Dr. Changjie Cai Receives Prestigious Award for Research on Reducing Airborne Particles from Flushing High Water Pressure Hospital Toilets

Dr. Changjie Cai, assistant professor in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, has received the James D’Arcy JOEH Research Article Award for his groundbreaking study on reducing airborne particles generated by flushing institutional flush-O-meter (FOM) toilets, which can generage 3-12 times as many droplets as other types of toilets.

His article, “Reducing the particles generated by flushing institutional toilets. Part II: Assessing a portable and reusable toilet cover in U.S. hospitals,” was selected as the best paper of 2024 by a panel of six judges from the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (JOEH). This esteemed award recognizes excellence in research published in JOEH, a flagship journal affiliated with the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH).

Dr. Cai’s study addresses a critical public health concern—how toilet flushing in healthcare settings can generate airborne particles, potentially contributing to the spread of infectious diseases. His research evaluates the effectiveness of a portable and reusable toilet cover designed to minimize this risk, offering a practical solution for infection control in hospitals and other institutional settings. This multi-center research enrolled 15 hospital centers (145 toilets) in nine U.S. states which included seven National Cancer Institute designated comprehensive cancer centers.

This recognition underscores Dr. Cai’s contributions to occupational and environmental health and highlights the impactful research being conducted at the Hudson College of Public Health.

Congratulations to Dr. Cai on this well-deserved honor!