Week 4 Thunderstorms, Fires and Building Kitchens Flashcards
T/F
Respiratory diseases are preventable
True
T/F
Respiratory diseases are not linked to environmental conditions
False, they are in particular to air quality
The 5 main respiratory conditions are…
- COPD
- Asthma
- Acute lower respiratory tract infection
- Tuberculosis
- Lung cancer
Some concerns outside of the main respiratory conditions include…
- Occupational lung disease
- Sleep-disordered breathing
- Pulmonary hypertension
- Pulmonary embolism
Some potential triggers that will affect/potentially cause respiratory disease that are respiratory global health concerns are…
Climate change and biological/chemical terrorism
In the top 10 Causes of death in 2019, Respiratory related conditions ranked…
- COPD
- Lower respiratory infection
- Lung cancer
T/F
Respiratory conditions are a leading cause of death and disease worldwide
True they are also a leading cause of death and disability
How many people have COPD and how many die of it per year?
65 million are affected and 3 million deaths/year
How many people have asthma?
334 million
How many people per year develop TB and die from it?
10 million develop TB and 1.4 million of those 10 die
How many people die from lung cancer a year?
1.6 million
What respiratory diseases are in the 10 Global causes of DALYS?
Lower respiratory infection and COPD
Respiratory conditions are … % of burden of disease?
8%
T/F
Respiratory disease is the 5th leading contributor to the total burden of disease
False, it is the 6th
T/F
50% of respiratory burden is non-fatal
False, 70% is non fatal
T/F
Burden of respiratory conditions is the same in men and women
True
What is the age group most affected by respiratory conditions?
70-74 yr olds
What …% of COPD burden and …% of total burden is attributed to tobacco smoking?
75% of COPD burden and 36% of total burden. This includes both passive smoking and smokers.
What is Asthma?
a long-term lung condition where the airways are sensitive and thus inflame when exposed to triggers( tobacco smoke, pollution, chemicals, house dust mites, pets …)
Symptoms of Asthma include…
shortness of breath, tightness of chest, cough, difficulty breathing
T/F
1 in 8 Australians have asthma
False, 1 in 10 have asthma
What population group is asthma more common in?
the prevalence of asthma is higher in women aged above 55 years
People who are at an increased risk of asthma attacks during thunderstorm asthma events are..
people with….
- no history of ashtma
- had childhood asthma
- asthmatics
Risk factors for thunderstorm asthma include…
Asthmatics, Hay fever sufferers and the Rye grasspollen trifecta
How to prevent thunderstorm asthma attacks?
Manage asthma and hay fever, carry reliever medication, monitor pollen forecast, and weather, masks, education
Public health response to Thunderstorm asthma and how will these be measured as sucessful
- Coroner investigation into the 10 deaths
- State government investment of >$15 million to predicting and responding to these events
- pollen monitoring systems and forecasting systems
- Public health campaigns
- clinical guidelines to manage risk
- revised state health emergency response plan
- process for warnings on VicEmergency website and app.
How successful these are will only be known in another mass Thunderstorm asthma event.
What is the Hazelwood Health Study?
It is an ongoing and long-term study looking at the resident of Hazelwood who was exposed to smoke from the Hazelwood fire and coal mine fire for 45days. The research questions explored the effect of heavy smoke on…
- dev of heart and lung conditions
- pregnancy and infancy
- psychological distress
- development of cancer
Key findings of the Hazelwood Study?
- decreased lung function
- increased chest tightness and chronic cough
- increased COPD in nonsmokers.
Adults with Asthma when comparing Morewell residents and Sale residents ….
No difference was found in asthma symptoms, the severity of lung function/airway inflamm but it was found that Morewell residents were on medium to high doses of preventers as compared to unexposed population
Residents who were pregnant at the time of the Hazelwood fire report…
More incidence of cough, runny nose, wheeze, and URT infection. Unsure if this is a bias as we have an awareness of the exposure
Results of the Hazelwood study have potential confounding factors which are…
Social determinants of health ( Income, Access to health services, adherence to medication/health literacy, exposure to other sources of smoke/open fire heating systems)
Modified Monash Model of Rurality and Remoteness and Morewell
doesn’t only look at a distance but also looks at factors that can affect recruiting and maintaining a health workforce like education and school availability. Morwell( where the Hazelwood fires were) are closed 3 which means they have lower access to health services which could be affecting their recorded outcomes as seen in the Hazelwood study.
Health effects of Bushfire smoke
Asthma, COPD, other resp infections both during and after.
Also may increase CV morbidity, psychological disorders, adverse birth outcomes and eye irritation
Social determinants of health effects of bushfire smoke
homelessness, poverty, social disruption/social isolation –> mental health
Health of Firefighters
- surprisingly lower mortality thought to be the string healthy worker effect and lower rates of smoking
- no evidence of an increase in CV and resp mortality
- statistically significant increase in prostate cancer and melanoma
What is Silicosis?
An occupational lung disease that damages the lung air sacs, causes scarring and fibrosis.
It causes breathing difficulties, cough, weight loss, and tiredness.
It increases the risk of other respiratory problems
Engineered stone silica content in comparison to marble and effect
95% to 4% meaning more crystalline silica/silica dust gets lodged in the lungs and causes disease
3 forms of silicosis
- Acute Silicosis
- Accelerated Silicosis
- Chronic Silicosis
Define
Acute Silicosis
- develops after short exposure ,few weeks to years , of very high levels of silica dust
- causes severe inflammation and as outpouring of protein into the lungs
Define
Accelerated Silicosis
it develops after exposure of 3-10 yrs to moderate-high levels of silica dust.
Causes inflamm, protein in the lungs and scarring of the lungs/fibrotic nodules
Lung function deteriorated 10x faster than age-related deterioration
Chronic Silicosis
It develops after long-term exposure to lower levels of silica dust.
10+ yrs of exposure.
it is the “classic” silicosis
Does Silicosis have a cure?
No, but it can be prevented
Silicosis prevention methods
Wet cutting, proper ventilation, washing hands and clothes, PPE
Cutting the stone dry for 30 minutes ….
exposes a worker to 400x the 8-hour exposure limit
What is the rough Australian/ Queensland prevalence of silicosis amongst stone workers?
~12%( 98/800)
It is estimated ….. will develop silicosis
5,700 poeple
T/F
In December 2019 the estimate of cases was 500 nation wide
No, it was 350
It is estimated …..% of workers exposed pre-2018 are diagnosed with silicosis
25%
National Dust Sisease Taskforce recommendations
