Exposure To Diesel Exhaust And Lung Cancer Risk In Australia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$581,519.00
Summary
Exposure to diesel exhaust increases the risk of lung cancer. One in five Australians is exposed to diesel exhaust in the workplace. This project will provide an exposure-response relation between diesel exhaust and lung cancer based on Australia-specific data. We will also estimate the number of lung cancer cases due to diesel exhaust exposure in Australia. We will do this by studying all miners in WA in the last 15 years, by linking several databases that are available in WA.
Quantitiative Assessment Of Solar UV Exposure For Vitamin D Synthesis In Australian Adults
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,162,536.00
Summary
This research program will add significantly to our current scientific understanding of the dual health outcomes of UV exposure (Vitamin D and skin cancer) . This project is in line with Australia's R and D Priorities, in that it will result in direct and indirect social and economic benefits to Australia by applying the scientific knowledge gained through this research to develop public health initiatives to improve some of Australia's most significant and costly health problems.
The main purpose of this study is to understand how airborne fungi affect asthmatics who are allergic to them. Fungi or moulds release large numbers of spores into the air that are inhaled. In many cases fungal spores outnumber other particles that carry allergen, such as pollens or cat dander, by 100 to 1. This makes fungi the most common potential allergen in the environment. Fungi have been associated with respiratory diseases including fungal sinusitis, asthma, rhinitis, allergic alveolitis ....The main purpose of this study is to understand how airborne fungi affect asthmatics who are allergic to them. Fungi or moulds release large numbers of spores into the air that are inhaled. In many cases fungal spores outnumber other particles that carry allergen, such as pollens or cat dander, by 100 to 1. This makes fungi the most common potential allergen in the environment. Fungi have been associated with respiratory diseases including fungal sinusitis, asthma, rhinitis, allergic alveolitis and sick building syndrome. Largely due to their diversity and complexity, allergenic fungi have not been well studied and the ways in which individuals vary when inhaling spores is not known. Unlike other allergenic particles, it is unlikely that fungal spores release their allergen as soon as they are inhaled because we have shown in earlier in vitro studies that fungi continue to release allergen over time and this is likely to be the case when they are inhaled. Our laboratory has developed two new techniques that allow us to measure how many spores people inhale and whether they are allergic to them. This study will use these tools to detect and identify the important allergenic fungi involved in domestic and outdoor exposure of asthmatics, the degree of contribution to the total allergen load to which subjects are exposed and identify in what conditions fungi are the causal agents in location-specific symptoms. This study will also investigate allergen production of fungi in situ in the human nose, which will have application in allergic sinusitis and asthma amongst other respiratory diseases. We will investigate how readily allergenic spores germinate in the nose and under what conditions they release allergen.Read moreRead less
Thousands of chemicals are used in Australian workplaces. For many of these chemicals it is not known if they are harmful to people who work with them. Unless we can measure how much of a chemical a worker has been exposed to, we cannot determine if the chemical is harmful. While we can test what chemicals a worker is currently exposed to, it is more difficult to estimate how much chemical exposure they have had in the past. This project aims to improve the ways we estimate past chemical exposur ....Thousands of chemicals are used in Australian workplaces. For many of these chemicals it is not known if they are harmful to people who work with them. Unless we can measure how much of a chemical a worker has been exposed to, we cannot determine if the chemical is harmful. While we can test what chemicals a worker is currently exposed to, it is more difficult to estimate how much chemical exposure they have had in the past. This project aims to improve the ways we estimate past chemical exposure. We will build on existing best-practice methods to improve occupational exposure assessment. New computer technology will be used to develop an intelligent evolving database that can be used when asking people about jobs they have had in the past. Experts can examine the answers to the questions to decide whether the worker was exposed to particular chemicals. New methods of processing information, called artificial neural networks, will be used to automate some of these decisions.Read moreRead less
Using Applied Epidemiology To Respond To Foodborne Diseases And Contaminated Environments
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$476,728.00
Summary
During this Fellowship I will examine how to prevent foodborne diseases and how public health agencies respond to contaminated environments. To do this, I will harness the revolution in public health from genetic analysis of pathogens and the use of linked datasets to examine environmental health concerns.
The Early Life Origins Of Impaired Testicular Function: A Prospective Cohort Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$623,277.00
Summary
There is a widespread public perception that sperm counts are diminishing. This theory can only be tested by using a representative sample of young men, rather than biased populations (such as men presenting as sperm donors). We have the unique opportunity to test this theory, and to determine any early life events which may lead to reduced sperm counts, such as being growth restricted at birth, exposed to high levels of maternal oestrogens or smoking or being overweight in adolescence.
Air Pollution And Mortality And Morbidity In Adult Australians (APMMA Study): A Large Population Based Cohort Study
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,041,410.00
Summary
This study will investigate the link between respiratory and cardiovascular disease and mortality and exposure to long-term air pollution. We will use cutting edge methods to assign neighbourhood air pollution levels to a large cohort of NSW adults (n>265,000) previously recruited in the 45 and Up Study. The study results will be of utmost importance in setting outdoor air pollution standards and informing cost benefit analyses of air pollution control strategies.