Do You have Health Concerns About Microwave Popcorn, Leather Protectants or Nylon Upholstery? Not to Worry!
Vincent Castranova, PhD, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, CDC
Every day the public health research of Dr. Vincent Castranova is helping to ensure that workplaces are safe and that consumers are using safe products. "A little bit of investment in public health research delivers a big public health return for America."
Vincent Castranova, PhD, has spent his career conducting public health research to ensure that workplaces are safe and that household products are consumer-safe. Through research funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Castranova and his colleagues are scientific detectives, investigating severe health problems that occur in workplace settings. For example, a recent report showed that employees in a plant that produced a favorite American snack - microwave popcorn - were showing an extremely high incidence of lung disease. Through their research, Castranova and his colleagues identified a chemical in the butter flavoring of the popcorn (diacetyl) that proved to cause severe lung damage. Their recommendations of safe exposure levels to the chemical were implemented industry-wide, saving the lives, jobs, and productivity of these workers.
Castranova and his colleagues have a long record of saving lives and protecting workers. They have worked to make leather protectant safer, which previously caused acute respiratory issues. They have interrupted fatal outbreaks of lung disease in workers that produce nylon upholsteries. They have saved the lives of thousands of construction workers who build bridges, construct tunnels, and pave roads by identifying the causes of and preventions for silicosis (a disease caused by the breathing in of silica, an element common in the earth's crust). Their research has influenced industry-wide health recommendations throughout the US.
In detailing these and other examples of their public health research which has led to improvements in public health, Castranova says, "These are basic scientific studies with an enormous public health impact. They show that a little bit of investment in public health research can deliver a big public health return for Americans."
Castranova and his colleagues' recent work has been focused on nanoparticles (used in nanotechnology) which have been shown to have enormous potential in treating and curing disease, but could have adverse health effects. His team was the first to investigate these particles and their health effects in 2004, and this research has resulted in the establishment of a Nanotechnology Research Center in the CDC.
Castranova and his colleagues' research has a positive economic impact -by avoiding health costs from needlessly sick workers and consumers and similarly needless losses in worker productivity. With the recent investment in nanotechnology, this research can have an even larger economic impact on entire industries. "Because of the lack of knowledge about asbestos, the entire industry had to be eliminated once we discovered the immense adverse health effects it posed. But now, with nanotechnology-an industry with the real potential to have an enormous impact on both the economy and quality of life-we have the chance to preserve this industry and gain an economic return of trillions of dollars a year. Again, a little investment now will deliver huge economic returns and will save lives."
Castranova continues, "Bottom line: public health research is cost-effective. We need to not only make the public aware of the need to invest in public health research, but to ensure that the investment in public health research is everyone's priority."