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Jan 23, 2012

HEALTH RESEARCH * UK

* Diesel Particle Emissions Cause Heart Attacks

Edinburgh,UK -Gas 2, by Jo Borras -July 27, 2011: -- Medical researchers at the University of Edinburgh have shown that chemical particles emitted by diesel exhaust fumes significantly increase the risk of heart attack in otherwise healthy adults... That’s right, we now have a fresh, new reason to hate big oil... The research, funded by the British Heart Foundation, showed that it is these tiny diesel particulates, and not the gases, that noticeably impaired the function of small blood vessels and their ability to direct blood flow to the body’s organs (the heart, in particular). These particles can be filtered out of exhaust emissions through the use of particle traps (like those found in AdBlue and Bluetec cars, and those already being retro-fit to public transit vehicles here in the US) but these filters require consistent, expensive maintenance... Considering the evident health risks, Professor Jeremy Pearson (Associate Medical Director at the British Heart Foundation) believes that policy-makers should clamp down on diesel particle emissions – despite the costs involved – rather sooner than later...

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posted by Unknown @ 10:14 AM  0 comments

Jul 21, 2008

STUDY * USA - Medically unfit truck drivers still on roads

Hundreds of thousands of tractor-trailer and bus drivers in the United States carry commercial driver's licenses despite also qualifying for full federal disability payments, and some of those drivers have suffered seizures, heart attacks or unconscious spells

Washington,DCD,USA -AP, by HOPE YEN & FRANK BASS -21 July 2008: -- ... according to a new U.S. safety study obtained by The Associated Press... The problems threatening highway travelers persist despite years of government warnings and hundreds of deaths and injuries blamed on commercial truck and bus drivers who blacked out, collapsed or suffered major health problems behind the wheels of vehicles that can weigh 40 tons or more... The U.S. agency responsible for cracking down on unfit truckers, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, acknowledges it hasn't completed any of eight recommendations that U.S. safety regulators have proposed since 2001. One would set minimum standards for officials who determine whether truckers are medically safe to drive. Another would prevent truckers from "doctor shopping" to find a physician who might overlook a risky health condition. It's unclear whether any of the eight recommendations will be done before President Bush leaves office... Truckers violating federal medical rules have been caught in every state, according to a review by the AP of 7.3 million commercial driver violations compiled by the Transportation Department in 2006, the latest data available. Texas, Maryland, Georgia, Florida, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Michigan, Alabama, New Jersey, Minnesota and Ohio were states where drivers were sanctioned most frequently for breaking medical rules, such as failing to carry a valid medical certificate. Those 12 states accounted for half of all such violations in the United States... Consider these cases: ... ... ... Some truckers said the government should enforce existing rules, not make new ones... Gary Hull, 52, a trucker for a Louisiana company, said most drivers are hard workers who earn a modest salary and cope with rising diesel prices. New regulations could add to costs and force truckers to evade the rules, he said... The 30-page GAO study, obtained by the AP in advance of its release later this week, said 563,000 commercial drivers were determined by the Veterans Affairs Department, Labor Department or Social Security Administration to also be eligible for full disability benefits over health issues. It said disability doesn't necessarily mean a driver is unfit to operate a commercial vehicle, but its investigators found alarming examples that raised doubts about the safety of the nation's highways. They identified more than 1,000 drivers with vision, hearing or seizure disorders, which generally would prohibit a trucker from obtaining a valid commercial license...The chief safety officer for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Rose McMurray, acknowledged problems that could lead to unfit truck drivers on the roads. She blamed delays in reforms on a lack of federal money and difficulty coordinating with 50 states. McMurray said changes to strengthen the medical oversight program may not be done for months or even years... (AP Photos by Bill Haber - 1 · In this May 9, 1999 file photo, emergency workers remove the body of one of the victims of a bus wreck in New Orleans. A chartered bus carrying members of a casino club on a Mother's Day gambling excursion crashed killing 22 people. The National transportation Safety Board said the bus driver suffered life-threatening kidney and heart conditions but held a valid license and medical certificate. Moments before the crash, a passenger recounted seeing the driver slumped in his seat) (Photo below - 2 · In this May 11, 1999 file photo, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator Larry Jackson holds a survey probe on the top of wrecked charter bus in New Orleans. Jackson and a team of NTSB personnel are investigating the bus wreck that killed 22 people. The NTSB later said the bus driver, Frank Bedell, 46, suffered life-threatening kidney and heart conditions but held a valid license and medical certificate. Moments before the crash, a passenger recounted seeing the driver slumped in his seat)

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posted by Unknown @ 9:47 PM  1 comments

Feb 1, 2008

STUDY * USA- Diesel linked to truckers' deaths

The odds of dying from heart disease are nearly 50 percent higher for truck drivers than the general U.S. population, and diesel exhaust is a likely culprit

Sacramento,CAL,USA -The Sacramento Bee, by Chris Bowman -January 30, 2008: -- ... According to a new Harvard University study of importance to transportation-heavy California... Harvard Medical School researchers said they examined the jobs and medical histories of more than 54,000 male Teamsters union members who had worked for one of four national trucking companies from 1985 through 2000... The findings are important not only for transportation workers but also for people who commute in heavy diesel-fueled traffic or who live or work near truck terminals, ports and railroad yards, said Cynthia Garcia, a state air pollution scientist... Researchers said they were not surprised to find that the trucking industry workers had a lower overall death rate than the general population. But they were struck by the higher death rates for heart disease, particularly among truck drivers – 49 percent – and dockworkers, 32 percent. The lung cancer death rate also was elevated among drivers and dockworkers, by 10 percent... The results are consistent with numerous smaller studies of workers exposed to vehicle exhausts, including truck drivers, though the link between lung cancer and diesel exhaust is still being questioned, the study said...

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posted by Unknown @ 4:20 PM  0 comments

Jan 8, 2008

DRIVERS' HEALTH * USA - Snoring? It could be sleep apnea

Medicare may allow at-home testing for sleep apnea

Washington,DC, USA -The Associated Press/The Trucker, by LAURAN NEERGAARD -8 Jan 2008: -- Loud snoring doesn't just annoy your spouse. It could signal dangerous sleep apnea, yet millions go undiagnosed... A government move may help change that: Medicare is poised to allow at-home testing for sleep apnea — letting people snooze in their own beds instead of spending the night in a sleep laboratory... It's a controversial proposal, but potentially a far-reaching one. Some 18 million Americans are estimated to suffer from sleep apnea, yet specialists think fewer than half know it...

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posted by Unknown @ 11:09 AM  0 comments

Oct 30, 2007

LOOKING A MIRROR * Botswana - Trucking an HIV factor, said a Coordinator

Gaborone,Botswana -mmegi.bw, by THATO CHWAANE -29 Oct 2007: -- Unemployment, the road network for trucks, and a high rate of movement of people from different areas of the country and the world are factors fuelling the high prevalence rate of HIV in the Chobe District, an AIDS Coordinator has observed... Bokole said due to the convergence of trucking routes on an area where five countries meet and truckers 'camp' for days, people are bound to engage in risky sexual behaviour...

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posted by Unknown @ 5:41 PM  0 comments

Jun 27, 2007

DRIVERS' HEALTH * USA - You may have high blood pressure and not even know it.

Recent estimates show that nearly one in three U.S. adults has high blood pressure, but because there are no symptoms, nearly one-third of these people don’t know they have it

USA - The Trucker, by BARB KAMPBELL -25 June 2007: -- According to the American Heart Association, uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure or kidney failure, and is the reason it’s often called the “silent killer”... The only way to tell if you have high blood pressure is to have your blood pressure checked... The American Heart Association’s 10 ways to control high blood pressure: ... The bottom line is that everyone needs to know if high blood pressure is a factor in their health. Since having it checked is the only way to find out...

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posted by Unknown @ 10:47 AM  0 comments

Jun 15, 2007

* East Africa - STUDY: Sexually Transmitted Infection in long-distance transport workers

Seeking behaviour of East Africa

Kenya,Uganda -STI, by Dr Chester N Morris & Alan G Ferguson (Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Manitoba/Institute for Human Virology-Nigeria) -15 June 2007: -- A health-seeking behaviour survey was carried out at four sites on the Mombasa–Kampala trans-Africa highway. The questionnaires probed details of STI knowledge, symptoms and care-seeking behaviour... In one site at the Kenya–Uganda border, a sexual patterning matrix was used to measure sexual behaviour in truck drivers and their assistants over the 12-month period before the interview... Results: Over half of the sexual acts of long-distance transport workers over 12 months were with female sex workers, with an annual average of 2.8 sexual partners. Condom use was reported at 70% for liaisons with casual partners. 15% of truckers had had a self-reported STI and one-third exhibited high-risk sexual behaviour in the previous year. Of those with an STI, 85% had symptoms when on the road and 77.2% sought treatment within 1 week of onset of symptoms... Conclusions: Truck drivers and their assistants in East Africa have high rates of reported STIs and many continue to exhibit high-risk sexual behaviour...

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posted by Unknown @ 5:29 PM  0 comments