4120.0: Tuesday, October 23, 2001: 12:30 PM-2:00 PM | ||||
Oral Session | ||||
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| Dusts have long been known to be linked to human health problems. For example, the links between exposure to asbestos dusts and resulting occurrence of diseases such as asbestosis and cancers have been well known for decades. However, there is growing recognition of the potential role that local- to trans-oceanic- transport of dusts can play in a wide variety of other ecological and human health issues. Dusts are increasingly recognized as transport agents for or indicators of windborn transport of pathogens and human-produced or natural toxins: key examples are the ties between soil fungus and various illnesses such as valley fever and asthma. In addition, continued advancements in analytical techniques and interdisciplinary research linking earth sciences, ecological sciences, and medical sciences are providing new insights into the many roles that dusts can play in human disease on a local to global scale. This session will use several examples of ongoing earth science and ecological research at the U.S. Geological Survey (done in collaboration with the health science community) to illustrate both the advancements that have been made and some of the challenging questions remaining to be answered in understanding the links between dusts and human health. | ||||
| See individual abstracts for presenting author's disclosure statement. | ||||
| Learning Objectives: Global linkages of health, geology, climate change, meterology, chemistry, and microbiology | ||||
| Gene Shinn | ||||
| Asbestos: Bridging the gap between earth scientist and health scientist Geoffrey S. Plumlee, Thomas L. Ziegler, Gregory P. Meeker, Roger N. Clark, Todd K. Hinkley, Gregg A. Swayze, Bradley S. Van Gosen, Kathleen S. Smith, Robert J. Horton, Stephen J. Sutley, Todd M. Hoefen, Isabelle K. Brownfield, Carol A. Gent | ||||
| Health effects of transoceanic soil dust: an overview Eugene A. Shinn | ||||
| Africa desert dust in the Americas and Caribbean: Microbiology and Public Health Issues Dale W. Griffin, PhD, MSPH, Virginia H. Garrison, Jay R. Herman, Eugene A. Shinn | ||||
| Coccidioides immitis: A fungal component of dust and a human pathogen Mark W. Bultman, PhD, Frederick S. Fisher, PhD | ||||
| An evaluation of current nomenclature and analytical procedures for asbestos from the analysis of samples from Libby, Montana Gregory P. Meeker, Stephen J. Sutley, Roger N. Clark, J. Sam Vance, Todd M. Hoefen, Isabelle K. Brownfield, Carol A. Gent, Geoffrey S. Plumlee, Gregg A. Swayze, Todd K. Hinkley, Robert J. Horton, Thomas L. Ziegler | ||||
| Sponsor: | Environment | |||
| Cosponsors: | Occupational Health and Safety; Socialist Caucus | |||
| CE Credits: | CME, Environmental Health, Health Education (CHES), Nursing, Pharmacy, Social Work | |||