Description
You must use at least two valid peer-reviewed sources of scientific research, published within the last five years, to support your opinion. Be sure to include both in-text citations and list the references for your sources using MLA format. In-text citations and references do not count toward the discussion word count.
4. After you have posted your discussion, reply to at least two other student posts. Write 50+ words for each reply post. You must use peer-reviewed scientific research, published within the past five years, to support each of your responses. You may use the same research you used for your initial post if it is relevant to your reply. Be sure to include in-text citation(s) and reference(s) for your source(s) in MLA format. In-text citations and references do not count toward the reply word count.
reply to at least two other student posts
1.The Respiratory System
Human-made buildings can artificially concentrate radioactive radon gas of geologic origin, exposing occupants to harmful alpha particle radiation emissions that damage DNA and increase lung cancer risk (Stanley 1). Doing a quick search on the respiratory system, many can find the definition of what it is and the types of diseases that people can develop within it. Reading about the respiratory system, coming across that being exposed to any chemical hazard is one environmental factor that can cause lung cancer. One example is being exposed to Radon.
Radon is a primary cause of lung cancer in never smokers and the second leading cause in smokers, encompassing an estimated 320% of lung cancer deaths worldwide 7,8 (Stanley 2). Most may think that the primary reason for lung cancer is from cigarette smoking, however Radon is another common environmental hazard that relates to the cancer. Like Radon, Silica is also a chemical hazard that can cause lung cancer. Exposure to Silica can cause lung fibrosis and cancer. Identification of molecular targets is important for the intervention and/or prevention of silica-induced lung diseases (Shoeb, Mohammad 1).
To add on about lung diseases, both of the chemical hazards stated above can do great damage to one health. Although cigarette smoking is a well known topic that does harm to the respiratory system. Focusing on other environmental hazards are crucial as well and should be recognized as well. Environmental and cellular factors impact telomeres throughout ones lifespan…changes in telomere length have been associated with an increased risk of lung cancer development (Shoeb, Mohammad 3).
Sizing back to Radon, The relative modernity of the residential environment strongly impacts radon exposure across a broad North American region, with newer homes containing greater and greater radon, and identifies multiple building metric and behavioural variables that associate with this phenomenon (Stanley 4). It is clear that over the years that Radon is becoming more of an issue because of new residential areas and how homes are built. A way to seize Radon, The environmental design metrics we characterized represent a strong starting point for phenotyping buildings with features linked to higher or lower radon. (Stanley 4).
To wrap things up, the respiratory system can develop lung cancer. Several examples of how one can get it is being exposed to Radon and Silica. Both are known to be chemical hazards that if being exposed to it can cause harm. While it is not a common death that many face when it comes to an environmental factor it is still considered a primary cause of lung cancer and should be studied.
References
Shoeb, Mohammad, Joseph, Pius, Kodali, Vamsi, Mustafa, Gul, Farris, Breanne Y, Umbright, Christina, Roberts, Jenny R, Erdely, Aaron, & Antonini, James M. (2017). Silica inhalation altered telomere length and gene expression of telomere regulatory proteins in lung tissue of rats. Scientific Reports, 7(1), 1728417287. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-17645-y (Links to an external site.)
Simon, Stacy. How to Test Your Home for Radon. American Cancer Society, American Cancer Society, 21 Oct. 2019, www.cancer.org/latest-news/radon-gas-and-lung-cancer.html#:~:text=Exposure%20to%20radon%20accounts%20for,lung%20cancer%20in%20non%2Dsmokers.
Stanley, Fintan K T, Irvine, Jesse L, Jacques, Weston R, Salgia, Shilpa R, Innes, Daniel G, Winquist, Brandy D, Torr, David, Brenner, Darren R, and Goodarzi, Aaron A. “Radon Exposure Is Rising Steadily within the Modern North American Residential Environment, and Is Increasingly Uniform across Seasons.” Scientific Reports 9.1 (2019): 18472-17. Web.
2. Marijuana usage in the United States has increased over the past few years due to popularity and legalization in fourteen states. However, while marijuana is seen as less harmful than tobacco products, this is a misconception. No drug ever goes consumed through the respiratory methods without any problems as they all have direct negative effects on the lungs and respiratory system. Marijuana has been met with concerns over lung damage due to the substance’s similarities with tobacco. One of the most prominent issues that marijuana users may face is the possibility of suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, also known as COPD.
Although the risks of respiratory problems associated with marijuana may be lower than those associated with smoking tobacco, studies to date have shown that it is not risk-free. According to The American Lung Association, the danger comes from how marijuana is generally used, as it is often smoked using pipes, bongs, or paper-wrapped joints (Macdonald, 2019).
Additionally, smoking the drug regularly not only causes lung damage but can potentially increase a person’s risk of developing COPD because of the marijuana damaging the cell linings of the lungs’ airways, inhibiting the lungs’ ability to filter out germs and dust (Macdonald, 2019). Research has been done to show that marijuana smokers show lower lung function than tobacco smokers and that the presence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) increased by 0.3% for each marijuana cigarette-year unit (Chatkin et al, 2017). However, symptoms were more heavily associated with older smokers rather than younger ones (Cooper et al, 2018).
Marijuana users should not use these findings as an excuse to continue heavy use because the effects of the drug will impact their health in the future. Moderation is important in minimizing the harm that marijuana can cause to a person’s respiratory system and may save them from suffering from diseases such as COPD later on in their lives. Evidence has risen to show that the drug has lower risks of causing respiratory problems, but the risks are still there nonetheless. As stated previously, marijuana users must be wary of how they smoke, how much they smoke, and how at-risk they are of developing COPD before it is too late.
Works Cited
Joan Vos MacDonald. (2019). COPD and Marijuana Use. Drug Topics, 163(11), 3131.
Chatkin, José Miguel, Zabert, Gustavo, Zabert, Ignacio, Chatkin, Gustavo, Jiménez-Ruiz, Carlos Andrés, de Granda-Orive, Jose Ignacio, Buljubasich, Daniel, Solano Reina, Segismundo, Figueiredo, Ana, Ravara, Sofia, Riesco Miranda, Juan Antonio, & Gratziou, Christina. (2017). Lung Disease Associated With Marijuana Use. Archivos de Bronconeumología (English Ed.), 53(9), 510515. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.arbr.2017.07.010
Morris, Madeline A, Jacobson, Sean R, Kinney, Gregory L, Tashkin, Donald P, Woodruff, Prescott G, Hoffman, Eric A, Kanner, Richard E, Cooper, Christopher B, Drummond, M Brad, Barr, R Graham, Oelsner, Elizabeth C, Make, Barry J, Han, MeiLan K, Hansel, Nadia N, O’Neal, Wanda K, & Bowler, Russell P. (2018). Marijuana Use Associations with Pulmonary Symptoms and Function in Tobacco Smokers Enrolled in the Subpopulations and Intermediate Outcome Measures in COPD Study (SPIROMICS). Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases, 5(1), 4656. https://doi.org/10.15326/jcopdf.5.1.2017.0141