Category: Respiratory Health
Erionite: An Emerging North American Hazard
Recent cases of lung disease suggest that erionite, a naturally-occurring fibrous mineral with health effects similar to asbestos, may pose a greater threat to workers than previously realized. Read more about erionite and how to prevent exposure in at-risk occupations such as road construction and maintenance work in areas where erionite-containing gravel or soil is present. Read More >
Posted on by 41 CommentsMap: Occurrences of Erionite
From Sheppard R. Occurrences of erionite in sedimentary rocks of the western United States. Denver, CO: US Department of the Interior, US Geological Survey; 1996. Open File Report 96–018. Read More >
Posted on byThe Continuing Persistence of Silicosis
Silica is the most abundant compound in the earth's crust. Inhalation of crystalline silica is the only cause of silicosis, a preventable but incurable type of lung fibrosis. Inhalation has also been associated with lung cancer, tuberculosis, COPD and other conditions. Read More >
Posted on by 25 CommentsLow-dose CT Scans and Lung Cancer Screening in the Occupational Setting
Lung cancer mortality is high and better survival prognosis for early stage cases makes early detection an appealing public health strategy. For years studies have been conducted to find an effective screening method; the NLST is the first randomized trial to show a significant reduction in mortality from lung cancer with low-dose CT screening. Read More >
Posted on by 11 CommentsHelical CT Scans and Lung Cancer Screening
New research has revealed that a relatively new form of screening using helical computerized tomography (CT) may result in fewer lung cancer deaths. This finding is of interest to the occupational safety and health community to potentially improve cancer screening among workers with increased risk for lung cancer because of past occupational exposures. Read More >
Posted on by 4 CommentsWarning: Surgeon General Finds that Cigarette Smoking Is Even More Dangerous to Your Health
Yesterday, the Surgeon General issued the 30th Surgeon General's Report on the dangers of smoking tobacco. Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in the United States, and is responsible for 443,000 deaths each year. Tobacco use can increase risk of illness for those exposed to carcinogens in the workplace and second-hand smoke can place non-smoking workers at risk for smoking-related diseases. Read More >
Posted on by 34 CommentsN95 Respirators and Surgical Masks
The emergence of H1N1 has created considerable interest about the use of surgical masks and respirators as infection control measures. Given the recent issuance of revised CDC infection control guidance for healthcare personnel that include recommendations for use of N95 respirators, NIOSH has posted a new blog that examines the scientific principles behind the design and performance of these devices. Read More >
Posted on by 163 CommentsRespiratory Protection for Terrorist Threats and Other Emergencies
This September 11th marks eight years since the devastating attacks on the World Trade Center. Since then, NIOSH has developed a systematic approach to identify the hazards that responders would face, assess the capabilities of existing respiratory protection equipment to provide protection against viable threats using benchmark testing, and set certification standards that stretch the capabilities of the protective technologies to enhance the protection offered to responders during CBRN events. Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsSecondhand Smoke and Casino Dealers
Simply working in a casino does not mean dealers must gamble with their health. Results of new research conducted by NIOSH on secondhand smoke—the exposure of non-smokers to tobacco smoke—confirm that dealers at the casinos investigated were exposed to secondhand smoke. Read More >
Posted on by 54 CommentsUsing Digital Chest Images to Monitor the Health of Coal Miners and Other Workers
Conventional screen-film chest radiographic imaging has been an indispensable tool for monitoring the lung health of miners and other dust-exposed workers. Over the next decade, conventional film-based radiography will be completely replaced by digital radiography systems in the United States and elsewhere. Read More >
Posted on by 15 CommentsDiacetyl and Food Flavorings
Commercial flavorings used in the food service industry are often complex mixtures of flavoring chemicals, many of which are volatile, meaning that they evaporate into the air from their liquid or solid form. Diacetyl is a prominent chemical ingredient in butter flavorings and is a component of the vapors coming from these and other flavorings. Inhalation of butter flavoring chemical mixtures, including diacetyl, has been associated with severe obstructive lung disease popularly know as "popcorn lung." Read More >
Posted on by 35 CommentsFaces of Black Lung
Black lung disease, which is caused by inhaling coal mine dust, results in scarring of the lungs and emphysema, shortness of breath, disability, and premature death. While the prevalence of black lung disease had decreased by about 90% from 1969 to 1995 following the enactment of the Coal Mine Health and Safety Act, the downward trend of this disease in coal miners has stopped. Since 1995, the prevalence of black lung cases has more than doubled. Read More >
Posted on by 8 CommentsThe “No Fit Test” Respirator Research Workshop
NIOSH is hosting the "No Fit Test" Respirator Research Workshop on November 6, 2008. The workshop aims to examine how the latest material technology (shape-changing polymers, adhesives, etc.) may be leveraged to improve current and future respirator designs including the long-term possibility of moving away from current fit-testing requirements, while preserving user protection. Read More >
Posted on by 24 Comments