Environmental Health Flashcards
What are the types of air pollution?
Particulate matter
Nitrogen dioxide
Sulphur dioxide
Ozone
What is the epidemiology of lung diseases?
Disproportionate morbidity in low and middle income countries.
Affects those living in urban areas, those aged 40+, history of asthma, exposure to second-hand smoke, occupation, and family history.
Which type of air pollution has the greatest impact on health?
Particulate matter, which are a mix of solid and liquid droplets that come from traffic and fuel combustion. It is the most toxic and associated with cardiorespiratory disease and lung cancer.
Which type of air pollution arises from fossil fuel burning?
Sulphur dioxide which arises from burning fossil fuels, that leads to poor lung function and contributes to asthma development.
What does pollution arise from?
Nitrogen dioxide which arises from road traffic and indoor gas cooking.
What is ozone?
Caused by the reaction of sunlight with pollutants from vehicle emissions, and is a major factor associated with asthma.
Which lung diseases caused by the environment?
Asthma
COPD
Pneumonicosis
Cancer of the lung and pleura
Pneumonitis
What are sources of particulate matter?
Indoor smoke fires used for cooking and tobacco smoke, that contributes to COPD and childhood respiratory infection.
How does air pollution affect children?
Increases the risk of asthma and lung development, with beginnings of atherosclerosis.
What is the most common occupational lung disease?
Occupational asthma, due to the over-exposure to irritants. Respiratory sensitisation will occur after exposure where following a latency period, asthma-like symptoms will develop after future exposure.
Which workers have a risk of occupational asthma?
Bakers due to flour and amylase enzyme
Veterinarians
Painters
Construction workers
Carpenters
Healthcare and veterinarians due to latex gloves
What is pneumonicosis?
Interstitial lung disease caused by repeated inhalation of dust typically through occupation which has a latency between exposure and disease development. These diseases include:
Silicosis
Asbestos
What is simple pneumonicosis?
AKA coal-worker’s pneumonicosis, Caused by inhalation of coal dust, which leads to carbon aggregates and scar tissue as small nodual aggregation. There are mild symptoms which include black sputum.
What is complicated pneumonicosis?
Exposure to coal dust that leads to progressive massive fibrosis of the lungs with large masses of fibrotic nodules that impacts the functional symptoms of a patient.
What is silicosis?
Caused by inhalation of silica dust that leads to damage to the lungs and prevents macrophages action, which affects the hilar lymph nodes and causes calcification, leading to a higher predisposition of TB and lung cancer.