Screening And Surveillance Of Workers Exposed To Mineral Dusts

A comprehensive guide to the establishment of screening and surveillance programmes as a strategy for protecting the health of workers exposed to respirable crystalline silica containing dust, coalmine dust, and asbestos dust. Addressed to health planners as well as specialists in occupational health, the book covers both the general principles of effective screening and surveillance and the specific approaches, methodologies, tests, and examinations useful for detecting diseases induced by exposure to mineral dust. Recommended approaches and practices reflect the consensus reached by an international group of experts. Background information is provided in the opening chapters, which explain differences in the aims and methods of screening and surveillance programmes, offer advice on the selection of appropriate medical tests, and discuss essential programme components. Against this background, the most extensive part offers detailed guidance concerning which diseases should be monitored and which tests should be performed. All the major diseases associated with mineral dust exposure are reviewed, emphasizing knowledge about causes, pathological characteristics, manifestations, latency period, the advantages of early diagnosis, and the effectiveness of available interventions. On the basis of this review target diseases for screening and surveillance are identified. The next chapter discusses the uses and limitations of each test commonly used to detect diseases related to mineral dust exposure. Tests are discussed in the categories of conventional chest radiography, additional imaging techniques, measures of lung function, and questionnaires. The final chapter sets out recommendations for the periodic screening and health surveillance of workers.

This Monograph provides the general respiratory physician with a working reference based on the latest literature and expert opinion. The initial chapter provides a contemporaneous global perspective of the epidemiology of occupational and environmental lung diseases in an ever-evolving landscape. The book then goes on to consider specific occupational lung diseases. Each chapters has a clear clinical focus and considers: key questions to ask in the history; appropriate investigations to undertake; differential diagnoses; and management. Controversies or diagnostic conundrums encountered in the clinic are also considered, and further chapters are more broadly centred on the non-workplace environment; specifically, the respiratory symptoms and diseases associated with both the outdoor and indoor environments.

Interstitial Lung Disease, Fourth Edition is a complete publication of interstitial lung diseases and includes clinical, pathologic, radiologic, and physiologic evaluation of the patient with ILD. It provides a basic pathobiology and a complete description of individual disease entities. The book covers a wide array of disorders - sarcoidosis, asbestosis, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, drug-induced lung disease, connective tissue disease, and pulmonary vasculitis, to name but a few. This new edition also features an examination of future potential therapies for interstitial lung disease. Interstitial Lung Disease is divided into three sections. The Clinical Approach section provides the basis for recognizing the key features that allow a specific diagnosis to be achieved. The section dedicated to Basic Mechanisms emphasizes the many advances in genetics and cellular and molecular biology that have greatly expanded our understanding of the biological processes involved in the pathogenesis of the interstitial lung diseases. The third section titled Clinical Entities describes the clinical manifestations, radiologic patterns, histopathological features, and management of the specific process

Throughout the mining and processing of minerals, the mined ore undergoes a number of crushing, grinding, cleaning, drying, and product sizing operations as it is processed into a marketable commodity. These operations are highly mechanized, and both individually and collectively these processes can generate large amounts of dust. If control technologies are inadequate, hazardous levels of respirable dust may be liberated into the work environment, potentially exposing workers. Accordingly, federal regulations are in place to limit the respirable dust exposure of mine workers. Engineering controls are implemented in mining operations in an effort to reduce dust generation and limit worker exposure.

Medicine is an ever-changing science. In this regard, Respiratory medicine is not an exception and has been evolving during recent years. As new research broadens our knowledge, advanced methods for diagnoses are better understood, providing genetic and underlying pathophysiology of diseases and new clinical experiences. Consequently, publications of new resources along with revisions of previous ones are required. The book Respiratory Diseases brings practical aspects of pulmonary diseases. It contains the result of years of experience through expert clinicians in this field from different scientific centers. The respiratory diseases are discussed according to epidemiology, pathology, diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis. It includes updated resources of the pathogenesis and some molecular aspects of the aforementioned diseases and is recommended reading for all clinicians and medical students, especially pulmonologists, to access highlighted respiratory diseases in this book.

There is a major lack of fundamental knowledge and understanding on the interaction between a filler and the polymer matrix. When it comes to nanoscale fillers, such as layered silicates, carbon nanotubes, graphene or cellulose nanofibers it is even more important to know accurate structure-property relationships as well as identifying the parameters influencing material behavior. The reason for the lack of knowledge on how to process nanocomposites and why there are so few applications is that several scientific fields are affected and a joint effort of those scientific communities involved is necessary – starting from the filler manufacturing or pre-processing over polymer chemistry to the polymer processing. In Polymer Nanoclay Composites, all involved scientific areas are viewed together for the first time, providing an all-embracing coverage of all stages of polymer clay nanocomposites processing from lab-scale to industrial scale – stages from the raw material over manufacturing of polymer clay nanocomposites to characterization and the final products. Readers will gain insight in the physical/chemical pre-processing of layered silicates and their incorporation into a polymer matrix using sophisticated technologies (such as advanced compounding) as well as in real-time quality control of the nanocomposite production and future prospects. The book also describes nanotoxicological and nanosafety aspects. Covers the whole processing route with all aspects of the nanocomposites industry with particular focus on the processing of polymer clay nanocomposites Includes quality control and nanosafety Multidisciplinary approach from an industrial perspective