MPH632Spring2018-Huang

A recent article on black lung making a comeback is very appropriate for this weeks topic on occupational disease. In this article, there were evidences that black lung disease is starting to increase and it is not just pneumoconiosis but more people are being disease with a severe form of fibrosis called Progressive Massive Fibrosis(PMF), where there is large mass build up in the upper lungs that cause it even harder to breath and would damage the heart. The average age being diagnosed with black lung is 50 years old , where miners have worked at least 20 years in a coal mine. What is alarming is that a miner that was interviewed reveal that many coal mines have reported fake self reports and only put on a show during surveillance inspection and once the inspectors leave things go back to normal with lack of safety and not following guidelines. A Dr. Allen in the article say that the symptoms don't usually appear until 10,20,even 30 years later, therefore educating the coal miners...

Pneumoconiosis is caused by breathing in dust particles such as asbestos, coal dust, or silica. If these particles enter airways or air sacs in our lungs, they can cause inflammation  as the body tries to fight them off, which very often will cause fibrosis and scarring of the long. These dust particles are usually found in the workplace therefore it's often referred to as an occupational lung disease.Pneumoconiosis is also know as black lung, because the lungs turns black, and very commonly seen in coal workers.  The 1969 Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act was intended to prevent coal workers pneumoconiosis through early detection of disease and voluntary mine transfer to low dust jobs. In 1995, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health(NIOSH) of the CDC, published a recommended standard for occupational exposure to respirable coal mine dust, where they establish recommended exposure limits for coal mine dust. In 2011, the NIOSH updated the infor...

The MSDS sheet that I am looking at is for Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol 91% USP. I am currently a Pharmacy Intern at CVS where I got this MSDS sheet.   What are the health risks associated with this chemical? Eyes Irritating, and may injure eye tissue if not removed promptly. Skin Frequent or prolonged contact may irritate the skin and cause a skin rash (dermatitis). Inhalation Exposure to vapors may cause the following effects: Headaches. Dizziness. Central  nervous system effects. Pulmonary edema. Slightly irritating to eyes and respiratory tract. Gas, vapor, mist, or dust concentrations may be harmful if inhaled. High concentrations may be fatal. Ingestion May cause chemical pneumonitis if aspirated into lungs. Single dose toxicity is low. Is the chemical a carcinogen? The chemical is not a carcinogen. ...

The agency that I have picked to is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration(OSHA). The program that I have decided to look into the inspection guidance for in patient healthcare settings which is sponsored by OSHA and the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. This program establishes rules, regulations and guidelines for inspection of hospitals nursing homes and residential care homes. The focus is on: Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) relating to patient or resident handling, Workplace violence (WPV), Bloodborne pathogens (BBP), Tuberculosis (TB), and  Slips, trips and falls (STFs). Exposure to multi-drug resistant organisms (MDROs), such as Methicillin-resistant  Staphylococcus   aureus  (MRSA). Exposures to hazardous chemicals, such as sanitizers, disinfectants, anesthetic gases, and hazardous drugs. Other than conducting inspections of in patient facilities, this program also have outreach and trainings to address how to preven...

The senates in Vermont have just passed a bill that makes companies that release toxic waste into the environment or caused any toxic pollutions would be held liable and these polluters would have to take responsibility. I think this is a great idea to make operations that are polluting our environment to   bear responsibility therefore would reconsider using those toxic chemicals  and come up with other safer alternatives. This bill was met with many controversies, many opposing voices were concerned about increased liability insurance cost and businesses leaving Vermont. I think if all states have a similar liability bill then business would not leave because there is no where for them to go without being met with the same penalty. I do agree with one of the senators that there is no specific focus in the bill of how they were planning on protecting the environment, which I think is very important to highlight what steps the state is planning on taking, so some editing shoul...

The first article was a very interesting read, and it does reiterated all the things that I have learned in biochemistry on how lead can affect our central nervous system, which can cause learning disorders, cognitive functions and social behaviors. I think all old homes and buildings should get tested for lead to prevent people from inhaling it into their system. I did not know that lead was used in wine making, and I loved how they article mentioned it may have lead to the fall of the Roman empire, which I think it can be explained that the Roman aristocrats all had lead poisoning. It was really sad reading about the amount of death in young children in Nigeria. it goes to show that education and knowledge will make a difference in preventing tragic events from happening. I really liked that immediate action was taken to resolve the problem, which is very important to prevent any further deaths.

I really love the idea of green chemistry  because  it is trying to create alternative products and chemicals that are safe for the environment and non toxic to our health. Since I started pharmacy school, I have learned a lot about medicinal chemistry and why certain chemical elements are used to develop a drug, it is a very  interesting  topic. The main goal is to create a  drug that would give the target effect but at the same time not cause any toxicity to our body, I think it can resemble green chemistry. Our school have many research projects that are looking into natural products as a drug regiment which I think is a better and greener alternative than synthetic drugs, and it can apply to some of the 12 principles, such as avoiding chemical derivatives, avoid using solvents, design less hazardous chemicals and it may reduce pollution. I think the 12 principles is a great template for researchers and scientists to keep in mind wh...

Highly Fluorinated Chemicals Recently in school we are learning about drug chemistry and depending on what molecular structure and chemical element being used to design the drug will have a totally different effect and many are toxic. Fluorine was one of the element that can make a drug toxic if used in the design because it is in the class of halogens, and this class can cause steric hindrance on the compound making it difficult to be metabolized and excrete out of the body. If a compound can't get out of the body then it can build up and cause toxicity that may lead to mutations and cancers. Therefore I am not surprised that fluorine is toxic but I was not aware that fluorine was used as a repellent in rain coats and in the microwave popcorns that I eat. I hope all manufacturers would stop using fluorine in their products because it can get into our water, where clean and safe drinking water is crucial to our livelihood. Antimicrobials As we had learned and talked about ant...

Since we have been talking about pesticides and chemical policy, I found an article that published about a study on the the Roundup weed killer that contains a chemical called Glyphosate. The study shows that women in Indiana where corn fields are sprayed with the Roundup weed killer, have shorter pregnancies. Shorter pregnancies is related to babies having reduced learning and brain development which would cause many challenges to the child. In the US, 300 pound of the herbicide is used each year, and there is links to  cancer, birth defects, damaged DNA, endocrine disruption and reproductive issues.  There are several law suits from farmers against Roundup and a judge in San Francisco is ordering study be done on whether it does cause cancer. Glyphosate can get into our body through inhalation and from eating the food. Even with the lawsuits and complaints the product is still being use in the market, which is wrong and it is alarming, which is why we nee...

An ideal chemical policy would have the following: Strict regulations that requires all companies/manufacturers to conduct research during development and test for toxicity of the new products. Data need to be published and get approval from EPA or FDA before it is released into the market. Phasing out and banning out any chemical that is deem harmful and toxic. Educating the public about how to read product labels and understand what those chemicals can do to our body and health. Research and develop safer alternatives. In a public health protection perspective, I think the requirement for companies/manufacturers t conduct research and test for toxicity of new product is a crucial step to preventing any harmful substance from getting into the market. For pharmaceutical companies, there are very strict regulations that requires many stages of clinical trials and usually take at least 15 years of research and studies before it reaches the FDA to get approval to introduce on the...

The Louisville Charter for Safer Chemical have outlined an ideal policy that we should all adopt in any new chemical policies. I really like the idea of phasing out any toxic chemicals, to take early action when there evidence of harm,  and disclosing information to the public. I did not know of any holes in our national chemical policy, so I did a search and found that there are some weakness to our chemical policies. There is lead acetate in hair dye that have been linked to neurotoxin, which is banned in Canada and Europe, but it is still being used in the US. Hair dye is regulated by the FDA, and the FDA won't look into the problem or consider banning it until they have reliable facts and information, which may take them years to investigate, and the public would not even hear about it in the mean time. The safety of products being sold should be the responsibility of the companies that manufacture it but our law does not require any specific tests to be conducted before new pr...

What did you find out about the pesticide residues that may be in or on your food?    What do you think about this?   What should we be doing about this in terms of public health, not just in terms of our personal choices? Last night I went out to dinner and had a sashimi salad. In the what's on my food website they don't have all the ingredients that was in the salad, there was only information on lettuce and cucumber. What I saw was very alarming, see the pictures below. The numbers were high in suspected hormone disruptor, 32 in cucumber, neurotoxins and developmental or reproductive toxins is in high levels too. Lettuce and cucumbers are very common vegetables used in many households and restaurants, its hard to imagine we have been eating these pesticides that are causing harm to our health. It is not just human health but theres bad effect on the honeybees, which are important for pollination. I think we need to discont...

The NY Times, just published an article about a group of researchers going down to Puerto Rico to examine the damage Hurricane Maria have caused on the forests there. This group of researchers want to explore how a forest damaged by extreme weather can impact our environment, especially how it can contribute to climate change. Due to climate change, it is forecast that our plant will be experiencing more extreme weathers such as what happened in Puerto Rico, and trees play a very important role in removing and storing carbon in our atmosphere. If an entire forest is damaged, the carbons that is stored inside the tree will be released into the atmosphere, and we are talking about million tons of carbon, which on top of that we have fossil fuel and human emission. By learning and tracking how these damaged forest recover and regrow is very critical to making sure the earth doesn't get more warmer due to the release of carbons from the dead trees. It is scary to vision what a million ...

A topic of interest for my literature review that I have been thinking about is focusing on the uprising of megacities due to urbanization and how that have an impact on the availability and safety of food and water. According to the United Nations, in 2014 there is 54% of the world's population living in major cities, and by 2050 it will be 66%, which is an alarming number.  The increase in people moving into the city would mean that there will be more demand for food and drinkable water, but our plant is lacking in the supply, not being able to meet the demands, and what repercussion it may have on our environment and health. Possible agencies that can give some insight into this topic would be US census, United Nations, World Health Organization, EPA, NIH, and the EU World Cities Project.

The federal agency that I have chosen to explore is the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)under the United States Department of Agriculture. From what we have been learning so far, we know that the EPA is responsible for monitoring and implementing regulation and policies involving animal and plants, for example the disappearance of the bees. But there is actually an agency that is sorely dedicated to animal and plant health. The APHIS is involved in protecting and promoting agricultural health in the US by regulating genetically modified organisms, defend against pest and diseases, and carry out wildlife damage management, such as if there was to be an avian flu outbreak, the APHIS have emergency protocols to get it under control. I think this agency is absolutely much needed because agriculture, food and natural resources is very important to our survival, if we don't do anything to promote and protect what we have now, we will suffer the consequences in the futur...

I did a search for local environmental service programs in Honolulu, and I found for Honolulu there is a Honolulu Department of Environmental Services(ENV) and a Hawaii state Department of Health, Environmental Health Services Division with 3 branches, a sanitation branch, food and drug branch, and indoor and radiological health branch. The Honolulu Department of Environmental Services(ENV) is responsible for wastewater, sewer, trash pickups and green waste, making sure that our our island is clean and safe. In Honolulu, our community puts great effort into the motto of reduce,reuse and recycle, therefore for over a decade the ENV have implemented a 3 color trash bin system for each home and weekly scheduled pick up for each color bin. The gray bin would be for trash/refuse, the green bin for green waste, and the blue bin for recyclables. I really like this system because it helps to reduce the amount of trash in our landfills because many things could be reused or turned into some gre...

Butterflies like bees are pollinators which are integral parts of our ecosystem. In this article, a report shows that a weedkiller,dicamba, used in genetically modified cotton and soybeans, would be sprayed in 60 million acres of land that are migratory habitats of the monarch butterflies and killing their only food source the milkweed. This reports hopes to stop the registration renewal of this weedkiller by the EPA as it's license ends this year.The monarch butterfly population have declined about 80%, and this weedkiller have spread to nearby agricultural fields killing crops which caused lawsuits in Arkansas, Illinois, Kansas and Missouri. What we saw with the bees is now happening to the monarch butterflies, herbicides and pesticides are not just harming our environment but also the native species. If the EPA proceeds with the registration renewal then we will see an extinction of the monarch butterflies. I hope the worst scenario doesn't happen.  B. (2018, March 02)...

Utilizing the first article, discuss what is locally grown and what is currently in season in your area. In Hawaii we many tropical locally grown fruits and vegetables such as avocado, jicama, turmeric, coconut, burdock, pineapple,mangosteen, dragonfruit, cabbage, cantaloupe, watermelon,strawberry, citrus fruits, berries, corn, figs,garlic, ginger, green onion, lettuce, mushroom, asparagus,beets,kale,radish,mandarin, mango,papaya,pumpkin, squashes, taro,rambutan,breadfruit, persimmon and pomelo. Currently we have taro, mandarin, kale, radish, cucumber and strawberry that are in season.  Discuss your thoughts on seasonal/local foods and hospital menus.  I think it's a great idea to use seasonal/local foods in hospital menus. It's a great way to ensure quality and is more safe from the possibility of pesticides. Many schools in Hawaii right now are testing out menus which includes local foods to create a healthier school meal for the students. Th...

In the article Antibiotic Resistance 101, antibiotic resistance is a major concern in the health field because if we have a widespread antibiotic resistant to the common antibiotics, we don't have any antibiotics that can kill these antibiotic resistant bacterias. In many health systems today there is an infectious disease team that looks into every antibiotic being prescribed to the patients to determine whether it is necessary to prescribe antibiotics for their condition. The purpose of these monitoring is to prevent patients from antibiotic resistant bacterias. It is not recommended that people take antibiotics for the common cold cause the cold is caused mainly by viruses and not by bacteria, therefore if people take antibiotics too often their body will build resistances and it is not actually curing them of their cold. It is very dangerous that meat from these factory farms when eaten by humans it can transmit these antibiotic resistant bacteria,and humans will become resista...

Your thoughts about the vanishing of bees (what else have you heard/seen about this issue?) It was saddening to watch Vanishing of the bees. The loss of the bees are not just ruining our agriculture industry but also hurting the beekeeper as many of them are losing their livelihood. I have known about the reduction in bees but not to the severity as presented in the documentary.  After watching the video, I think the theory regarding the use of pesticide in our crops and the use of the sugar water in place of honey as food for the bees are contributing factors to the disappearance and death of the bees. The pesticides is causing poor immune system in the bees which together with poor nutrition these bees are more susceptible to contracting diseases and pathogens. In an article publish in Science News in January, 2018, scientist have seen a decrease of CCD but hives are still dying, there is still no definite answer to what is ca...