Conjunctivitis in Puerto Rico and Identifying Airborne Irritants, Allergens and Surface Pathogens that Can Cause the Condition

Following the devastation in Puerto Rico that resulted from Hurricane Maria, rates of conjunctivitis, commonly referred to as pink eye, soared as reported in an article by The Washington Post. However, conjunctivitis does not just occur following a natural disaster.
 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports it is one of the most common and treatable eye conditions in the world and it can affect both children and adults. Each year, the agency states that 3 million school days are missed by children in public schools across the United States due to conjunctivitis.
 
The condition is an inflammation of the thin, clear tissue that lines the inside of the eyelid and the white part of the eyeball. This inflammation makes blood vessels more visible and gives the eye a pink or reddish color. The four main types of conjunctivitis include viral, bacterial, allergic and conjunctivitis caused by irritants. Viral and bacterial conjunctivitis can be very contagious, being spread from one infected person to others through close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands; the air by coughing and sneezing; and touching an object or surface with germs on it, then touching the eyes before washing one’s hands.
 
“Allergic conjunctivitis is not contagious and is a result of the body’s reaction to allergens, such as pollen from trees, plants, grasses and weeds; dust mites; mold; pet dander; and other sources,” said Harry Pena, President of Zimmetry Environmental. “Conjunctivitis caused by irritants is also not contagious and is caused by irritation from a foreign body in the eye or contact with smoke, dust, fumes, chemical vapors and other irritants. These airborne irritants could be from indoor or outdoor pollution sources.”
 
For residents of Puerto Rico there are indoor environmental quality (IEQ) tests available from Zimmetry Environmental to identify many of these airborne allergens and irritants. Surface testing can also be performed to test for some bacterial causes, including Staphylococcus aureus. These surface tests can be instrumental for assessing cleaning and disinfecting procedures if an outbreak of bacterial conjunctivitis has occurred. Zimmetry also recently sponsored an educational video about many of the common causes of pink eye that can be seen at: https://youtu.be/wo3F0OAXF-g
 
To learn more about Zimmetry Environmental and their air, surface and indoor environmental quality testing and consulting services, please visit www.zimmetry.com, call (787) 995.0005 or email info@zimmetry.com .
 
About Zimmetry Environmental
Since 2002, Zimmetry Environmental has been providing environmental consulting services to building owners and managers, architects, engineers, EHS professionals and Fortune 500 companies. The company is based in Puerto Rico and provides services across the Caribbean and Central America. The professionals at Zimmetry offer environmental compliance, indoor air quality, asbestos, lead-based paint, Phase I ESAs and general environmental consulting services.
 

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Paul Cochrane

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Cochrane & Associates, LLC

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