SOUTHAMPTON’S construction workers will be taking part in breathing tests today to improve awareness of lung disease.
Medics from the city’s chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) team have set up a makeshift “construction clinic” to offer a series of health tests to those in the industry. It is part of the team’s activities to highlight World COPD Day and promote the importance of early diagnosis.
The condition, which affects more than 900,000 people over the age of 35, causes the airways in the lungs to become inflamed and narrowed and can lead to a range of breathing diseases, including bronchitis and emphysema.
According to the Health and Safety Executive around 15 per cent of COPD is likely to be work-related, with exposure to various dusts – including coal, grain and silica – and certain fumes and chemicals – contributing factors.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here