Respiratory symptoms among search and rescue workers who responded to the 2016 Taiwan earthquake

Wu, Chen Long; Lan, Fan-Yun; Chen, Bo Lei; Chang, Ray Hsienho; Chang, Wei Hung; Pan, Shih Tien; Fang, Pin Hui; Lu, Chien Hsin; Lin, Chih Hao

doi:10.1136/oemed-2018-105027

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 27 publications

(16 reference statements)

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“…The field workers included light urban search and rescue teams, hospital-based disaster medical assistance teams, official and volunteer firefighters, and EMTs. EMTs from the Tainan City Government Fire Bureau constituted the majority of the field workers [24].…”

Section: Study Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Term PTSD Risks in Emergency Medical Technicians Who Responded to the 2016 Taiwan Earthquake: A Six-Month Observational Follow-Up Study

Hsiao

Chang

Chun

et al. 2019

IJERPH

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Although several factors associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in disaster rescue workers were identified in previous studies, the results were inconsistent. This study aimed to explore the prognostic factors of PTSD among disaster rescuers using different screening tools. A 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck southern Taiwan on February 6, 2016. Emergency medical technicians (EMTs) who responded to the earthquake were recruited. The initial survey was conducted one month after the earthquake using a standardized, self-reported, paper-based questionnaire. After six months, we re-evaluated the EMTs using the same questionnaire that was used in the baseline survey. A total of 38 EMT-paramedics were enrolled in the final analysis. Significant differences in PTSD scores at baseline existed between EMTs with and without certain risk factors. The interaction between survey time and risk factors was not significant, but several risk factors correlated with a nonsignificant improvement in the PTSD score after the 6-month follow-up. Perfectionism personality characteristics and several specific field experiences (managing injured patients, managing dead victims, managing dead victims who were pregnant, managing emotionally distraught families, or guilty feelings during the missions) might affect different subdomains of PTSD symptom improvement. Disaster rescuers should be followed up after their missions, regardless of their age, gender, or previous experience with disaster response. EMTs with certain personality characteristics or who are involved in specific field operations should be carefully monitored during and after disaster rescue missions.

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Section: Study Settingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-Term PTSD Risks in Emergency Medical Technicians Who Responded to the 2016 Taiwan Earthquake: A Six-Month Observational Follow-Up Study

Hsiao

Chang

Chun

et al. 2019

IJERPH

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“…From this we conclude that SIP warning did not cause the surge, but rather the unmeasured magnitude of the CRI events drove thousands of people to seek emergency care. This puts into focus the public health consequences of officials making decisions that are not data-driven [14]. It also highlights the family and community burden of such events in terms of losing work days, scrambling to find child care, and traveling long distances with sick family members to obtain care amidst the vagaries of Bay Area traffic.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hospital, health, and community burden after oil refinery fires, Richmond, California 2007 and 2012

et al. 2019

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Introduction Emergency Departments experience a significant census burst after disasters. The aim of this study is to describe patient presentations at Emergency Departments in Contra Costa County, California following chemical release incidents at an oil refinery in 2007 and 2012. Specific areas of focus include hospital and community burden with an emphasis on disease classes. Methods Searching 4 weeks before through 4 weeks after each event, Emergency Department abstracts identified patients living in Contra Costa County and seeking care there or in neighboring Alameda County. City and ZIP-code of residence established proximity to the refinery. This provided the following contrast groups: Event (2007, 2012), time (before, after), location (bayside, rest of county), and within bayside, warned or not warned to shelter in place. Using the Multi-Level Clinical Classification Software, we classified primary health groups recorded 4 weeks before and after the events, then summarized the data, calculated rates, and made tables, graphs, and maps to highlight findings. Results Number of visits meeting selection criteria totalled 105020 records. Visits increased modestly but statistically significantly after the 2007 incident. After the 2012 incident, two Emergency Departments took the brunt of the surge. Censuses increased from less than 600 a week each to respectively 5719 and 3072 the first week, with the greatest number 2 days post-event. It took 4 weeks for censuses to return to normal. The most common diagnosis groups that spiked were nervous/sensory, respiratory, circulatory, and injury. Bayside communities had statistically significant increases in residents seeking care. Specifically, visits of residents in warned communities nearest the refinery increased by a factor of 3.7 while visits of residents in other nearby un-warned communities increased by a factor of 1.5. Conclusions The 2012 Emergency Department census peaked in the first week and did not return to normal for 4 weeks. Diagnoses changed to reflect conditions associated with reactions to chemical exposures. Surrounding communities and nearby hospitals experienced significant emergent burdens. In addition to changes from such events in patient diagnoses and community burden, the discussion highlights the long-term implications of failures to require adequate monitoring and warning systems and failures of health planning. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12940-019-0484-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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“…After a 6.4-magnitude earthquake in southern Taiwan in 2016, a survey was conducted for the incidence of respiratory symptoms in 519 firefighters who participated in the search and rescue during the 9-day field operation. Approximately 37% reported new or worsened respiratory symptoms even 3 weeks after the earthquake, and cough was the most frequent symptom (23%), followed by rhinorrhea or nasal congestion (22%) and chest tightness (6%) [24]. The mean duration of the exposure on site was 5.6 days, and the prevalence of symptoms was significantly associated with the self-reported degree of exposure to dust [24].…”

Section: Long-term Residual Effects Of Acute High-level Exposure On Cmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental triggers for chronic cough

Song

2019

Asia Pacific Allergy

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Cough is a physiological defense reflex for protecting the airways from aspiration and irritation. Thus, roles of environmental triggers are postulated in the pathogenesis of chronic cough. There are several lines of epidemiological evidence demonstrating the relationships between environmental irritant and pollutant exposure and chronic cough. However, positive findings from cross-sectional studies just reflect the protective nature of cough but may not properly address the true impact of environmental triggers. If harmful inhalation is repeated, cough may be seen as chronic but indeed is protective in nature. Therefore, long-term residual outcomes would be the key for understanding the effects of environmental triggers on chronic cough. The present review aims to summarize the associations between chronic cough and environmental pollutants or irritant exposure, with a focus on the long-term residual effects of (1) chronic persistent exposure and (2) acute high-intensity exposure on chronic cough, and also to examine (3) whether childhood irritant/pollutant exposure may increase the risk of chronic cough in adulthood.

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Respiratory symptoms among search and rescue workers who responded to the 2016 Taiwan earthquake

Abstract: There were significant respiratory hazards among earthquake SRWs. The persistent symptoms and low coverage of training warrant further regular examination and occupational health programmes.

Cited by 6 publications

References 27 publications

Long-Term PTSD Risks in Emergency Medical Technicians Who Responded to the 2016 Taiwan Earthquake: A Six-Month Observational Follow-Up Study

Long-Term PTSD Risks in Emergency Medical Technicians Who Responded to the 2016 Taiwan Earthquake: A Six-Month Observational Follow-Up Study

Hospital, health, and community burden after oil refinery fires, Richmond, California 2007 and 2012

Environmental triggers for chronic cough

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