>> Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or COPD,
affects over 16 million Americans.
COPD causes lung damage that obstructs air flow,
interferes with the lungs taking up oxygen,
and removing carbon dioxide.
And produces symptoms such as productive cough, wheezing,
and exercise limitations due to shortness of breath.
In the U.S., tobacco smoke is the most common exposure
that causes COPD.
About 15% of all COPD cases can be attributed
to workplace exposures such as dust, gases, and chemical fumes.
This video will discuss the danger of combined smoking
and workplace exposures and provide advice from an expert
in pulmonology, on how to minimize the risk
from workplace exposures.
>> When I was young, working there, I didn't, I didn't think
about it, I didn't know what affect it was going
to have in later years.
But evidently it did, but if I'd have known better,
I would have done something about it, maybe get them
to get more safety stuff there, but in other words,
to me it was just a job, it was a, that's,
that was a, that was a job.
>> I think it's a responsibility of employers
to educate employees that exposure to certain products
at the workplace can cause COPD.
Not everybody will get COPD,
a minority of the workers will get COPD.
Just like not every smoker develops COPD,
only a minority develops COPD.
But if employees do get it, then you know,
they need to be supported, they need to be diagnosed accurately,
and they need to be treated correctly.
And if compensation benefits are available
and medical benefits can be provided,
they should be provided.
>> The Veteran's Administration takes pretty good care of us.
If I was not a veteran, I would find it very, very difficult
because all this medicine and stuff that I have to take,
it would, it would break a person,
it would flat break a person.
>> If a patient's been diagnosed to have work-related COPD,
I think it's important to limit any exposures
that can hurt their lung.
One such exposure may in fact be cigarette smoking,
because we know that patients who have both cigarette smoking
and work-related exposures will benefit
if they quit smoking as well.
In addition to smoking cessation, it's very important
to limit exposures to irritant dusts, fumes,
and vapors in the workplace.
They may be able to negotiate with their employer
if they could be transferred
to a job that's less dusty for instance.
They may be able to put some engineering measures in place,
such as exhaust ventilation.
If nothing works,
also protective devices may be helpful such as respirators.
>> Be aware of your surroundings,
be aware of what's going on around you,
hopefully you'd be able to identify or understand
that these areas that you do go into
or around you might be exposed to something.
We didn't understand that probably,
and that's not a good thing.
It's just, it's kind of really made my life go
from an active person to an inactive person.
>> For providers, there are two examples of innovative solutions
that may be relevant for work-related COPD.
One such example comes from West Virginia
where a tele-mentoring program is being used
to train mid-level providers to perform pulmonary rehabilitation
in remote rural communities.
And the data is actually quite successful
in the Appalachian region.
Another example is a tele-mentoring clinic
that has been established in New Mexico,
where providers are encouraged to form teams of professionals
to take care of miners and other workers of occupational COPD.
So I think both those programs have one thing in common,
is the use of technology to reach out to rural providers
who may not be aware of how to diagnose
and manage work-related COPD.
>> At this stage of my life,
I can wholeheartedly advise people,
if you're creating any kind of air havoc around you,
protection is of the utmost safety feature.
Your lungs, you only have two lungs,
they're only going to last so long.
If you use protection and the right kind of protection,
your lungs will last a lot longer than mine, most likely.
It's a little late for me, but it's not too late for you
to start with that premise that your lungs and your ears,
your senses are all valuable and you got to protect them.
>> I think there's increasing recognition
by the American employers and by the American workers,
that this disease is preventable.
And every effort needs to be made
to make this disease less common in the United States,
and if it does occur, to diagnose it early
and to treat it early.
And changes need to be made, not only at the workplace,
but also in worker lifestyles.
Educate them about the damaging effect
of combining cigarette smoke
with workplace dust exposures as an example.
Keeping a worker healthy at the workplace
by making sure exercise, adequate nutrition is given
to them is all very helpful.
I think investing in a worker is very important for any business.
>> And don't be so hard-headed and if you do work in mines,
because I know there's still mines, whether it be copper
or whatever, to wear your safety equipment.
Take care of yourselves.
I'm losing out on a bunch.
Can't even chase my wife down the driveway anymore.
[ Laughter ]
>> There is increasing worker awareness,
far better prevention strategies,
improving diagnostic strategies, and better treatment options
that are becoming available.
I see a far better future in the management of work-related COPD.
[ Music ]