Danger Dust

Air pollution is a severe risk to human health and the environment, particularly from fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and ozone (O3). Despite global efforts, many cities continue to face significant exposure risks from these pollutants.

PM2.5 and O3 originate from similar sources and interact in complex ways, compounding their harmful effects. Addressing these intertwined pollutants requires innovative strategies. Due to these challenges, it is necessary to conduct in-depth research to develop effective strategies for joint PM2.5 and O3 control.

Dr. Chao He, lead author of the study, stated, "Our findings underscore the critical need for integrated pollution control strategies. By addressing PM2.5 and O3 together, we can more effectively reduce the health risks and environmental impacts associated with these pollutants."

Silica-Related Diseases

Silica dust exposure may contribute to several serious, debilitating and life-altering health conditions. Lung cancer and silicosis are among the more severe conditions caused by silica dust.

Health Conditions Related to Silica Dust

Autoimmune disorders

Bronchitis

Cardiovascular impairment

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Emphysema

Kidney disease

Lung cancer

Silicosis

Pulmonary silicosis is a debilitating condition that causes the formation of silicotic nodules in the lungs. These lesions tend to group in the upper lobes. They can lead to impaired lung function and eventually death. Silica dust exposure is the only cause of silicosis.

Repetitive tasks carried out by ancient Egyptian scribes—high-status men with the ability to write who performed administrative tasks—and the positions they sat in while working may have led to degenerative skeletal changes, according to a study published in Scientific Reports.

They identified degenerative joint changes that were more common among scribes compared to men with other occupations. These were in the joints connecting the lower jaw to the skull, the right collarbone, the top of the right humerus (where it meets the shoulder), the first metacarpal bone in the right thumb, the bottom of the thigh (where it meets the knee), and throughout the spine, but particularly at the top.

The authors also identified bone changes that could be indicative of physical stress caused by repeated use in the humerus and left hip bone, which were more common among scribes than men with other occupations. Other skeletal features that were more common among scribes were an indentation on both kneecaps and a flattened surface on a bone in the lower part of the right ankle.

ESA scientists have been exploring how a future moon base might be built from materials on the lunar surface. Inspired by LEGO building, they have used dust from a meteorite to 3D-print "space bricks" to test the idea.

The idea seems simple. Rather than take building materials all the way to the moon, we could use what is already there to construct a moon base. The surface of the moon is covered with a layer of rock and mineral fragments known as lunar regolith. This material could be used to make space bricks. The only problem was that there's not much lunar regolith available on Earth to experiment with.

Undeterred, ESA scientists came up with a solution: they made their own version of lunar regolith by grinding up a 4.5-billion-year-old meteorite. The dust from the meteorite formed the basis of a mixture that was then used to 3D print some LEGO-style space bricks.

ESA's space bricks click together in the same way as regular LEGO bricks but are a bit rougher—and only come in one color—a stylish space gray! The space bricks gave ESA's space engineers the flexibility to build and test a variety of structures using this new material.

It has been more than 4 million years since CO2 levels were as high as today. 

Studies have shown that pollution makes respiratory infections worse. In fact, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, “The combination of experimental and epidemiologic studies has provided evidence of a relationship between short-term (daily) exposures to particle pollution and several respiratory-related effects, including elevated morbidity, higher frequency of emergency department visits and hospital admissions, as well as excess mortality.”

According to a 2022 Lancet report on pollution and health, “pollution was responsible for 9 million premature deaths in 2015, making it the world’s largest environmental risk factor for disease and premature death.”

Inhaling the silica causes pulmonary fibrosis — tissue swelling in the lungs.

Pulmonary fibrosis is a constant inflammatory process that can lead to the development of silicosis.

While silicosis does not immediately cause TB, it makes people three times more susceptible to it.

Silicosis is a latent disease, meaning it can take time to manifest. As a result, many people find themselves contracting TB up to 30 years after leaving the mining industry.

Therefore, ex-miners are surveilled to ensure they haven’t contracted silicosis.

Much of the problem comes down to detection, as many doctors misdiagnose silicosis as TB.

In this case, the government hopes to screen potential silicosis patients using computer-aided detection (CAD) that employs AI.

This helps to implement measures to prevent the contraction of TB once diagnosed with silicosis.

Australia is set to become the first country to ban engineered stone products. It's cold comfort to former industry workers with research indicating that 100,000 individuals are currently at risk of developing silicosis.

KEY POINTS

Data shows that at least 579 Australians have silicosis and up to 600,000 workers are exposed to silica dust.

Most people with silicosis do not show any symptoms in the early stages of the disease.

Some states and territories will have transitional arrangements which will allow certain engineered stone work to continue until 31 December 2024.

If you are diagnosed with dust disease, it is strongly recommended that you stop all work involving hazardous dust to avoid any additional exposure.

In most cases, people with silicosis will not experience any symptoms in the early stages and it can take years to be diagnosed after initial exposure.

Household dust is mostly made up of human skin, microscopic creatures and dead bugs. This may make your skin crawl, but doesn’t offer significant health risks for most people.

However, other forms of dust can be very harmful indeed. Last year, tiny particles of sand, wood and asbestos contributed to 12,000 deaths from lung disease in the UK, according to the Health and Safety Executive. Many more deaths will have been caused by exposure outside the workplace, including to particulates produced by cars.

Repeated, long-term exposure to high levels of dust of any form can harm your health. Normal household exposure will probably not cause you any problems, but working in a dusty environment may well do so.

Now, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have determined that a third option, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), can achieve results roughly comparable to TEM. SEM is a "viable alternative to the current regulatory methods for asbestos identification and classification.

Since SEM is, in many cases, cheaper and more convenient than TEM, the finding could potentially speed up and reduce the expense of asbestos remediation in the United States, which costs an estimated $3 billion every year.

Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral whose fibers were used for insulation, weather- and fire-proofing and reinforcing building materials. Its use began declining in the 1970s as researchers became aware of its health risks, including its link to cancer. In March, the EPA banned the last form of asbestos still in use.

Hidden health costs of plastic

One type of plastic, PVC, was first used in U.S. water systems in 1955 and became widespread in the 1970s. Other types of plastic pipes include cross-linked polyethylene (PEX), high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC).

Scientific studies have shown that plastic pipes can attract metals and leach out chemicals and micro- and nanoplastics, which are known to exacerbate kidney disease.

Over the past decade, researchers have documented the degradation of plastics and the release of chemicals from plastic polymers and additives in plastics and microplastics. A 2023 study found that pipe material and age can contribute to the release of microplastics in drinking water.

Biofilm – the layer of microorganisms that build up on surfaces in contact with water – can also cause problems in pipes. A 2023 study showed how this biofilm can collect heavy metals, such as lead, which can then be slowly released into the water over time.

Early detection of silicosis and autoimmune diseases should prioritize mitigating the risk of silica exposure, which serves as the initial trigger for the immunological cascade. This cascade first leads to silicosis and subsequently increases the susceptibility to autoimmune diseases 

Autoimmune diseases and silicosis share common pathways involving the dysregulation of autophagy, apoptosis, or pyroptosis. Numerous studies have indicated that NLRP3 a cytosolic multiprotein complex plays a central role in the autophagy, apoptosis, or pyroptosis pathways.

In this context, the regulation of NLERP3 is a promising target for the treatment of both silicosis and silica induced autoimmune diseases.

Aims

The objective of this study is to investigate and identify the occupational groups at the highest risk of silicosis due to short-term RCS exposure.

Results

A total of 2066 confirmed cases of silicosis were analysed.

Thirty-two cases occurred after RCS exposure shorter than 5 years.

Median age was 50.

75% (n = 24) of these cases were diagnosed in industrial processing workers who were mainly employed in manufacturing of non-metallic mineral products (44%, n = 14) and metal production (19%, n = 6).

16% (n = 5) of cases were associated with employment in mining and quarrying,

6% (n = 2) in conservation of monuments and

3% (n = 1) in construction.

Conclusions

The findings identify occupational groups at risk of silicosis due to short-term silica exposure. Medical professionals should be aware of early silicosis symptoms, and occupational health professionals and employers should improve protective and preventive measures in silica related industries.

This work revealed some previously unreported immune responses to SARS-CoV-2. For example, some specialized mucosal immune cells in the blood were activated, while inflammatory white blood cells that usually surround and destroy foreign invaders were actually reduced.

People who cleared the virus right away did not have the standard systemic immune response. Instead, a specialized and subtle innate immune response was triggered, which has not been observed before. The study suggested that high expression of a gene called HLA-DQA2 prior to viral exposure seemed to help prevent a SARS-CoV-2 infection from getting established.

There were also six study volunteers who got COVID-19 after being exposed to the virus. They all mounted a rapid immune response in their bloodstream, but the immune response in the nose was slower and the virus was able to settle in to cause infection there.

For the first time, data show that cataclysmic infernos are increasing in frequency and intensity globally.

The frequency at which extreme fires occur around the world has more than doubled during the past two decades, according to an analysis of satellite data1. The trend is driven by the exponential growth of extreme fires across vast portions of Canada, the western United States and Russia, researchers say.

The results provide the first solid evidence to support a nagging suspicion that many scientists and others have had as they watch a seemingly endless series of cataclysmic infernos scorch ecosystems and communities: wildfires have increased somehow, and climate change is almost certainly a factor.

What a Study on Ultraprocessed Fake Meat and Heart Disease Really Found

A recent study found that eating ultraprocessed plant-based foods was linked to heart attack and stroke risk. But the devil is in the details

Recent headlines denounced plant-based fake meat—such as vegetarian sausages and textured vegetable protein—as unhealthy and claimed that their consumption is linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and death. But a closer look at the study underpinning these claims suggests a more nuanced story.

The real culprits are in fact “plant-based” ultraprocessed foods as a whole, not meat substitutes in particular, according to the paper that kickstarted the headlines. But there’s an important caveat: “plant-based” foods include ones you might not expect—such as chocolate-covered biscuits, frozen pizza and sodas.

The study, published earlier this month in the Lancet Regional Health–Europe, linked plant-based ultraprocessed foods to an increased risk of cardiovascular-related illnesses and death.

Implications of food ultra-processing on cardiovascular risk considering plant origin foods: an analysis of the UK Biobank cohort

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanepe/article/PIIS2666-7762(24)00115-7/fulltext

Some viruses are known to be associated with the onset of specific cancers. These microorganisms, oncogenic viruses or oncoviruses, can convert normal cells into cancer cells by modulating the central metabolic pathways or hampering genomic integrity mechanisms, consequently inhibiting the apoptotic machinery and/or enhancing cell proliferation. 

Different evidences suggest that the most significant contribution of SARS-CoV-2 to tumor onset may be indirect and related to the extensive lung fibrosis that characterizes severe COVID-19 , whereas the long-term effects prompted by long COVID-19 are still obscure.

In conclusion, with the jury still out on the role of SARS-CoV-2 as an oncovirus, most articles report significant action of SARS-CoV-2 on having an oncogenic potential. Looking at the situation from a relative perspective, the evidence certainly moves the needle in favor of a viral oncogenic potential rather than an oncolytic one.

In New Mexico, oil companies agreed to work with regulators to find a solution to the state’s more than 70,000 unplugged wells. After months of negotiations, the industry turned against the bill it helped shape.

Last year, representatives of New Mexico’s oil industry met behind closed doors with the very groups with which they typically clash — state regulators and environmentalists — in search of an answer to the more than 70,000 wells sitting unplugged across the state. Many leak oil, brine and toxic or explosive gasses, and more than 1,700 have already been left to the public to clean up.

The situation is so dire that oil companies agreed to help try to find a solution.

We found that sedentary behavior was independently associated with higher all-cause and CVD mortality.

In contrast, all-cause mortality was reduced in the highest quintile of coffee intake, and the decreased risk for CVD mortality was significantly associated with any amount of coffee consumption.

Notably, the results of a joint analysis of this study identified that that the association of sedentary with increased mortality was only observed among adults with no coffee consumption but not among those who had coffee intake. Given that coffee is a complex compound, further research is needed to explore this miracle compound.

The latest EU/EEA figures show a continuing upward trend in the number of cases of dengue imported from dengue-endemic regions, as well as an increasing number of local outbreaks of West Nile virus infections and dengue within the EU/EEA.

The establishment of coordinated vector control measures is a key element for the fight against mosquito-borne diseases and further research will be needed to develop efficient but eco-friendly tools to manage mosquito populations.

In parallel, simple measures such as removing stagnant water in gardens or balconies where mosquitos breed should be advertised to the population.

Personal protective measures to reduce the risk of mosquito bites include the wearing of clothes that cover most of the body, the use of mosquito repellent, the use of mosquito bed nets or window/door screens, and sleeping or resting in air-conditioned rooms.

For these to be widely applied, effective awareness-raising campaigns among the general public are essential.

The latest New South Wales Budget has allocated another $2.5 million to get more boots on the ground in the fight against silicosis.

The extra muscle is set to ensure compliance with the July 1 ban on the use, supply, and manufacture of engineered stone across the state.

The funding will go towards more inspectors carrying out site visits and issuing penalties to any non-compliant operators.

“Silicosis is preventable and all workers who are at risk of silicosis will now be registered so that their health is tracked for their lifetime.

“The Government is investing in worker safety as a priority because it is a fundamental right of every worker to go to work and come home safely to their loved ones at the end of the day.”

The additional investment will also protect workers from the dangers of exposure to silica by delivering:

additional program staff to provide education tools and programs to support impacted industries

the development of new notification systems for businesses doing processing work on existing engineered stone in homes and workplaces.

If you were to envision the kind of accident that would cause a person's bowels to explode out of their body, you might imagine some sort of gruesome stabbing or grisly car accident.

You'd probably never imagine that something as commonplace and harmless as a sneeze would cause this kind of ghastly injury – but that's exactly what happened to a Florida man earlier this month.

The man was rushed to hospital for emergency surgery where his bowels were returned to his abdomen.

Sneezing is normally a protective mechanism that keeps potentially harmful things – such as dust, bacteria and viruses – out of our respiratory system. The process is controlled by the so-called “sneezing centre” in the brain’s medulla (which governs autonomic functions, including breathing). It’s activated by the presence of irritants in the lining of the nose and airways, which send impulses to the centre.

People may be at increased risk from cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic lung disease—as rising global levels of micro- and nanoplastics (MnPs) are absorbed into the human body, a new study reveals.

The researchers highlight that the relationship between MnPs and NCDs resembles those of other particles, including natural sources such as pollen or human-made pollutants like diesel exhaust, and MnPs, and engineered nanomaterials, all acting in a similar biological manner.

The body treats these as foreign entities triggering the same protective mechanisms—presenting a risk of bodily defenses becoming overwhelmed and boosting the frequency and severity of NCDs.

Humans are exposed to MnPs in outdoor and indoor environments through food stuffs, drinks consumption, air and many other sources including cosmetics and human care products.

MnPs have been found in fish, salt, beer, and plastic bottled drinks or air, where they are released from synthetic clothing materials, plastic fabric bedding during sleep, plastic carpet or furniture. Other sources can include fertilizer, soil, irrigation, and uptake into food crops or produce.

What are the health risks associated with poor IAQ?

Poor IAQ means that the air is laden with dust particles that can land on or be inhaled by workers. Depending on their chemical composition, these particles can cause various health issues such as eye irritation, dermatitis and allergic reactions, including rashes and asthma. The severity of the issues is correlates to the duration of exposure.

If dust is inhaled, individuals may experience respiratory problems like coughing, wheezing, bronchitis, and even lung cancer. The type of dust particles significantly affects the severity of lung injuries. Metals and crystalline silica, for example, are highly toxic. If swallowed, silica particles can release toxic substances.

Acute health problems associated with toxic dust can lead to chronic diseases over time. For instance, a persistent cough can develop into chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Wood dust, especially from hardwood, causes nasal and sinus cancer in woodworkers. Some of the species known to cause cancer include the hardwoods oak, mahogany, beech, walnut, birch, elm and ash. As with formaldehyde, these cancers take years to develop and generally require significant, ongoing exposure for a long period of time.

Wood dust particles tend to settle mostly in the upper airways where they are trapped and can cause eye irritation, nasal dryness or irritation, prolonged colds, nose bleeding and obstruction, sneezing, sinusitis and headaches. Some particles may penetrate deep into the respiratory track causing asthma, chronic bronchitis and hypersensitivity pneumonia.

The damage produced by silica has some special characteristics that prompt us to call it a polyhedric disease.

The fact that it is a slowly progressing disease that is rare in terms of the overall population makes randomized trials difficult, and the reduced “market” limits the interest of the pharmaceutical industry. In contrast to other fibrotic lung diseases and common lung diseases such as asthma, very little use has been made of modern research techniques to understand this ancient disease or identify new therapeutic options.

However, our knowledge of the pathogenic mechanisms of damage caused by silica inhalation is steadily growing.

Firstly, silica-induced lung injury presumably results from the combined action of several interacting pathogenic mechanisms, including the direct cytotoxic effect of silica on macrophages, activation of macrophage surface receptors, lysosomal rupture, generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), activation of inflammasome, cytokine and chemokine production, cell apoptosis/pyroptosis, and pulmonary fibrosis.

Then there is the accompanying immune dysfunction.

Silica inhalation causes the activation and apoptosis of macrophages, while the excess antigen generated is ingested by other activated macrophages. These can migrate to lymph nodes, eventually leading to the activation of T and B lymphocytes.

The likelihood of developing connective tissue disease is enhanced in subjects with exposure to silica and silicosis.

Furthermore, there is strong evidence for a very high risk of tuberculosis in the presence of radiological silicosis