Danger Dust

For a long time, it was thought that the human brain existed in splendid isolation from the rest of the body. The so-called blood-brain barrier, a special layer of cells, protects the brain from all manner of pathogens and harmful substances. However, we now know that the blood-brain barrier can be breached because small plastic particles have been found in the human brain.

New research has suggested that the blood-brain barrier has at least one vulnerable spot where microplastics may be able to get into the brain. This potential entry point was suggested by researchers at the Freie Universität Berlin and the University of São Paulo. It is in the nose, where there are special nerves, the olfactory nerves, that detect smells.....

Eight out of the 15 brains studied had microplastics in their olfactory bulbs. However, these eight samples had only 16 microplastic particles between them, which is perhaps some comfort.

Those 16 plastic particles included fragments, spheres and fibres, and were made of polypropylene, nylon and other plastics. Some of the fibres could have come from clothing. This makes sense because laundering clothes made from synthetic fibres is a significant source of microplastics in the environment.

A team of Chinese and Mongolian researchers has examined a work known as Yinshan Zhengyao, written in 1330 by Hu Sihui, the Yuan Dynasty’s Imperial Dietician. This extraordinary text, which the researchers dub “the first nutritional science treatise in the world,” offers a philosophy on managing one’s diet for preventive health. It is followed by over 200 recipes for soups and elixirs and details 232 foods and 174 medicinal plants, highlighting their usefulness and benefits to well-being. Hu Sihui incorporated a wide variety of dietary and medical knowledge from Chinese, Mongol, and Arab sources for his work.

The researchers hope that this medieval source can offer new insights into the ancient concept of using food to treat ailments, bolstered by modern knowledge of genetics and metabolism to bring the teachings of Yinshan Zhengyao back into the public eye.

Motivation

Organisations often opt for easy-to-implement initiatives, such as hosting wellbeing talks or offering mindfulness or yoga classes. They then complain that employees don’t attend or don’t appreciate them.

Many employees say they don’t attend these activities because they find them irrelevant, unhelpful or they don’t value them enough to attend – meaning their workplace has failed in identifying their needs.

Conclusion

In the United States, there is a growing reliance on industry to conduct cancer clinical research. Underinvestment in federally sponsored research comes at a cost for both patients and researchers, with lost opportunities for scientific, clinical, and population advances.

Our study demonstrates that the landscape of clinical cancer research in the United States is shifting toward one dominated by industry.

This has policy implications since industry sponsors focus predominantly on drug and biological agent interventions, whereas federally sponsored trials are more inclusive of different combinations of agents and modalities and are more oriented toward research questions important for a diverse population of patients.

These different models for cancer clinical research both serve vital functions in new treatment discovery and are, ultimately, complementary.

Nonetheless, an underinvestment to the main avenues for federally supported clinical research is occurring at a time when such research is greatly needed to perform the trials that industry will not do.

Thus, policymakers should aim to address the increasing imbalance between industry and federally funded cancer clinical research to benefit both researchers and patients in terms of scientific, clinical, and population advances.

Dust swept from the Sahara desert provides life at the bottom of the marine food chain with a critical nutrient. Without the iron carried far and wide in this mineral cloud, oceanic phytoplankton would struggle to bloom.

Source:

Long-range transport of dust enhances oceanic iron bioavailability

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2024.1428621/full

In short:

Foodbank says millions of tonnes of food is wasted every year in Australia, while at the same time there's been a doubling in the need for food relief.

A tax incentive has been proposed that would give farmers and manufacturers the ability to claim some of the expenses involved in food donations.

What's next?

The food tax bill is due to go before the Senate later this year. If passed, the incentive would be available for three years in the hope cost of living pressures will have eased by then.

A possible marker for the risk of developing long COVID.

Key points

• The risk of developing long COVID is low, but the consequences can be severe.

• Pre-existing conditions like anxiety, depression and loneliness can all increase risk.

• The role of depression and other psychological issues in long COVID is worthy of further investigation.

Depression and your immune system

One of these comorbidities that appears to increase the risk of long COVID is depression. It might seem somewhat odd that a problem associated with having long COVID is also a predictor of long COVID, but there is good reason to suspect that depression might be an important precursor. That is because clinical depression, even without the added complication of COVID, can and does impair the functioning of the immune system. It makes sense that a virus that compromises the immune system might have a more lasting effect on the body if that immune system is already weakened by depression.

Chlorine trifluoride is an interhalogen compound with the formula ClF3. This colorless, poisonous, corrosive, and extremely reactive gas condenses to a pale-greenish yellow liquid, the form in which it is most often sold (pressurized at room temperature). Despite being famous for its extreme oxidation properties and igniting many things, chlorine trifluoride is not combustible itself. The compound is primarily of interest in plasmaless cleaning and etching operations in the semiconductor industry, in nuclear reactor fuel processing, historically as a component in rocket fuels, and various other industrial operations owing to its corrosive nature.

This oxidizing power, surpassing that of oxygen, causes ClF3 to react vigorously with many other materials often thought of as incombustible and refractory.

It is known to ignite sand, asbestos, glass, and even ashes of substances that have already burned in oxygen. In one particular industrial accident, a spill of 900 kg of ClF3 burned through 30 cm of concrete and 90 cm of gravel beneath.

There is exactly one known fire control/suppression method capable of dealing with ClF3—flooding the fire with nitrogen or noble gases such as argon. Barring that, the area must simply be kept cool until the reaction ceases. The compound reacts with water-based suppressors and CO2, rendering them counterproductive.

Exposure to larger amounts of ClF3, as a liquid or as a gas, ignites living tissue, resulting in severe chemical and thermal burns. ClF3 reacts violently with water and exposure to the reaction also results in burns. The products of hydrolysis are mainly hydrofluoric acid and hydrochloric acid, which are usually released as steam or vapor due to the highly exothermic nature of the reaction.

The lungs are constantly exposed to danger from the dusts we breathe. Luckily, the lungs have another function - they have defence mechanisms that protect them by removing dust particles from the respiratory system. For example, during a lifetime, a coal miner may inhale 1,000 grams of dust into their lungs. When doctors examine the lungs of a miner after death, they find no more than 40 grams of dust. Such a relatively small residue illustrates the importance of the lungs' defences and certainly suggests that they are quite effective. On the other hand, even though the lungs can clear themselves, excessive inhalation of dust may result in disease.

Dusts are tiny solid particles scattered or suspended in the air. The particles are "inorganic" or "organic," depending on the source of the dust. Inorganic dusts can come from grinding metals or minerals such as rock or soil. Examples of inorganic dusts are silica, asbestos, and coal.

Organic dusts originate from plants or animals. An example of organic dust is dust that arises from handling grain. These dusts can contain a great number of substances. Aside from the vegetable or animal component, organic dusts may also contain fungi or microbes and the toxic substances given off by microbes. For example, histoplasmosis, psittacosis and Q Fever are diseases that people can get if they breathe in organic that are infected with a certain microorganisms.

Dusts can also come from organic chemicals (e.g., dyes, pesticides). However, in this OSH Answers document, we are only considering dust particles that cause fibrosis or allergic reactions in the lungs. We are not including chemical dusts that cause other acute toxic effects, nor long term effects such as cancer for example.

The NASA team’s conclusion: exposure to PM2.5 likely contributed to 2.89 million premature deaths in 2019—1.19 million from heart disease, 1.01 million from stroke, 287,000 from COPD, 230,000 from lower respiratory infection, and 166,000 from lung cancer. According to their estimates, roughly 43 percent of those deaths occurred in China and 23 percent in India—two of the most populous and polluted countries in the world. Other countries with significant exposure to PM2.5 and large numbers of premature deaths included Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Nigeria—though none of these countries accounted for more than three percent of the total deaths linked to PM2.5.

The analysis linked 22 percent of the premature deaths associated with PM2.5 to dust—much of this in a “dust belt” that spans from West Africa to East Asia.

A prototypical example is occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica, which is etiologically linked to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and other human autoimmune diseases.  Silica-induced immunogenic cell death and danger signal release triggers accumulation of T and B cells, along with IgG-secreting plasma cells, indicative of ectopic lymphoid tissue neogenesis, and broad-spectrum autoantibody production in the lung. These events drive early autoimmunity onset and accelerate end-stage autoimmune glomerulonephritis.

Occupational exposure to silica or silicon dioxide dust has been examined as a possible risk factor with respect to several diseases, like tuberculosis, lung cancer, systemic vasculitis , rheumatoid arthritis, systemic sclerosis , systemic lupus erythematosus , renal involvement , etc.

Early in 1951, Saita G et al.firstly reported that the renal functions were decreased in some silicosis patients. Subsequently, several epidemiological evidences suggested that the silica exposure was associated with an increased risk of end-stage renal disease (ESRD), chronic kidney disease (CKD), or specifically glomerulonephritis.

Silica nephropathy referred to the floorboard of kidney diseases after exposure to silica or silicon dioxide, including tubulo-interstitial disease, immune-mediated disease, chronic kidney disease, and end-stage renal disease. In literatures, the renal histopathology of silica nephropathy was varied, including focal glomerureview ritis, necrotizing glomerulonephritis, crescentic glomerulonephritis, etc.

Professor Charles Swanton, the Francis Crick Institute, London, UK, whose research suggesting how PM2.5 particles may trigger lung cancer in non-smokers was presented at ESMO Congress 2022, stressed the importance of the new findings with breast cancer.

“These very small particles can penetrate deep into the lung and get into the bloodstream from where they are absorbed into breast and other tissues. There is already evidence that air pollutants can change the architecture of the breast.

The Silent Struggle

Mental health problems are more widespread than commonly acknowledged, affecting approximately one in four individuals in the UK annually. This significant statistic highlights the urgent need to recognise and address the mental health challenges faced by employees. Andy Stevens, an entrepreneur with extensive experience in the construction industry, has shared his own struggle with complex PTSD, anxiety, and depression, which was only diagnosed six years ago. This is a stark reminder that mental health concerns can be concealed beneath a facade of normalcy, emphasising the importance of candid conversations about these issues. It is critical that organisations prioritise mental health support for their employees, promoting a culture of openness and mutual support.

The Relationship Between Mental Health and Substance Use

The correlation between mental health issues and substance use, such as drugs and alcohol, is a noteworthy aspect of the ongoing discourse on mental health. In the construction industry, for instance, Andy Stevens observes that mental health challenges and substance use often coincide. The prevalent culture of alcohol consumption or casual drug use can provide an easy escape for those grappling with the stress and emotional turmoil that accompany mental health issues.

Background

Over 1800 food contact chemicals (FCCs) are known to migrate from food contact articles used to store, process, package, and serve foodstuffs. Many of these FCCs have hazard properties of concern, and still others have never been tested for toxicity. Humans are known to be exposed to FCCs via foods, but the full extent of human exposure to all FCCs is unknown.

Impact statement

We present systematically compiled evidence on human exposure to 3601 food contact chemicals (FCCs) and highlight FCCs that are of concern because of their known hazard properties. Further, we identify relevant data gaps for FCCs found in food contact materials and foods. This article improves the understanding of food contact materials’ contribution to chemical exposure for the human population and highlights opportunities for improving public health.

In summary, this study systematically maps 3601 chemicals from different FCAs (food packaging, tableware, etc.) for which there is evidence for human exposure, and for 10,786 FCCs, no evidence could be provided at all. Only 15 FCCs have been monitored but have never been detected in humans. Based on two subsets totalling 410 FCCs, this study further identifies 105 FCCs of high concern due to their hazard properties and highlights the many data gaps related to hazards and human health risks.

Despite its name, pink cocaine doesn’t necessarily contain any cocaine. Instead, it’s often a mixture of various other substances, including MDMA, ketamine and 2C-B. MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, is a stimulant with psychedelic properties while ketamine is a powerful anaesthetic which has sedative and hallucinogenic effects. 2C drugs are classed as psychedelics but they can also produce stimulant effects.

The original psychedelic form of the drug dates to 1974 and was first synthesised by American biochemist, Alexander Shulgin. But the modern variant emerged around 2010 in Colombia and is a knock-off version.

The drug gained popularity on the party scene in Latin America and has now spread to Europe. Common names for pink cocaine vary widely, from “cocaina rosada” and “tuci” to “Venus” and “Eros”.

Russian roulette

Today’s pink cocaine is an unpredictable mix of substances and that is where much of its danger lies. Users often expect a stimulant similar to cocaine, but the inclusion of ketamine can lead to serious health risks. Abuse of ketamine, which is widely available as a club drug, can lead to unconsciousness or dangerously laboured breathing. This in turn increases the potential dangers of pink cocaine.

Its aesthetic look and “designer drug” status have contributed to its appeal, particularly among young people and first-time users. This mirrors the historical allure of drugs like cocaine and MDMA. It highlights a persistent trend where certain substances are glamourised despite their risks.

Experts compare taking pink cocaine to playing Russian Roulette with substance use, underscoring the unpredictable and dangerous nature of pink cocaine.

The drug has spread beyond Ibiza to the UK, and there is evidence that it has gained traction in Scotland, parts of Wales and England. Across the Atlantic, New York City has also seen a surge in its availability.

Ketamine typically takes about 15 minutes to work and induces euphoria, relaxation and a slight sense of detachment. However, with higher doses it can also cause dissociation. This can be confusing and can cause panic attacks and memory loss. It can increase blood pressure and affect breathing and heart function.

Effects can also be fatal.

Some urologists have also expressed concern about an increase in bladder problems (so-called “ketamine bladder”) as a result of prolonged and heavy use of the drug. Although national data about the number of people with ketamine bladder is not available, there are other sources about the use of ketamine.

Ketamine doesn’t induce the same type of hangover that alcohol and other drugs do. This makes it appealing to those who need to be at work the day after using it. Likewise, it is appealing to those on zero-hour contracts who are asked to work at short notice.

However, many people will use other substances alongside ketamine – typically alcohol. Mixing alcohol and ketamine can cause significant harm, ranging from slowed breathing to coma and even fatal overdose.

Paradoxically ketamine is being investigated as a treatment for those who are dependent on alcohol, including those who haven’t responded to more traditional forms of therapy.

It’s not clear whether the UK has reached peak ketamine use. Most drugs fall in and out of fashion. It is clear that originally banning the drug in 2005, and increasing punishments in 2014 has failed to halt its rising popularity. What could have helped was investment into prevention, education and harm reduction services, but this didn’t happen and we are seeing some of the consequences now.

In a world first, veterinary scientists at Université de Montréal have found a way to scan the brains of cats while they're awake, using electrodes concealed under specially knitted wool caps.

Highlights

• Electroencephalography (EEG), using surface electrodes, allowed non-invasive recording of brain activity in conscious cats.

• Event-related potentials following mechanical and olfactory stimulations were identified in awake cats using EEG.

• Visual stimulations correlated with EEG spectral signatures, showed distinct patterns across different light wavelengths.

• This method allows to study brain activity in animals affected by chronic pain and its modulation with sensory stimulation.

Chronic pain associated with radiographic osteoarthritis (OA) affects 25.6 % of the adult feline population and this incidence increases with age .

Electroencephalography recording in awake cats was well-tolerated and enabled the identification of ERPs following RMTS and olfactory stimulations.

Considering the OA neuroplastic changes, and the possibility of recording and analysing EEGs, this makes them a non-invasive diagnostic tool of choice and this method opens new avenues for improving animal welfare. It could be used to objectively measure sensory hypersensitivity in OA cats using ERPs, and to determine pain modulation using spectral analysis.

Wet spraying systems are among the most effective dust suppression methods, particularly in industries where dust generation is a significant concern. These systems are vital in mitigating airborne particles, including hazardous respirable crystalline silica, which can cause silicosis.

Silicosis is an irreversible and potentially fatal lung disease caused by prolonged exposure to fine silica dust, commonly found in industries such as mining, construction, and manufacturing. Wet spraying systems not only help in safeguarding workers' health but also assist businesses in complying with strict environmental and safety regulations.

Wet spraying systems work by using water or a mixture of water and chemicals to suppress dust particles before they become airborne. The basic principle involves spraying fine droplets of water over dust-generating areas to bind with the particles. As the water droplets collide with the dust particles, they form heavier aggregates that fall to the ground rather than floating in the air. This reduces the concentration of dust particles, particularly those smaller than 10 microns in diameter, which are most harmful when inhaled.

The best-known example of a sinking city is Jakarta. Large sections of the Indonesian city have dropped by three to four meters since the '80s, and continue to do so by up to ten centimeters annually. Some 40% of the city is below sea level, prompting the Indonesian government to move the capital to Kalimantan.

Sinking cities are mainly the result of groundwater extraction, says Minderhoud. Tragically, in the case of Jakarta, this cause has been ignored for many years.

The fact that water extraction delivers clean drinking water and drives economic development, and as such, benefits many may have contributed, although it is technically simple to stop extracting groundwater, doing so is a socioeconomic challenge.

Currently, there are no cures for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), which affects 40,000 people in Ireland. The disease costs an estimated $22,000 per patient, per year with an overall cost to the health system of ~$608 million. Only 1 in 4 patients achieve remission and a significant proportion of patients have suboptimal responses or no response at all to current available therapies.

As it is impossible to predict who will develop severe, erosive disease and who will respond to treatment, a trial-and-error approach prevails, leading to potential irreversible joint damage before the patient has received the correct treatment.

The team performed an in-depth investigation of a specific population of cells: the macrophages that reside in the synovium of RA patients, individuals-at-risk of RA, and healthy controls. Researchers demonstrated, for the first time, the presence of a dominant macrophage subtype (CD40-expressing CD206+CD163+) in the inflamed RA synovium, which importantly was associated with disease-activity and treatment response.

Combined, these findings identify the presence of an early pathogenic macrophage cell/gene signature that shapes the RA joint inflammatory environment and represents a unique opportunity for early diagnosis and therapeutic intervention.

Source:

Loss of synovial tissue macrophage homeostasis precedes rheumatoid arthritis clinical onset

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adj1252

The approval of three new coal mines in the Hunter Valley, during a rapidly escalating climate crisis, is shocking given the federal government’s stated commitment to climate action, the Australia Institute has said....

“These are some of the dirtiest, most polluting coal projects seeking approval in Australia right now.

“Fossil fuel projects like these are driving climate change. The government should level with the people of Australia and declare when their final fossil fuel project approval will be given.

“The fact that these new coal mines can be approved, despite the government’s Safeguard Mechanism being in place, shows just how inadequate the policy is.

“To approve huge new coal mines while bidding to host the world’s major climate conference, COP31, is a slap in the face to our Pacific neighbours who have clearly and repeatedly requested that Australia stop expanding fossil fuel production.”

On Sept. 9 and 10, scientists and engineers tested NASA’s LEMS (Lunar Environment Monitoring Station) instrument suite in a “sandbox” of simulated Moon regolith at the Florida Space Institute’s Exolith Lab at the University of Central Florida in Orlando.

Lunar regolith is a dusty, soil-like material that coats the Moon’s surface, and researchers wanted to observe how the material would interact with LEMS’s hardware, which is being developed to fly to the Moon with Artemis III astronauts in late 2026.

With strong bactericidal properties, graphene has the potential to become a game changer in the fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. So far there have been no efficient ways to control these properties—and thus no way to make use of graphene's potential in health care.

Now researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, in Sweden, have solved the problem by using the same technology found in an ordinary fridge magnet. The result of which, is an ultra-thin acupuncture-like surface that can act as a coating on catheters and implants—killing 99.99% of all bacteria on a surface.

Unpreceded efficiency by controlling magnetic fields

By arranging earth magnets in a circular pattern making the magnetic field inside the array arrange in a straight direction, the researchers were able to induce a uniform orientation of the graphene and reach a very high bactericidal effect on surfaces of any shape.

Source:

Achieving Long-Range Arbitrary Uniform Alignment of Nanostructures in Magnetic Fields

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adfm.202406875

Highlights

• Rockburst risk is discussed, including occurrence conditions, bow-tie analysis, and risk assessment.

• Strategic, tactical, and administrative control methods are presented for rockburst risk management.

• A multiple-line defense system is advocated for rockburst risk management.

• Emerging technologies and challenges are explored, offering insights for advancement.

Mining at depth presents unique challenges, and among the foremost concerns is the occurrence of rockbursts. Rockbursts, characterized by sudden and violent releases of accumulated strain energy within the rock mass, pose significant threats to the safety of personnel and the integrity of underground infrastructure .

As mining activities migrate to deeper ground to extract valuable minerals, the complexities of geology and high mining-induced stresses amplify the risk of rockbursts, requiring a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon and effective control measures......

As emerging technologies, such as advanced seismic monitoring, smart ground support systems, automatous mining equipment, and artificial intelligence, continue to mature, the potential to transform rockburst risk management becomes increasingly apparent. However, the integration of these innovations into existing mining practices requires thoughtful consideration of technical, logistical, and economic factors.

In conclusion, the future of rockburst risk control and mitigation in deep mining lies in a holistic and collaborative approach. A combination of refined mine design considerations, strategic mine planning, ongoing monitoring, rockburst-resistant ground support, and the integration of emerging technologies will contribute to safer and more sustainable underground operations. By collectively addressing challenges and pursuing future research endeavors, mining engineers can shape the future of rockburst management, ensuring the continued advancement of safety and efficiency in deep mining operations.