Effects of Microplastic Exposure on Human Digestive, Reproductive, and Respiratory Health: A Rapid Systematic Review.

Microplastics are ubiquitous environmental contaminants for which there are documented human exposures, but there is a paucity of research evaluating their impacts on human health. We conducted a rapid systematic review using the "Navigation Guide" systematic review method. We searched four databases in July 2022 and April 2024 with no restriction on the date.

Heat-Related Illness in California Firefighters, 2001-2020.

Background: Firefighters have a higher rate of heat-related illness (HRI) compared to other occupations. Given the changing climate, firefighters' risk of occupational HRI merits attention. Therefore, we aimed to identify demographic, temporal, and geographic risk factors associated with occupational HRI in California firefighters between 2001 and 2020.

Scoping review of exposure questionnaires and surveys in interstitial lung disease.

Background: Many interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) have clear causal relationships with environmental and occupational exposures. Exposure identification can assist with diagnosis, understanding disease pathogenesis, prognostication and prevention of disease progression and occurrence in others at risk. Despite the importance of exposure identification in ILD, there is no standardised assessment approach.

A 35-Year-Old Man with Chronic Cough and Worsening Dyspnea.

A 35-Year-Old Man with Chronic Cough and DyspneaA 35-year-old man presented for evaluation of chronic cough and worsening dyspnea. How do you approach the evaluation, and what is the diagnosis?

The Impact of Occupational Exposures on the Risk of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive fibrotic pulmonary disorder of unknown etiology that is characterized by a usual interstitial pneumonia pattern. Previous meta-analyses have reported associations between occupational exposures and IPF, but higher-quality studies have been published in recent years, doubling the number of studied patients. To provide a contemporary and comprehensive assessment of the relationship between occupational exposures and IPF.

Environmental Causes of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), the most common and severe of the idiopathic interstitial pneumonias, is a chronic and relentlessly progressive disease, which occurs mostly in middle-aged and elderly males. Although IPF is by definition "idiopathic", multiple factors have been reported to increase disease risk, aging being the most prominent one. Several occupational and environmental exposures, including metal dust, wood dust and air pollution, as well as various lifestyle variables, including smoking and diet, have also been associated with an increased risk of IPF, probably through interaction with genetic factors.

Active Surveillance of Engineered Stone Workers Facilitates Early Identification of Silicosis: A Discussion of Surveillance of Occupational Lung Diseases.

Silicosis in workers exposed to respirable crystalline silica while fabricating engineered stone products is an emerging respiratory health issue. We describe silicosis in engineered stone workers in California and examine clinical features by the source of identification. Cases were identified passively using hospital-based patient discharge data or actively through outreach and medical testing following enforcement investigation.

Occupational Contributions to Respiratory Health Disparities.

Occupation is an important contributor to disparities in respiratory disease, affecting financial status, health-care access, and exposure to hazardous substances. Although occupation and associated exposures are included in the socioecological models, work exposures remain persistently absent from research on health inequities and their contribution to health. This article focuses on the occupational contribution to disparities in asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, silicosis, coronavirus disease 2019, and lung cancer.

Silicosis Among Immigrant Engineered Stone (Quartz) Countertop Fabrication Workers in California.

Importance: Silicosis associated with inhalation of respirable crystalline silica among engineered stone countertop fabrication workers is an emerging health concern.

Objective: To describe clinical, socioeconomic, and occupational characteristics of patients diagnosed with silicosis associated with engineered stone in California.

Design, Setting, And Participants: This case series included reported cases of silicosis associated with fabrication of engineered stone countertops, as identified by statewide surveillance by the California Department of Public Health (2019-2022).

Rare case of occupational pulmonary hemorrhage in a firefighter.

Alveolar hemorrhage associated with physical exertion, known as exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage (EIPH), is a rare condition linked to strenuous exertion. This can be an unusual form of respiratory and occupational illness. We present the case of a healthy firefighter who developed fatal pulmonary hemorrhage after participating in a strenuous physical training exercise regimen.

Early radiographic pneumoconiosis is associated with impaired exercise gas exchange among coal miners with normal resting spirometry.

Rationale: We sought to determine if radiographic pneumoconiosis predicts abnormal gas exchange during exercise in coal mine workers with preserved resting lung function.

Methods: We analyzed data from former coal miners seen between 2006 and 2014 in a single clinic specializing in black lung evaluations. We limited the analysis to those with normal resting spirometry and an A-a gradient at peak exercise ≥10 mmHg.