USO REGULAR DE BRANQUEADORES / DESINFETANTES E DOENÇA PULMONAR OBSTRUTIVA CRÔNICA (dpoc)
Regular bleach use linked to pulmonary disease
Recent research has found that using disinfectant cleaning products such as bleach just once a week potentially increases a person's chance of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by nearly a third. COPD can be fatal.
The study, by Harvard University and the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (Inserm) involved data from more than 55,000 nurses in the US. The researchers looked at exposure to specific disinfectants, including bleach, hydrogen peroxide, alcohol and chemicals known as quaternary ammonium compounds (quats), which are often used to disinfect surfaces. They found all of these were associated with an increased risk of COPD of between 24 per cent to 32 per cent. Previous studies have linked exposure to disinfectants with breathing problems such as asthma, but it is believed this is the first piece of research to identify a link between disinfectants and COPD.
Dr Orianne Dumas, a researcher at Inserm, said: "The potential adverse effects of exposure to disinfectants on COPD have received much less attention, although two recent studies in European populations showed that working as a cleaner was associated with a higher risk of COPD. Presenting the findings at the European Respiratory Society the International Congress in Milan next week, she will highlight that further research is needed to clarify the impact of disinfectant use in the home. She added: "In particular, we need to investigate the impact on COPD of lifetime occupational exposure to chemicals and clarify the role of each specific disinfectant."
Source: The Independent
Canada: First responders (Policiais, paramédicos, bombeiros, operadores de chamadas de emergência) suffer mental disorders
Results from Canada's first national survey looking at operational stress injuries among first responders such as police, paramedics, firefighters and emergency call operators suggests they are much more likely to develop a mental disorder than the general population. The research, published in the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, was conducted online between September 2016 and January 2017 by a group of mental health experts from across the country. Of the 5,813 participants, 44.5 per cent "screened positive for clinically significant symptom clusters consistent with one or more mental disorders." Statistics Canada has reported that the rate for the general population is 10 per cent. "It's higher, and, surprisingly higher," said University of Regina psychology professor Nick Carleton, who led the team of researchers. The research team also found women were more likely than men to screen as positive for a mental disorder, especially among firefighters. "It may be that women experience these kinds of careers differently than men, it may be that women are more likely to report than men. It may be that there's another variable that we have failed to identify entirely at this point that causes or explains some of the differences between men and women," Carleton told CBC News. Symptoms of operational stress injuries also appear to increase with more years of service and more exposure to traumatic events.
Read more: R Nicholas Carleton and others. Mental disorder symptoms among public safety personnel in Canada [Full text], Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, published online, 28 August 2017. CBC News. Source: Risks 816
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