This blog is not intended as advice. It is for educational and research purposes only. Read this disclaimer first if you want to read this post.
Many years ago when I gave a Medial Release from Griffith University on respiratory protection, I was bombarded by TV, radio and newspapers for a week, then it all stopped like the tide going out. It was a weird experience. My Media Release was printed verbatim in 70 newspapers.
There is a hunger for credible statements from professionals and their organisations to complement public health expertise. Medical and public health experts cannot be experts in everything and there is always a tendency to avoid or not be aware of important issues where they lack expertise. It is much, much worse with some belligerent politicians. I have not heard anything from building ventilation experts on the topic of ventilation systems for pandemic hospitals. Time to do much is rapidly slipping away.
I am really quite awkward and I am flustered easily, so I do not interview well. Here is my experience when I was interviewed by ABC National.
In 1998 contacted Norman Swan (Health Report) about surgical masks and face masks which have a high cultural acceptance in Asia. The next thing I am at the ABC studies in Toowong (Since pulled down but very musty – just before the breast cancer cluster ?mycotoxins) and ended on the Health Report. The line at the beginning of the transcript about Michael Jackson was a throw-away line at the end of the interview and the whole program was themed around music. Mine was naturally Michael Jackson’s. https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/healthreport/usefulness-of-face-masks/3564058
I also had a 5 minute prepared piece in 2003 on ABC Perspectives about SARS and surgical masks. It is usually reserved for experts – leaders in their field. I tried to say something about the fit of face masks, but did not communicate it that well https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/archived/perspective/david-bromwich/3544778
At a recent Queensland Government seminar in November 2019 I was asked to talk about Industrial Ventilation, particularly with stone benchtop workers. A lot getting silicosis, an entirely preventable disease. I also chose to talk about respiratory protection as basic Industrial Ventilation principles can be applied to understand why fit is so important in getting protection with a face mask. I’ll make another post on that.
