I was called by the ABC National Radio program “AM” at 6:30 this morning to be interviewed about the use of face masks for protection against swine flu. The interview formed part of a story “Rush for surgical masks at Sydney airport” on the ABC website.
Monthly Archives: April 2009
Its hard not not notice the wrong selection of face masks – occupational hygienists like to use the term respiratory protection equipment” or RPE. Journalists like to use the term face masks to cover anything from a surgical mask to a toxic dust respirator. The lady is the picture is […]
Swine Flu – more face masks
The CDC has issued good information on the swine flu outbreak, but the media is unaware that pictures of people wearing masks have the wrong mask and the fit is also poor. Little protection is given to the wearer. Few healthcare people would be aware of this shortcoming.
Swine Flu Respiratory Protection
The Health Canada report on crysotile asbestos was recently released after a very long delay. One of the problems with asbestos is that it is two mineral groups, with crysolite being less toxic than the other forms of asbestos.This editorial in The Ottawa Citizen editorial “Immoral exports” on April 21, […]
Canada’s crysotile
Its interesting to see early definitions of industrial hygiene: Margaret A. Schaffner The American Political Science Review, Vol. 3, No. 2 (May, 1909), p. 218
Industrial Hygiene in 1909
I couldn’t resist this one. The super hero Asbestos Lady had the special power of having a fire proof costume. Its from The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson.
Asbestos Lady
What you see is not what you get. The paper: Stayner, L., E. Kuempel, et al. (2008). “An epidemiological study of the role of chrysotile asbestos fibre dimensions in determining respiratory disease risk in exposed workers.” Occup Environ Med 65(9): 613-619.
Asbestos fibre size
A case-control study (622 cases, 1420 controls) by Professor Julian Peto and others and funded by the UK HSE “A Occupational, domestic and environmental mesothelioma risks in Britain” has just been released.