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Show Lung cancer a threat to uranium miners Utahns are sitting in an environmental "hot seat" according ac-cording to William Rom, M.D. who is a new expert in occupational diseases in the Pulmonary Division, University Univer-sity of Utah Medical Center. "Of the 5,000 uranium miners min-ers working on the Colorado Plateau, 1,000 will die of lung cancer," said Dr. Rom. A like fate awaits half of all asbestos insulators. Perhaps less dramatic but none the less dangerous are the health hazards faced by many workers in the state. Actors, dentists, food processors, proces-sors, postal workers, veterinarians, veteri-narians, welders and others are all exposed to occuption-linked occuption-linked hazards. Farmer's Lung is just one of many diseases which agricultural workers may contract as a result of exposure to 29 such risks. Ceramic workers come j in contact with 32 disease ! inducing agents. Painters and l paint users encounter 52 of these elements and drug makers mak-ers work with 67 potentially harmful substances! Silicosis, just one of the diseases of the lungs caused by the habitual inhaling of minute mineral or metallic particles, is found among bricklayers, ceramics workers, work-ers, miners, glassmakers, insulation in-sulation workers, stonecutters stonecut-ters and sandblasters. Inhaled allergens may cause occupational occupa-tional asthma. This is noted in various forms among millers, bakers, plastic workers, electricians, elec-tricians, butchers, meat wrappers, wrap-pers, carpenters, joiners and sawmill workers. Toxic gases and fumes are frequently encountered en-countered in- fire fighting, steel making, auto repairing, fertilizer production, oil refin ing, photography and jewelry making. 'The Utah Lung Association Associa-tion holds that workers should not have to pay with their health, or with their lives, for the privilege of holding a job," says Franklin K. Brough, Ph.D., executive director, U-tah U-tah Lung Association. "Because "Be-cause of the widespread assault as-sault on the lungs that comes from environmental expos-ures-sometimes knowingly, sometimes unknowingly-it becomes a big job to protect the health of Utahns. It is for that reason that the addition of Dr. Rom to the Medical School faculty is looked look-ed upon by the "Christmas Seal" people as a very positive measure. He brings to our region an expertise that can be used by employers, the government, workers and the medical community as well." In industrial societies, several sev-eral hazardous materials may affect a single organ and multiply the chance of disease. dis-ease. Dr. Brough says the lungs are one such vulnerable organ. "Air pollutants in large cities all attack the defenses of the lung and make people less resistant to infection," claims Dr. Brough. "In addition, addi-tion, certain pollutants make it more difficult to transport oxygen from the air into the blood." "There is also exposure to cigarette smoke. Cigarette smoke affects the same parts of the lungs as other air pollutants. So if you live in a metropolitan area and are exposed to cigarette smoke, your lungs are taking on two burdens." Dr. Brough continued, "If a person exposed to the first two then employs toxic dusts, fumes, solvents, glues, volatile vola-tile plastics, or other harmful materials in his or her hobbies or as a profession, the lungs are exposed to a multiple burden. Any one of these environmental insulting agents ag-ents might not be enough to cause serious disability, but the total burden imposed on a single target organ may be very great indeed." Statistics illustrate the breadth of the problem. The World Health Organization figures show 80 percent of all cancers are caused by environmental envir-onmental factors. In 1970, the Department of Health, Education Edu-cation and Welfare noted that approximately 400,000 workers work-ers develop occupational lung diseases each year. One-quar- ter of these die. "And only about one percent of all doctors doc-tors in the intermountain area specialize in these illnesses," remarked Dr. Rom. A multiple attack on environmentally envi-ronmentally caused diseases is currently being waged by the University of Utah Medical Medi-cal Center and the Utah Lung Association. "New technology, technolo-gy, substitutes for known cancer causing agents, face masks and educational training train-ing sessions can all be utilized in thwarting occupational lung diseases," Dr. Rom said. He also noted the benefits of a new category of medical pro-fessional-the industrial hy-gienist.The hy-gienist.The industrial hygien-ist hygien-ist is trained to maximize employee health care at a substantial savings to the cost of physician and nursing services. |