Chronic Bronchitis Caused By This
Common Chemical
A new study published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine
reveals that those directly exposed to a common type of chemical are
almost twice as likely to develop chronic bronchitis as the rest of us.
We are, however, all exposed to this chemical in lower doses, which
makes it likely that this is one of the contributing factor if you suffer
chronic bronchitis.
Pesticide spraying is an integral part of modern agriculture, ensuring
crop health and productivity. However, this practice is not without its
risks.
Pesticide spraying personnel often face health hazards such as pesticide
poisoning, allergies, skin rashes, asthma, and chronic bronchitis.
Recognizing these dangers, a research team aimed to assess the
effectiveness of aerial pesticide application via drones in mitigating
these risks.
The study included 2,268 pesticide-spraying operators who had passed
Taiwan’s national certification examination between 2010 and 2020.
These operators were categorized into two groups: 1,651 ground-based
field crop operators and 617 aerial pesticide spraying drone operators.
To establish a comparison group who had not been in contact with
pesticides at all, they selected 2,463 farmers from the Farmers’ Health
Insurance database.
The scientists then used data from the National Health Insurance
Research Database to identify cases of possible pesticide-related
diseases among all their subjects so they could compare all three
groups.
The results of the study were drastic. Drone operators exhibited
significantly reduced risks of several health issues when compared to
their ground-based counterparts.
1. Drone operators had a 60% lower risk of allergic contact skin
infection.
2. They had a 42% lower risk of other skin infections.
3. The risk of developing asthma was 73% lower for drone operators.
4. They also showed a 76% reduced risk of chronic bronchitis.
These statistics were adjusted for factors like age, sex, working areas,
and licensing years, ensuring a fair comparison across different
demographics.
Interestingly, when drone operators were compared to the matching
farmer controls, no significant differences were observed, indicating
that the reduced risk factors were specifically associated with the
method of pesticide application rather than other occupational factors.
This study is not just relevant for those spraying pesticide. If you live
close to agricultural land, or even if you consume the food that has
been sprayed with pesticide, you may be at increased risk of chronic
bronchitis.
No matter what caused your chronic bronchitis in the first place, you
can fortunately heal it permanently using the simple lifestyle changes
explained here…
