Publications by authors named "J Keir"
Article Synopsis
- Firefighters are exposed to harmful substances like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and flame retardants (FRs) during fires, and this study used silicone wristbands (SWBs) to measure these exposures in various settings related to fire stations and firefighters.
- The findings revealed that fire station areas generally had higher concentrations of low molecular weight PAHs and specific organophosphate flame retardants compared to office areas, with truck interiors showing particularly high levels.
- Exposure to these harmful substances was lower when firefighters did not respond to fires, but significantly increased in conditions involving heavy smoke, indicating the influence of both work environments and fire conditions on exposure levels.
Firefighters experience exposures to carcinogenic and mutagenic substances, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Silicone wristbands (SWBs) have been used as passive samplers to assess firefighters' exposures over the course of a shift but their utility in measuring short term exposures, source of exposure, and correlations with other measurements of exposure have not yet been investigated. In this study, SWBs were used to measure the concentrations of 16 priority PAHs inside and outside of firefighters' personal protective equipment (PPE) while firefighting.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objective: Knowledge of accuracy for melanoma diagnosis and melanoma discovering-individual in primary care is limited. We describe general practitioner (GP) characteristics and analyse defined diagnostic accuracy metrics for GPs in the current study comparing this with a previous study for GPs common to both, and we analyse the individual first discovering each melanoma as a lesion of concern.
Methods: The characteristics and diagnostic accuracy of 27 Australasian GPs documenting 637 melanomas on the Skin Cancer Audit Research Database (SCARD) in 2013 were described and analysed.
Firefighters are exposed to carcinogenic and mutagenic combustion emissions, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Fire service and firefighter cancer advocacy groups recommend skin cleaning using wipes or washing with detergent and water after exposure to smoke, although these strategies have not been proven to reduce exposures to harmful combustion products such as PAHs. This study assessed dermal decontamination methods to reduce PAH exposures by firefighters participating in live fire training scenarios.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Objective: General practitioners manage more melanomas than dermatologists or surgeons in Australia. Previously undescribed, the management and outcomes of melanoma patients treated by multiple Australasian general practitioners are examined.
Methods: The characteristics, management and outcomes of 589 melanoma patients, managed by 27 Australasian general practitioners and documented on the Skin Cancer Audit Research Database (SCARD), were analysed.