Occupational Exposure To Lead Compounds And Human Cancer
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$222,887.00
Summary
This study aims to investigate whether there is a link between cancer (in particular cancer of the stomach, lung, kidney and central nervous system) and occupational exposure to lead compounds. There are only a few published cohort studies available on occupational exposures in use and applications of lead compounds, despite the widespread use of these compounds in the past 50 years. Since the late 1980s the use of lead compounds in Australia has decreased, but Australian and world lead producti ....This study aims to investigate whether there is a link between cancer (in particular cancer of the stomach, lung, kidney and central nervous system) and occupational exposure to lead compounds. There are only a few published cohort studies available on occupational exposures in use and applications of lead compounds, despite the widespread use of these compounds in the past 50 years. Since the late 1980s the use of lead compounds in Australia has decreased, but Australian and world lead production has increased. Australia is the world's biggest producer of lead. The precise number of lead workers worldwide is unknown but there are likely to be more than 2 million workers of which many are in developing countries where control of lead exposure is unsatisfactory and occupational exposure limits are considerably higher than in developed countries. Evidence for or against cancer risk with exposure to lead compounds , in particular inorganic lead, will therefore have implications for many Australian and international workers. This is also important for health risk assessment for environmental contamination in the Australian community. In our study we will review the state government archived records of about 8,000 lead workers in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, who took part in lead compound exposure surveys and had blood tests in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s, as part of government lead regulations in force at the time. We will then match the details of these workers against the National Cancer and Death registry data to calculate cancer rates. This should involve a sufficient number of workers to enable us to undertake a comprehensive health evaluation of cancer risk and exposure to lead compounds.Read moreRead less
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.
About 1.5 million Australians may be currently exposed to carcinogens in their jobs. This estimate is based on European data and we need Australian information in order to direct future Australian research, policy and practice. The project will survey 5000 Australian workers to estimate the exposure to up to 53 prioity occupational chemicals. This will provide a sound basis for estimating the occupational risk of cancers for Australian workers and determining how to decrease the number of cancer ....About 1.5 million Australians may be currently exposed to carcinogens in their jobs. This estimate is based on European data and we need Australian information in order to direct future Australian research, policy and practice. The project will survey 5000 Australian workers to estimate the exposure to up to 53 prioity occupational chemicals. This will provide a sound basis for estimating the occupational risk of cancers for Australian workers and determining how to decrease the number of cancers caused by work.Read moreRead less
It is self-evident that people should be able to go to work and know that their work is not giving them cancer. Despite modern health and safety laws, about 5000 Australians a year contract cancer related to their previous work exposures. My research provides evidence to link chemical and other exposures at work with later cancer development. I also develop new methods to accurately assess past exposure to chemicals. The aim of my research is to make the workplace safer.
This project will update the Wittenoom cohorts by tracing cancers and deaths in Australia and Italy. This will improve risk estimates of lung cancer and mesothelioma. In particular we will see if that risk declines with more than 40 years since exposure, in collaboration with Italian colleagues. We will continue developing an interactive community website to act as a support platform, a layman's bridge to medical research knowledge, public health information and an archive of personal stories.
I am a salaried-full time Physician in Respiratory Medicine at a major teaching hospital with postgraduate training, research experience and qualifications in clinical medicine and the epidemiology of occupational and environmental lung diseases and cance
Occupational And Environmental Exposures Associated With Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis In Australia
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$287,388.00
Summary
Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive scarring lung disease of unknown cause with little effective treatment from which most patients die within 2-3 years. Although relatively rare, the public health impact is similar to many cancers. We will undertake a nationwide case-control study to identify jobs and exposures associated with the development of IPF. The results will influence policy to control exposures and over time reduce the occurrence of this devastating lung disease.
Immunological And Respiratory Effects Among Workers Exposed To Engineered Nanoparticles
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$513,507.00
Summary
Laboratory studies suggest that nanoparticles can easily enter the body and may cause more damage than similar, larger particles but human data are lacking. We propose to study the health of nanoparticle-exposed workers and unexposed workers, and compare biomarkers of inflammation in the blood and the respiratory system at the start and end of the shift, end of the working week and after 1 year’s further exposure to nanoparticles.