Lecture 20: Industrial Diseases Flashcards
1
Q
Bernardino Ramazzini
A
- Father of Occupational Medicine
- doctor who was concerned about diseases of workers
- urged doctors to ask patients about occupation to find out if that is the cause of disease; “occupation vital clue of diagnosis”
2
Q
How did the Industrial Revolution increase occupational disease?
A
- caused people to be exposed to chemicals for long periods of time in work and everyday life due to mass production of new items
- Matter Hatter: mercury poisoning in hats makers; 80% of workers had symptoms aka twitching and shaking
3
Q
Occupational Safety and Health Act, 1970
A
- Nixon passed act to administer safety in occupations
- establishes mandatory safety and standards for worksites
- helped protect workers from occupational disease and accidents
4
Q
Black Lung
A
- aka Pneumoconiosis aka Miner’s Lung
- results from long term exposure to coal dust
- causes inflammation then build up of scar tissue (damage to alveoli)
5
Q
Increase in the prevalence of Black Lung after WW2
A
- productivity went up after WW2
- led to increase of coal mining because it became more mechanized
6
Q
Decrease of Black Lung
A
- Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act helped significantly decrease Black Lung in miners
- labor unions
7
Q
Recent Increase of Black Lung
A
- new technologies = more coal dust
- longwall drills chew through rock and coal smothers, creating more dust
- looser regulations
8
Q
Asbestos
A
- a natural mineral used to insulate houses
- fibrous and nonflammable
9
Q
How is asbestos dangerous?
A
- fibers of asbestos break, and keep breaking into smaller and smaller pieces
- fine dust can remain in air and get breathed in
- white blood cells unable to dissolve fibers; sends help signals and causes inflammation and build up of scar tissue
- takes decades of long term exposure
10
Q
Asbestos as a carcinogen hypotheses
A
- Tangles chromosomes because of cleaving?
- Inflammatory response?
- Concentrates other carcinogens?
