Environmental and Occupational Health Issues in Public Health

Pneumoconiosis or Black Lung is a disease caused by exposure to mineral dust, coal dust, asbestos, and silicia. Exposure occurs to miners and workers that are breathing contaminated air in confined spaces without adequate usage of personal protective equipment (PPE). The mineral dust deposits in the lung tissue and overtime, creates spots of dead lung tissue. Symptoms of pneumoconiosis usually begin with a non-productive cough and progresses to shortness of breath. As exposure continues, the lung tissue scars resulting in hypoxia that  eventually leads to death. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has set guidelines and recommendations for a Recommended Exposure Limit for coal miner exposure to coal dust. The NIOSH recommends that coal miners limit their respiratory exposure to coal dust to no more than 1mg/m3 per 10 hr day but no more than 40 hr/week. Coal miners have an increased risk of developing Coal Workers Pneumoconiosis (CWP), Chronic Obstructive

The World Health Organization (WHO) is engaging in the  Workers' Health: Global Plan of Action to improve the  occupational health services worldwide. According to the WHO, only 15% of the workforce worldwide has access to specialized occupational health services, safe worker training, first aid at the work site, and adequate work related health surveillance.  The WHO encourages countries "to work towards full coverage of all workers, including those in the informal economy, small- and medium-sized enterprises, agriculture, and migrant and contractual workers, with essential interventions and basic occupational health services for primary prevention of occupational and work-related diseases and injuries.”  In addition the WHO believes that primary care services should be enabled to deliver preventive, curative and rehabilitation to workers as needed. A people-centred care approach is recommended to address the specific health needs of workers, especially to those who d

T amoxifen Citrate is a chemotherapeutic agent given to women undergoing metastatic breast cancer treatment. The chemical name for Tamoxifen is 2- [4(1Z)-1,2-diphenyl-1-buten-yl)phenoxy]  -N,N-dimethyl-ethanamine. This medication is available in oral tablets or an oral solution and is highly toxic. The MSDS describes Tamoxifen as Category 1A carcinogen and reproductive toxin. It can also cause harm to breastfeeding babies. Safety precautions that should be used when administering this medication include wearing gloves and washing hand after handling it, not breathing it or breaking the tablets, and avoid contact during pregnancy or nursing. If accidentally swallowed, it is advised to call poison control. In addition to ingestion instructions, there are specific instructions on first aid measures in case of inhalation, skin contact, and eye contact.   All nurses are trained to administer medications during their schooling and orientation. In addition, chemotherapy nurs

When I was a nurse in the hospital setting there were several potential workplace  hazards that included chemical, biological, and radiological exposures. Medicines are chemical exposures and have a range of toxicities depending on amount and type of medicine. Chemotherapy, for example, is highly toxic and oncology nurses are exposed to these chemicals regularly. Nurses are also exposed to biological hazards that can cause infection or illness and radiological exposures that include X-rays. Training on how to keep nurses safe is required to understand how to use required safety precautions and use PPE when necessary.  The Hierarchy of Controls is used to reduce the risk of chemical, biological, and radiological exposure. One common area where nurses often have a biological exposure is when administering injections. Changes in technological and administration techniques have decrease exposure risk. When administering an injection, nurses are required to use gloves (PPE) to prot

Wow! These videos were amazing and have so much information. I really applaud the six class chemical approach for several reasons including that they do not allow replacing one toxic chemical with another. Her example of how the government banned brominated-tris to just have industry replace it with chlorinated-tris, a practically identical chemical! It is also unbelievable that there is no sufficiently governing body over the chemical industry. I am tired of hearing about how industry can just "market" test their products and we have to chase them with data of toxicity years later! The six classes of chemicals include highly fluorinated chemicals, antimicrobials, flame retardants, bisphenols and phthalates, solvents, and metals. Highly fluorinated chemicals are found in many things like building materials, cookware, clothing. Ninety-seven percent of Americans have evidence of these chemicals in their bodies! That's insane! They have been shown to cause kidney and tes

Green Chemistry is an incredibly practical, logical, and thoughtful way to utilize our chemicals in industry and in our lives. Chemicals are all around us and don't need to have a bad or toxic connotation. If we could be smart about how we produce and use chemicals, we could dramatically reduce the amount of waste, pollution, and toxicity.  Green chemistry reduces waste starting in the design and production of the chemicals themselves. " Green chemistry reduces pollution at its source by minimizing or eliminating the hazards of chemical feedstocks, reagents, solvents, and products". This method of production can save money and reduce pollution every step of the production process. Green chemistry seems like another no-brainer. All we need is policy that supports the production of green chemistry that provides incentives for industries to change. 

It is incredible to realize how overtly toxic lead is to the human body. It causes havoc in a variety of physiological ways including binding to enzymes and distorting their functions, inhibiting Ca 2+ ions from entering the cell, and crossing the blood brain barrier and interferes with myelin formation resulting in diffuse neurological dysfunction. Studies have indicated that kids exposed to lead experience long lasting negative effects that include, having a hard time in school, lower reading levels, fine motor difficulty, and lower grades. Other studies show that lead poisoning increases the risk for kids to have aggressive behaviors, attention deficits, and lower IQ. Lead can be stored in the bones, replacing calcium. During pregnancy, women with previous lead exposures leach lead from their bones and passed it on to their developing fetuses. The fetuses are then exposed to lead during fetal development and are born with lead exposure and it’s toxic effects