermometers/probes
Tempcheck
Noughaville
Quin, Ennis, Co. Clare
Tel: 065 6846857
Website: www.tempcheck.com
Contact(s): Sean Dardis
Sales of thermometers, dataloggers,
distributors of Testo & Dickson products.
thermometers/probes
57
TEN11
E H O A c o n t ac t s
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
OFFICERS’ ASSOCIATION
Heraghty House
4 Carlton Terrace
Novara Avenue
Bray,
Co. Wicklow.
Tel 01 2761211
Fax 01 2764665
Website www.ehoa.ie
E-mail ; [email protected]
Chairman
Shane Keane
Deputy Chairman
Caitriona Stack
Honorary Treasurer Noel Donnelly
Honorary Secretary
Jennifer Shorten
P.R.O.
Lisa Fitzpatrick
Administration
Deirdre Fitzsimons
Amanda Noctor
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
DEPARTMENT OF
HEALTH & CHILDREN
Floor 2
Hawkins House
Dublin 2
Tel: 01 6354400
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION AGENCY
EPA Headquarters
PO Box 3000
Johnstown Castle Estate
Co. Wexford
Ireland
Telephone: 053-9160600
Fax: 053-9160699
Lo Call: 1890 335599
FOOD SAFETY AUTHORITY
OF IRELAND
Abbey Court
Abbey Street,
Dublin 1
Tel: 01 8171300
Fax: 01 8171301
58
EHOA | yearbook 10/11 HEALTH & SAFETY AUTHORITY
10 Hogan Place, Dublin 2.
Tel : 01 6620400
Fax : 01 6620417
HEALTH SERVICE EXECUTIVE
Assistant National Director
National Environmental
Health Office
2nd Floor, Oak House,
Limetree Avenue
Millenium Park, Naas
Co. Kildare
Tel: 045 880442
Fax: 045 882554
For a list of Environmental
Health Offices please link on :
www.hse.ie/eng/services/
Find_a_Service/Environmental_
Health/Environmental_Health_
Officers/
HEALTH PROTECTION
SURVEILLANCE CENTRE
25-27 Middle Gardiner Street,
Dublin 1, Ireland.
Phone +353 1 8765300
Fax +353 1 8561299
HIQA
Head Office
Unit 1301, City Gate,
Mahon,
Cork
Tel : 021 2409300
Fax : 021 2409600
Smithfield Office
George’s Court,
George’s Lane,
Dublin 7.
Tel : 01 8147400
IRISH MEDICINES BOARD
Irish Medicines Board,
Kevin O’Malley House,
Earlsfort Centre,
Earlsfort Terrace,
Dublin 2,
Ireland.
Tel: 353-1-676 4971
Tel: 353-1-676 4976
Fax: 353-1-676 7836
NATIONAL HYGEINE
PARTNERSHIP
Abbey Court,
Block B,
Lower Abbey Street.
Dublin 1.
T: +353-1-448 0614
F: +353-1-448 0699
OFFICE OF TOBACCO
CONTROL
Willow House
Millenium Park
Naas
Co. Kildare
Tel: 045 852700
e-mail: [email protected]
web: www.otc.ie
PUBLIC ANALYST’S
LABORATORY
Public Analyst’s Laboratory,
St. Finbarr’s Hospital,
Douglas Road,
Cork.
Tel: 021 4923245
Fax: 021 4923367
Sir Patrick Duns,
Lower Grand Canal Street,
Dublin 2.
Also incorporates an Official
Food Microbiology Laboratory.
Tel: 01 6612022
Fax: 01 6628532
Dublin Public Health
Laboratory,
Cherry Orchard Hospital,
Dublin 10.
Tel: 01 6206175 / 76
Fax: 01 6231908
Seamus Quirke Road,
University College Hospital,
Galway.
Tel: 091 581122
Fax: 091 581212
RADIOLOGICAL PROTECTION
INSTITUTE OF IRELAND
3 Clonskeagh Square,
Dublin 14
Ireland
Tel: +353-1-2697766
Fax: +353-1-2697437
SAFEFOOD
7 Eastgate Ave
Eastgate Business Park
Little Island, Co. Cork.
Tel : 021 2304100
Fax : 021 2304111
LoCall 1850 40 45 67
SEA FISHERIES PROTECTION
AUTHORITY
Park Road, Clogheen,
Clonakilty, Co. Cork
Tel: 023 8859300
Fax: 023 8859720
Web: www.sfpa.ie
R.E.H.I.S.
3 Manor Place
Edinburgh EH3 7DH,
Scotland
Tel : 00441312256999
Fax : 00441312253993
C.I.E.H.
Chadwick House
Chadwick Court
14 Hatfields, London SE1 8DJ
Tel : 00442079286006
Fax : 00442078275865
CIEH NI
Philip House
123 York Street
Belfast, BT15 1AB
028 90243884
DEPARTMENT OF THE
ENVIRONMENT NORTHERN
IRELAND
Environment & Heritage Service
Calvert Place, , Belfast
Tel: +44 2890254754
Fax: +44 90254865
FOOD STANDARDS AGENCY
10b & 10c Clarendon Quay
Clarendon Dock
Clarendon Rd,
Belfast
Tel: +44 2890417700
Fax: +44 90417726
COLLEGES
DUBLIN INSTITUTE OF
TECHNOLOGY
School of Food Science and
Environmental Health
Cathal Brugha St.
Dublin 1, Ireland
Tel: + 353 01 402 4355
UNIVERSITY OF ULSTER
Jordanstown
Shore Rd, Newtownabbey,
Co. Antrim
Tel: +44 2990365131
Fax: +44 2890366840
www.ehoa.ie
TEN11
www.ehoa.ie
59
TEN11
1 in 3 retailers
is willing to
sell cigarettes
to minors
Source: OTC National Tobacco Retail Audit 2009
60
EHOA | yearbook 10/11 LoCall 1890 333100
www.ehoa.ie

AlsO A CAREER LESS ORDINARY From wine tasting to working in

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