It is frightening to think of all the many chemical, biological, and radioactive agents we are exposed to everyday while at home, work, and school. Some exposures have been significantly tested and studied to determine their effects on our bodies while others are relatively new and or not considered a threat. Carbon monoxide is widely recognized as harmful while the effects of radiation from cell phones continue to be researched. I currently work at a dental office as an office manager and I have been working in the dental field for 8 years. There have been recent reports of increased lung cancer incidence rates among dental professionals. Here is an article I found on the reports from the CDC: https://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2018-archive/march/cdc-reports-cluster-of-dental-professionals-diagnosed-with-lung-disease
This is very concerning and reveals the occupational exposures within the dental field. Another concern is the radiation from x-rays. Today, many offices have upgraded to digital x-rays which significantly lowers the levels of radiation emitted. Our office also wears radiation badges that are tested every 3 months to measure the amount of radiation we are being exposed to.
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It is frightening to think of all the many chemical, biological, and radioactive agents we are exposed to everyday while at home, work, and ...
Hi Marisa,
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your thoughts! It's scary that dental professionals are starting to develop lung cancer from doing work on patients to improve their health. Id be curious to see the difference in radiation exposure in individuals with radiation badges and those without. I know that my husband also has to wear them for his job at the US Geological Survey.
Great post!
Kera
Hi Marisa,
ReplyDeleteWow! I had no idea dental professionals were highly at risk for developing lung cancer, which makes me worried for some of my family members who are dentists themselves. I'm sure they are aware of the risk of radiation, but I wonder if there could be a healthier procedure to avoid radiation exposure for those working in the dental profession. Thanks for sharing!
Carmen
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHello Marisa,
ReplyDeleteYou make a valid point in that there are new exposures and current exposures that may not be considered threats.
As for radiation, there are pros and cons to this exposure as it can (does) brings up ethical concerns. For example, cancer patients use radiation as a treatment method to fight this illness so it wouldn't be seen as such a negative exposure.
You identified the opposite of what can happen to healthy people, such as dentists becoming at higher risk of developing lung cancer. Further measures need to be taken to protect dental professionals and workers, especially since there has been research to support negative health outcomes.