Category: Respiratory Health

A Deeper Look into Protecting Wildland Firefighter Safety and Health

  Wildland firefighters perform a hazardous job in dangerous conditions. Their daily tasks pose risk of burns and other heat-related injuries or illnesses; slips, trips, falls, strains, and sprains; and becoming trapped or injured by equipment or debris.1 In addition, exposures related to fighting fires—especially when it comes to smoke inhalation—have been classified as “carcinogenic,” Read More >

Posted on by Kathleen Navarro DuBose, PhD, MPH; Kenny Fent, PhD, CIH; Rick Swan; & Jay Tarley, CFEILeave a comment

Protecting Workers and the Public from Wildfire Smoke

  The Canadian wildfires highlight the hazard of wildfire smoke, an issue faced annually by many communities across the United States. In this blog, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and National Center for Environmental Health teamed up with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to provide Read More >

Posted on by Maryann M. D’Alessandro, PhD; Meghan Kiederer, BA; Joseph Schall, MA; Maria Mirabelli, PhD, MPH; Susan Stone, MS; CAPT Lisa Delaney, MS, CIH; CAPT Christa Hale, DVM, MPH, DACVPM (Epi); Lew Radonovich, MD4 Comments

The National Mesothelioma Virtual Bank: Advancing Research and Treatment

The National Mesothelioma Virtual Bank (NMVB) is a virtual biospecimen tissue biorepository that was developed in 2006 at the University of Pittsburgh in partnership with a network of sites in the mid-Atlantic region.  It was created to assist researchers and healthcare professionals better understand and treat malignant mesothelioma. Malignant mesothelioma is a rare, aggressive, and Read More >

Posted on by Chris Garner and Susan Copelli1 Comment

The Risk of COPD is Increased for Workers in Certain Industries and Occupations and with Certain Occupational Exposures

  November is National COPD Prevention Month.  COPD – chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – is characterized by airflow obstruction and breathing-related problems. The term COPD includes the conditions of emphysema and chronic bronchitis.  COPD is a major cause of illness in the United States.  It affects at least 15 million US adult men and women Read More >

Posted on by Paul K. Henneberger, MPH, ScD5 Comments

Welder’s Anthrax

  A new journal article from researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Bacterial Special Pathogens Branch describes cases of welder’s anthrax, a newly identified, deadly occupational disease. Welder’s anthrax is defined as pneumonia in a metalworker caused by bacteria within the Read More >

Posted on by Marie A. de Perio, Katherine A. Hendricks, Chad H. Dowell, William A. Bower, Nancy C. Burton, Patrick Dawson, Caroline A. Schrodt, Johanna S. Salzer, Chung K. Marston, Karl Feldmann, Alex R. Hoffmaster, and James M. Antonini9 Comments

Respiratory Health Research at NIOSH

  The history of protecting workers’ respiratory health pre-dates the creation of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).  In 1967 the Appalachian Laboratory for Occupational Respiratory Disease (ALFORD) was established within the U.S. Public Health Service (see related blog). ALFORD subsequently joined NIOSH in 1971, became the Division of Respiratory Disease Studies Read More >

Posted on by Kristin J. Cummings, MD, MPH; Douglas O. Johns, M.S., Ph.D; Jacek Mazurek, MD, MS, PhD; Frank J. Hearl, SM, PE; and David N. Weissman, MDLeave a comment

COPD Awareness

November is National COPD Awareness Month and November 17, 2021 is World COPD Day. This year’s theme, “Healthy Lungs – Never More Important,” highlights that even during the COVID pandemic, COPD remains a leading cause of death worldwide and it remains important to focus on lung health. COPD, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, is a Read More >

Posted on by Girija Syamlal, MBBS, MPH5 Comments

Taking it to the Streets… and the Mines

Two unique NIOSH programs bring vital safety and health screening directly to miners. Mobile Hearing Tests Miners are at increased risk for noise-induced hearing loss from the use of high-powered motorized equipment, air-powered tools, and work involving striking, drilling and digging. To protect workers’ hearing, employers must have a hearing conservation program in place which Read More >

Posted on by Amanda Azman, Au.D; Cara N. Halldin, PhD, MPH; Christopher Parker; and Julie Tisdale-Pardi, MA1 Comment

Lung Disease in Textile Workers

This blog is part of a series for NIOSH’s 50th anniversary highlighting research and prevention throughout the Institute’s history. Background Since the 1970s, NIOSH has worked to prevent illness from cotton dust. Byssinosis is an airways disease with features of both asthma and COPD that occurs with exposure to cotton dust. In the early 1970s, Read More >

Posted on by David C. Christiani, MD, MPH, SM3 Comments

Jobs and Exposures That Increase Risk for Developing COPD Later in Life

The 19th annual World COPD Day is November 18, 2020. COPD – chronic obstructive pulmonary disease – includes the chronic lung conditions of chronic bronchitis and emphysema, which are characterized by airflow obstruction and breathing-related problems. COPD is a major cause of illness, with an estimated 300 million cases worldwide, and is the 3rd leading Read More >

Posted on by Sharon R. Silver, MS, MA; Walter A. Alarcon MD, MSc; and Jia Li, MS16 Comments

NIOSH Ventilated Headboard Provides Solution to Patient Isolation During an Epidemic

To protect healthcare workers, other patients, and visitors from exposure to airborne infectious diseases, patients in hospital settings sometimes need to be placed in airborne infection isolation rooms (AIIRs). AIIRs contain specific engineered features to isolate and more-quickly remove potentially infectious patient aerosols so that they do not infect others. Isolation rooms are expensive, costing Read More >

Posted on by Kenneth R. Mead Ph.D., PE20 Comments

Are There Nano- and Microplastics in the Workplace?

The growing problem of plastic pollution in the environment is receiving an increasing amount of attention (see article in Nature). Small particles of plastics are often referred to as microplastics (plastic particles smaller than 5 mm [1]) and nanoplastics (the nanoscale fraction of plastic particles). Nano- and microplastic particles (NMPPs) can be formed through environmental Read More >

Posted on by Vladimir Murashov, PhD; Charles L. Geraci, Jr., PhD, CIH, FAIHA ; Paul Schulte, PhD; and John Howard, MD9 Comments

The Burden of Work-Related Asthma

Over 300 workplace substances have been identified to cause new-onset asthma and the list continues to grow 1, 2. Other substances can aggravate pre-existing asthma, causing increased illness and medication requirements. Work-related asthma (WRA) comprises both new-onset and work-aggravated asthma3. An estimated 15-55% of all adult asthma is related to work4-7. Since 1988, Michigan has Read More >

Posted on by Kenneth D. Rosenman, MD, and Mary Jo Reilly, MS3 Comments

NIOSH Launches Respiratory Protection Week in Celebration of 100 Years of Respiratory Protection

September is here, and we NIOSH employees have put away our Labor Day picnics to get back to the work of protecting the American labor force…. And, of course, celebrating N95 Day! Right? Yes and no. You see, this year is special. This year marks an important anniversary in the history of respiratory protection. One Read More >

Posted on by Jaclyn Krah Cichowicz, MA6 Comments

Improving Occupational Safety and Health in the Construction and Mining Industries

With nearly 126 million full-time U.S. workers at risk of occupational illness and injury, it is critical to prioritize our research efforts to address the most important issues. One approach used by NIOSH and its partners to establish priorities is to consider the burden, need, and impact of potential research topics. This method allows us Read More >

Posted on by Scott Earnest, PhD, PE, CSP; Eileen P. Betit and Dana R. Willmer, PhD2 Comments

The Use of Real-time Respirable Dust Monitors

Sensors are an increasing presence in our lives—from wearable gadgets to smart buildings, from autonomous vehicles to smart cities. In occupational health and safety, sensors are used widely for exposure monitoring, emergency response, and safer worker-machine interfaces. The use of sensors as real-time respirable dust monitors is a targeted application with its own specific challenges. Read More >

Posted on by Emanuele Cauda, PhD, and Justin Patts, BSME4 Comments

Spirometry Training Video Release

“Fill your lungs completely…and blast the air out! Keep blowing until I tell you to stop.” This coaching will sound familiar if you’ve ever performed a breathing test known as spirometry. Valid spirometry testing requires full participant effort and a carefully trained technician. Spirometry tests lung function by measuring how much and how hard a Read More >

Posted on by Kathleen Rogers, BS, RRTLeave a comment

New Research on Worker Tobacco Use

An estimated one in five working U.S. adults use some type of tobacco product according to new research from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Of the estimated 32.7 million working adults who used tobacco, an estimated 6.9 million use two or more tobacco products Read More >

Posted on by Girija Syamlal, MBBS, MPH5 Comments

Cured-in-Place-Pipe (CIPP): Inhalation and Dermal Exposure Risks Associated with Sanitary Sewer, Storm Sewer, and Drinking Water Pipe Repairs

Background Cured-in-place-pipe (CIPP) is the most popular water pipe repair method used in the U.S. for sanitary sewer, storm sewer, and is increasingly being used for drinking water pipe repairs. Today, approximately 50% of all damaged pipes are being repaired using CIPP technology. The CIPP procedure involves the chemical manufacture of a new plastic pipe Read More >

Posted on by Andrew J. Whelton, PhD; Jonathan Shannahan, PhD; Brandon E. Boor, PhD; John A. Howarter, PhD; Jeffrey P. Youngblood, PhD; and Chad T. Jafvert, PhD. 29 Comments

N95 Day 2017: When to think Beyond the N95 FFR

Buckle your seat belts! Put on your high-speed safety gear! We’re about to blast off on a journey to explore the N95 respirator … and beyond. It’s N95 Day, and that means we are focusing on respiratory protection, and invite you to do the same. We’ll make it easy. NIOSH and our N95 Day partners Read More >

Posted on by Margaret Sietsema, PhD, and Jaclyn Krah Cichowicz, MA 9 Comments