Environmental/Occupational News

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — In this Healio exclusive, Erika M. Moseson, MD, highlights the impact of pollution and the changing climate on lung health.

In a study presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress, researchers found sex-related differences in the impact of diesel exhaust in blood plasma.

Self-reported blast exposure predicted respiratory symptoms and COPD among post 9/11 veterans who were deployed to Southwest Asia and Afghanistan, according to results published in Respiratory Medicine.

Air pollution concentrations, even at relatively low levels, were associated with a change in the effectiveness of positive airway pressure therapy among individuals with obstructive sleep apnea, according to findings published in Chest.

Higher levels of crystalline silica were found in the lung tissue of contemporary coal miners in the U.S. compared with the lung tissue of previous generations of coal miners, researchers reported in Annals of the American Thoracic Society.

Exposure to high concentrations of fine particulate matter from a coal mine fire over a 6-week period was associated with an increased risk for COPD in nonsmokers nearly 4 years later, researchers reported.