Particulate Matter as a Health Hazard

The single most important thing on this planet for us human and all other living things is air. Air is the sole reason we are able to do anything in life because without it we would all be dead within a matter of minutes. Although we may take for granted the air we breathe on a daily basis we must be concerned with the fact that they’re may be things in our air that can be toxin to our health if we breathe them for a long period of time. The things that I am talking about are known as particulates or little piece of a multitude of different items that can cause many different ailments to form. Particular matter or PM or soot, consists of microscopically small solid particles or liquid droplets suspended in the air. The smaller the particles, the deeper they can penetrate into the respiratory system and the more hazardous they are to breathe. PM pollution can cause lung irritation, which leads to increased permeability in lung tissue. It may also aggravate the severity of chronic lung diseases, causing rapid loss of airway function. PM can cause inflammation of lung tissue, resulting in the release of chemicals that can impact heart function. This all depends on the size of particulates the smaller the particle the more dangerous it can be to one’s health The smaller-sized particles - those 2.5 micrometers or less called PM2.5 - are of greatest health concern because they can pass through the nose and throat and be absorbed deep inside the lungs. While 2.5 is the smallest and most dangerous type of PM one should not think lightly on other particulates that can range up to sized 10 or 10 micrometers. This is because all can cause harm to an individual if he or she is exposed to them for too long.  

Local Exhaust Ventilation

In many industrial work environments across the world the workers are exposed to harmful dust and chemicals on daily basis. These Particulates that are present in the air can cause harm to the worker and could eventually lead to lifelong illnesses which could have been prevented. Local exhaust Ventilation or LEV is one of the many ways that corporations can help minimize these exposures and keep people safe. An LEV is a type of air purification system that removes toxins from the air around an individual/s to make sure that the air they are breathing safe so that it cannot cause harm to them in the work environment. A local exhaust ventilation system consists of five equally important parts the first part of the system is known as the hood. This piece of the system is responsible for the capture and enclosure of contaminants. It reaches out to capture and pull away contaminates from the workers breathing area. This is the most important part of the LEV system. The second part of the system is the duct system, this is responsible for carrying away the contaminants away from the hood. It is crucial however that the velocity of air is strong enough so nothing settles in the duct. The third part of the system is the fan which is responsible for the movement of air throughout the system, it can be either vane axial shaped or centrifugal.  The fourth part is the motor which is responsible in running the fan the pushes the air through the system. The fifth and final part of the system is the stack or exhaust which removes the contaminated air from the system all together. While working with chemicals and other contaminants can be dangerous a well put together Local exhaust ventilation system can make working with these chemicals much safer so the work may be completed. 

Wheatstone Bridge Circuit

One of the many important tasks to an industrial hygiene professional is to detect different gases in the air. Now this may seem to be a fairly simple process due to the fact that most gases have a particular scent associated with them that makes their presence known and felt by people near it. But what happens when the gas your trying to identify does not have a scent and is no able to detect without the use of a meter or detectors. For gases such as carbon dioxide and other gases that are formed from combustion that are odorless certain type of detector is used to find these potentially lethal gases is a special type of detector that uses a circuit called a Wheatstone bridge circuit. This type of circuit is uniquely designed to tests for these odorless gases. What makes it special for testing is the way the filament inside of it heats up and tests the air. The electrical circuit can read the smallest changes in temperature which will tell device that there is an imbalance in the air around it. It is then identified by this change in temperature and is then read on the screen of the device. Often read is a change of percentage that is triggered to database which will tell the user what gases surround them. These tools are very helpful in identifying the gases when they are not able to be detected by our normal senses. Without the use of these sensors there could, potentially have been mass poisoning of people and possible deaths without the person even knowing what is happening to them before it’s already too late. We can thank the advances in technology over the past few hundred years for use to be able to live our lives safely without the fear of getting poisoned by odorless gases. 

Particulate Size and lung diseases

Your respiratory system is one of the most important systems in the human body. This is due to the fact that it is responsible for adding oxygen into the blood and giving our heart and brain all the oxygen we need to function.  Where you work however plays a huge part in the health of your lungs and what enters them on a daily basis. While one may not notice it foreign matter is entering the lung in almost every breath we take. What makes it dangerous to the human body is when those particle sizes get so tiny that they are absorbed into the deep parts of the lungs called the alveoli.  These Alveoli are responsible for gas exchange in the lungs that takes in the needed oxygen and lets out the not needed carbon dioxide. So you could imagine if harmful substances get into these parts of the lungs the damage they can cause to the lungs and entire respiratory system. This all depend on the particle size of the foreign matter.  In general particle sizes of 20 micrometers and less are usually imbedded into the nasopharyngeal region of the respiratory tract also known as nose, nasal cavity and throat. While these may still cause damage to the respiratory system it’s usually very minimal. Its starts to become potentially life threatening when the particulate size drops lower than 5 microns. Here is when they start to become embedded into the alveoli of the lungs and make the gas exchange function much more difficult to happen which can often result in life long diseases such as fibrosis of the lungs, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD and asthma.  People who work in areas where fine dust and particulates in the air should wear respirators or other devices to help with treating the air they breathe before it causes lifelong damage to your lungs. 

"OSH Answers Fact Sheets." Government of Canada, Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. 1 Oct. 2010. Web. 19 Mar. 2015. <http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/chemicals/lungs_dust.html>.

   

Botox

Botox Is a cosmetic drug used by millions all across the world to help treat the signs of aging mostly in woman but also common use for men to use as well. Botox is created from one of the most poisonous substance known to man; it was created from the bacteria Clostridium Botulism. The toxin is produced by a microbe that causes botulism, a type of food poisoning. Being infected by botulism can cause a serious potentially fatal disease called botulism poisoning. However medical technology has progressed enough that now people are using it for cosmetic purposes. Botox as it’s known in the cosmetic world is onabotulismtoxinA and is injected into areas of the body to temporarily paralyze the facial muscles to reduce the appearance of crow’s feet in the skin and other forms of wrinkles that form during the ageing process. Botox injections are also used to treat such problems as repetitive neck spasms (cervical dystonia), excessive sweating (hyperhidrosis), overactive bladder and some causes of crossed eyes. Botox injections may also help prevent chronic migraines in some people. Botox injections are relatively safe when performed by an experienced doctor. The most common side effects include swelling or bruising at the injection site, headache or flu-like symptoms. If the injections aren't placed correctly, the medication may spread into adjacent tissues and cause problems as eyelid drooping, cockeyed eyebrows, crooked smile, dry eyes and possible excessive tearing. Although very unlikely, there is a possibility that the effect of botulinum toxin may spread to other parts of the body and cause botulism-like signs and symptoms. Always check to make sure that if you are going to receive a Botox injection that you make sure you find a reliable, experienced doctor who has plenty of experience in the injection so that you will have no problems with adverse side effects.   

"Botox Injections." Risks. Web. 16 Mar. 2015. <http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/botox/basics/risks/prc-20009036>.