COPD Day: The air that we breathe

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a group of lung conditions that make breathing hard due to the damage caused to the lungs. COPD is a major cause of disability and is the fourth leading cause of death throughout the world¹. Emphysema and chronic bronchitis fall under COPD, and whilst many diseases listed under COPD are treatable, all are incurable. Therefore, the best way to prevent the devastating effects of these diseases is to stop them developing in the first place. 

Personal decisions like smoking and living in a polluted city increase the risk of developing COPD but occupational hazards like dust, fumes and gases that are often unavoidable cause approximately 15% of COPD cases or make existing cases worse². In non-smokers, occupational exposure accounts for approximately 30% of cases. Asthma sufferers were also found to be 12 times more likely to develop COPD compared to people without asthma in a recent study³. 

Employers have a legal duty to protect workers in the workplace, including against occupational hazards. The best way to guarantee employees are free from the risks of airborne hazards is to completely remove the sources of the pollutants from the workplace. This is often impossible, but the use of the hierarchy of controls should be implemented to minimise the risk of exposure for employees.

To check the ongoing effectiveness of control measures, employers should implement a comprehensive air monitoring program to determine the concentration of these hazards, and therefore the residual risk. This allows employers to adjust working practices and workers’ schedules and improve control measures where necessary.

Again, to ensure compliance, employers should use personal air sampling pumps which are recognised on both a UK and global basis as the best way to assess exposure. The pump itself needs to comply with the latest version of the ISO standard and be calibrated (for flow rate) both before and after use. For those not experienced in air sampling, a competent consultant can be used to perform the air sampling and will also recommend control measures accordingly.

To provide more immediate data, employers could consider real-time, direct reading solutions which generate instant results. This is beneficial when conducting a walk-through survey for example to gather information on whether a potentially hazardous situation exists and whether further personal monitoring is required. Real-time monitoring also enables faster protective measures to be put in place, ensuring employees’ safety is paramount. 

The main issue with COPD is the latency at which these diseases develop. Sufferers often are unaware that they have COPD and disregard the symptoms as a byproduct of poor fitness or old age. Identifying harmful levels of airborne pollutants allow employers to prevent exposure causing COPD. 

COPD is a universal group of diseases that can affect anyone exposed to harmful airborne pollutants. Air monitoring and compliance with UK standards aid in detecting harmful levels of dust, fumes, and gases, enabling early intervention to reduce risk and helping people protect their lungs not just during their working hours, but across their entire daily lives.

Tim Turney is global marketing manager at Casella. For more information, visit www.casellasolutions.com