P
PressRoom
Guest
Your lungs work hard. Most adults take more than 20,000 breaths a day. But just how well your lungs do their job may be affected by the job you do. Chemicals, germs. tobacco smoke and dirt. Fibers, dust, and even things you might not think are dangerous can damage your airway and threaten your lungs. Below is a list of the jobs if taken up may have your lungs at risk.
---
1. Bartending and Waitressing: Serving drinks in a smoke-filled room puts bartenders at high risk for lung disease, especially if they are regularly exposed to second-hand smoke over many years.
2. Housekeeping and Cleaning: Some cleaning supplies have harmful chemicals that have been linked with developing asthma. "Cleaners are reactive chemicals, meaning that they react with dirt and also with your lung tissues,"
3. Health Care: Doctors, nurses, and other people who work in hospitals, medical offices, or nursing homes are at increased risk for lung diseases such as tuberculosis, influenza, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Health care workers may also develop asthma if latex is used in gloves or other supplies. Latex-free synthetic gloves are an alternative.
4. Hair Styling: Some hair-coloring agents can lead to occupational asthma. Some salon hair-straightening products contain formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. It's also a strong eye, nose, throat, and lung irritant. Good ventilation is important. Because wearing a respirator might cause appointments to cancel, know what's in the products you're working with. If they're not safe, find a safer product.
5. Manufacturing: Some factory workers risk getting asthma or making their existing asthma worse. Asthma not caused by work but made worse by it affects as many as 25% of adults with asthma. Factory workers can be exposed to everything from inhaled metals in foundries to silica or fine sand, which can lead to silicosis, a disease that scars the lung, or increased risk of lung cancer.
6. Construction: Workers who demolish old buildings or do remodeling can be exposed to asbestos used as insulation around pipes or in floor tiles. Even minimal exposure to its microscopic fibers has been linked to a variety of problems. One is mesothelioma, a form of cancer.
Exposure also seems to raise the risk of small-cell lung cancer and can lead to asbestosis, or scarring of the lung. Removal should be left to trained and licensed crews.
7. Farming: Working with crops and animals can lead to several disorders. Hypersensitivity pneumonitis is a rare but serious problem caused by repeated exposures to mold-contaminated grain or hay. The lung's air sacs become inflamed and may develop scar tissue.
Grain in metal bins can get moldy. Breathing dust from this grain can lead to fevers, chills, and a flu-like illness called "organic dust toxic syndrome." Farmers also are more likely to report a cough and chest tightness.
8. Auto Body Spray Painting: People who work in auto body shops are often exposed to chemicals known as isocyanates and polyurethane products, which can irritate skin, create allergies, and cause chest tightness and severe breathing trouble. They're a significant cause of occupational asthma. Using quality respirators that are appropriate for your task can lessen the risk. It also helps to enclose the area being sprayed and to have a ventilated exhaust system. Better yet, replace hazardous materials with safer ones.
9. Firefighting: Firefighters can inhale smoke and a wide range of chemicals that may be present in a burning building. Although the breathing apparatus does a good job of protecting them, it isn't always worn, especially during the so-called overhaul phase, when firefighters sift through debris to ensure that the fire doesn't reignite. Exposure to toxic materials and asbestos is a risk even after the fire is out. The International Association of Firefighters recommends wearing respiratory protective equipment at all stages of firefighting.
10. Coal Mining: Miners are at high risk for a number of lung diseases, including COPD, because of dust exposure. Airborne silica, also known as quartz, can lead to silicosis, a disease that scars lungs. Coal miners are at risk for another type of lung-scarring disease called pneumoconiosis (black lung). Years of exposure to coal dust is the culprit. Not smoking and using dust-filtering masks can help.
11. Textiles: Byssinosis, also called brown lung disease, is common among textile workers who make upholstery, towels, socks, bed linens, and clothes. Workers can inhale particles released from cotton or other materials. "When cotton is ripped apart, it creates huge amounts of dust and can cause significant airflow obstruction," Dr. Harber, says. Smoking increases the risk. Wearing a mask and improving ventilation in the work environment can be beneficial.
12. Baking: Baking is near the top of the list of asthma-provoking jobs, which altogether account for an estimated 15% of new asthma cases in adults. Bakers who are exposed to flour dust are at very significant risk of developing allergic sensitization. An asthmatic reaction to enzymes used to alter the consistency of dough, as well as allergens shed by bugs, such as beetles, moths, and weevils, often found in flour, is common as well. Good ventilation and the use of a protective mask can help prevent illness.
13. Transportation: Delivery truck drivers, those who unload merchandise on loading docks, and railroad industry workers can be at risk for COPD. Diesel exhaust is the biggest factor. Although engines now emit less diesel exhaust due to improvements and use cleaner-burning diesel fuel, diesel exhaust is still widespread. Staying out of the direct line of diesel exhaust and wearing protective masks help reduce the risk of lung disease.
---
PS: This information as a guide culled from health-related articles, contents and interviews.
---
1. Bartending and Waitressing: Serving drinks in a smoke-filled room puts bartenders at high risk for lung disease, especially if they are regularly exposed to second-hand smoke over many years.
2. Housekeeping and Cleaning: Some cleaning supplies have harmful chemicals that have been linked with developing asthma. "Cleaners are reactive chemicals, meaning that they react with dirt and also with your lung tissues,"
3. Health Care: Doctors, nurses, and other people who work in hospitals, medical offices, or nursing homes are at increased risk for lung diseases such as tuberculosis, influenza, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). Health care workers may also develop asthma if latex is used in gloves or other supplies. Latex-free synthetic gloves are an alternative.
4. Hair Styling: Some hair-coloring agents can lead to occupational asthma. Some salon hair-straightening products contain formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. It's also a strong eye, nose, throat, and lung irritant. Good ventilation is important. Because wearing a respirator might cause appointments to cancel, know what's in the products you're working with. If they're not safe, find a safer product.
5. Manufacturing: Some factory workers risk getting asthma or making their existing asthma worse. Asthma not caused by work but made worse by it affects as many as 25% of adults with asthma. Factory workers can be exposed to everything from inhaled metals in foundries to silica or fine sand, which can lead to silicosis, a disease that scars the lung, or increased risk of lung cancer.
6. Construction: Workers who demolish old buildings or do remodeling can be exposed to asbestos used as insulation around pipes or in floor tiles. Even minimal exposure to its microscopic fibers has been linked to a variety of problems. One is mesothelioma, a form of cancer.
Exposure also seems to raise the risk of small-cell lung cancer and can lead to asbestosis, or scarring of the lung. Removal should be left to trained and licensed crews.
7. Farming: Working with crops and animals can lead to several disorders. Hypersensitivity pneumonitis is a rare but serious problem caused by repeated exposures to mold-contaminated grain or hay. The lung's air sacs become inflamed and may develop scar tissue.
Grain in metal bins can get moldy. Breathing dust from this grain can lead to fevers, chills, and a flu-like illness called "organic dust toxic syndrome." Farmers also are more likely to report a cough and chest tightness.
8. Auto Body Spray Painting: People who work in auto body shops are often exposed to chemicals known as isocyanates and polyurethane products, which can irritate skin, create allergies, and cause chest tightness and severe breathing trouble. They're a significant cause of occupational asthma. Using quality respirators that are appropriate for your task can lessen the risk. It also helps to enclose the area being sprayed and to have a ventilated exhaust system. Better yet, replace hazardous materials with safer ones.
9. Firefighting: Firefighters can inhale smoke and a wide range of chemicals that may be present in a burning building. Although the breathing apparatus does a good job of protecting them, it isn't always worn, especially during the so-called overhaul phase, when firefighters sift through debris to ensure that the fire doesn't reignite. Exposure to toxic materials and asbestos is a risk even after the fire is out. The International Association of Firefighters recommends wearing respiratory protective equipment at all stages of firefighting.
10. Coal Mining: Miners are at high risk for a number of lung diseases, including COPD, because of dust exposure. Airborne silica, also known as quartz, can lead to silicosis, a disease that scars lungs. Coal miners are at risk for another type of lung-scarring disease called pneumoconiosis (black lung). Years of exposure to coal dust is the culprit. Not smoking and using dust-filtering masks can help.
11. Textiles: Byssinosis, also called brown lung disease, is common among textile workers who make upholstery, towels, socks, bed linens, and clothes. Workers can inhale particles released from cotton or other materials. "When cotton is ripped apart, it creates huge amounts of dust and can cause significant airflow obstruction," Dr. Harber, says. Smoking increases the risk. Wearing a mask and improving ventilation in the work environment can be beneficial.
12. Baking: Baking is near the top of the list of asthma-provoking jobs, which altogether account for an estimated 15% of new asthma cases in adults. Bakers who are exposed to flour dust are at very significant risk of developing allergic sensitization. An asthmatic reaction to enzymes used to alter the consistency of dough, as well as allergens shed by bugs, such as beetles, moths, and weevils, often found in flour, is common as well. Good ventilation and the use of a protective mask can help prevent illness.
13. Transportation: Delivery truck drivers, those who unload merchandise on loading docks, and railroad industry workers can be at risk for COPD. Diesel exhaust is the biggest factor. Although engines now emit less diesel exhaust due to improvements and use cleaner-burning diesel fuel, diesel exhaust is still widespread. Staying out of the direct line of diesel exhaust and wearing protective masks help reduce the risk of lung disease.
---
PS: This information as a guide culled from health-related articles, contents and interviews.
