Transmission is conducted by contact with infested clothing or bedding. The third species is the pubic louse, Phthirus pubis, commonly known as the crab louse. This species also is nondiscriminatory. It will infest anyone of any race or socioeconomic status, and infestation is most common in sexually active adults. It is uncertain whether transmission of this type of louse occurs from bedding or clothing.
Nosocomial transmission is considered to be very unlikely.
At the hospital where I am now employed, the nurses keep specimen containers in the ORs that are already filled with formalin. I would like to put a stop to this unsafe practice, but I need justification. Occupational exposure to formalin is regulated by OSHA standard 29 CFR 1910.1048. Formalin is a potential human carcinogen. In humans, formaldehyde exposure has been associated with cancers of the lung, nasopharynx and oropharynx, and nasal passages.