Re: Katrina Cough Study II

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Mike B:

What's your opinion, can you offer any insight? Would dust
from the Sahara as one variable, be addressed
under "seasonal"? The seasons/systems match. I mention this
because it was covered in the post by "Larry" on the
referenced website, primarily impacting FL, which wouldn't
necessarily exclude LA a system that size.

ff

On 1/04/08, Mike B. wrote:
> Here's the information as it appears in the Tulane NewWave.
>
>
> Researcher Seeks Truth About ‘Katrina Cough’
> January 2, 2008
>
> Arthur Nead
> anead@tulane.edu
>
>
>
> Rumors of a “Katrina cough” started circulating in New
> Orleans as soon as people began clearing debris, gutting
> houses and rebuilding after the hurricane in August 2005. Is
> this a respiratory complaint caused by breathing polluted
> dust, is it only seasonal allergies, and does it cause long-
> term changes in respiratory health? A researcher in the
> Tulane School of Medicine seeks answers.
>
>
>
> Henry Glindmeyer, a professor of pulmonary, critical care
and
> environmental medicine at Tulane, will use a mobile lab to
> examine 1,000 workers in New Orleans to determine their lung
> health after Hurricane Katrina. (Photo by Paula Burch-
> Celentano)
>
>
>
> Henry Glindmeyer is carrying out a five-year study to
> determine if workers in New Orleans face risks from inhalant
> exposure to minute particles such as mold, fungi or
bacteria.
> Glindmeyer is a professor of pulmonary, critical care and
> environmental medicine at Tulane. The study is funded by the
> National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, an
> agency of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,
> which is providing $1.86 million.
>
> Glindmeyer will gather data annually from approximately
1,000
> workers. Tulane is partnering with large employers in the
New
> Orleans area with numerous workers on their payrolls,
> including the City of New Orleans.
>
> The testing is non-invasive (no needles) and consists of a
> respiratory and occupational questionnaire, a breathing test
> and exposure monitoring. Health data will be collected in a
> mobile lab that will be brought to the workers at their
> worksites. Study participation is voluntary and confidential.
>
> “The participants will tell us where they work, where they
> live, what they do, and the type of dust-generating
> activities they may be in or around,” says Glindmeyer.
>
> The annual respiratory exposure assessment uses a small
> monitor that is worn at work for about five to six hours.
>
> “The monitor uses a filter to capture ‘thoracic dust,’ or
> dust small enough to get deep into the lungs,” Glindmeyer
> says.
>
> Samples will be analyzed for airborne dust, bacteria and
> mold. The purpose is to measure exposure associated with
> specific work activities.
>
> “We will construct an exposure profile for each participant,
> and investigate associations between exposure, change in
lung
> function, and changes in respiratory symptoms or conditions,
> such as exacerbation of asthma or worsening of upper or
lower
> respiratory symptoms,” Glindmeyer says.
>
> The Katrina worker study is the latest in a long list of
> respiratory studies of occupational inhalant exposures that
> have been conducted by Glindmeyer and his associates over
the
> last 35 years.
>
> For more information about the study, go to the study Web
> site, e-mail KatrinaWorkerStudy@tulane.edu or phone 504-988-
> 3846.
>