Published on: June 24, 2016

Richmond, B.C. – Victoria student Zofka Svec, age 12, earned WorkSafeBC's Al Appleton award after demonstrating what could be an effective disinfectant for hospital superbug, Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) at the 2016 Vancouver Island Regional Science Fair.

Zofka's project, which took eight months to complete and was displayed at the University of Victoria, studied the effectiveness of seven different disinfectants including varying strengths of ethanol, diluted hydrogen peroxide, quaternary ammonium salt, a thyme oil derivative and bleach.

"I thought bleach would work best because it's what's currently used in hospitals," says Zofka. "I learned that 30 per cent diluted hydrogen peroxide was 98 per cent effective on Bacillus subtilis a similar, but safer, bacteria to handle than C. difficile."

Zofka's interest in stopping the spread of disease was triggered after her mother contracted and survived a C. difficile infection.

"I wanted to help others like my mom because I found out this was a really big problem in hospitals," she says.

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, C. difficile is one of the most common infections found in hospitals and long-term care facilities; symptoms include fever, loss of appetite, nausea, diarrhea and abdominal pain.

"Zofka's project was (selected as) the winner because she showed a level of understanding that this could have a big potential impact on health care," says Ray Merriman, WorkSafeBC occupational hygiene officer and award judge.

Created in memory of Al Appleton, long-serving WorkSafeBC prevention manager and occupational hygiene officer, provincial awards are given annually to BC students in Grades 7–12 whose projects best demonstrate the principles of occupational hygiene: identifying, assessing and controlling health hazards in the workplace.

Zofka, who attends Maria Montessori Academy, is planning on pursuing a career in virology, immunology and disease prevention.

"That's what I want to do with my life — stop the spread of disease," she says.

WorkSafeBC is an independent provincial statutory agency governed by a Board of Directors that serves 2.3 million workers and 225,000 employers. WorkSafeBC was born from the historic compromise between B.C.'s workers and employers in 1917 where workers gave up the right to sue their employers and fellow workers for injuries on the job in return for a no-fault insurance program fully paid for by employers. WorkSafeBC is committed to safe and healthy workplaces and to providing return-to-work rehabilitation and legislated compensation benefits.

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Contact:

For more information or to arrange an interview with Zofka, contact:

Erica Simpson, Media Relations, WorkSafeBC
erica.simpson@worksafebc.com
Tel: 604.214.6934 Cell: 778.874.0281