Ronan Kelly
Retired 2020
The Mysterious Illness Hitting Gulf Workers Now Identified As 'TILT'
by T Goodman
For a few days now, we've been hearing and reading about Gulf cleanup workers and people living close to the Gulf coming down with strange 'flu-like' symptoms. The true diagnosis was difficult, because flu symptoms are common in the illness that's actually overcoming these workers - now patients. It's called TILT, short for Toxicant-Induced Loss of Tolerance.
TILT is characterized by intolerance of chemicals, foods, various odors, even water. Joint pains, upper respiratory problems, difficulty breathing, stomach cramping, nervousness, inability to concentrate, balance difficulty, nausea, headaches, skin rashes, pain with or frequent urination, and more symptoms are common. The high temperatures and humidity on the Gulf shores make all these symptoms worse.
What can spark TILT? Dr. Claudia Miller, Assistant Dean and Professor at the University of Texas School of Medicine, San Antonio, is an expert in allergy/immunology and environmental health. She has devised and tested the Quick Environmental Exposure and Sensitivity Inventory, aptly nicknamed QEESI, to help researchers, doctors and patients identify their intolerances.
Exposure to diesel or gas engine exhaust, gasoline, tobacco smoke, insecticide, cleaning products like disinfectants or bleach cleansers, fresh tar or asphalt... even perfume-y odors, nail polish remover, or new furnishings can initiate TILT. Pregnant women and asthmatics are most susceptible to TILT.
The Gulf cleanup workers and citizens of Gulf communities probably didn't succumb to TILT from sniffing perfume. And maybe they would not have succumbed to it at all if they were working with appropriate protective gear. But now, the people we need the most on the Gulf, people cleaning the oil off the beaches and trying to save the oil-drenched wildlife are sick. And the only way they will get better is to stay away from their thankless jobs.
sources: Spotlight, PRNewswire, WOAI.com, QEESI
T Goodman
Medicine, Science, & Bio-Inspired Innovations
InventorSpot.com
http://inventorspot.com/articles/to...erance_tilt_hitting_gulf_cleanup_worker_43508
Other links:
QEESI: http://familymed.uthscsa.edu/qeesi.pdf
The Environmental Exposure and Sensitivity Inventory (EESI): a standardized approach for measuring chemical intolerances for research and clinical applications
Miller CS, Prihoda TJ. Toxicol Ind Health 1999 Jun;15(3-4):370-385.
http://drclaudiamiller.com/Articles/1999_EESI_a_standardized_approach.pdf
by T Goodman
For a few days now, we've been hearing and reading about Gulf cleanup workers and people living close to the Gulf coming down with strange 'flu-like' symptoms. The true diagnosis was difficult, because flu symptoms are common in the illness that's actually overcoming these workers - now patients. It's called TILT, short for Toxicant-Induced Loss of Tolerance.
TILT is characterized by intolerance of chemicals, foods, various odors, even water. Joint pains, upper respiratory problems, difficulty breathing, stomach cramping, nervousness, inability to concentrate, balance difficulty, nausea, headaches, skin rashes, pain with or frequent urination, and more symptoms are common. The high temperatures and humidity on the Gulf shores make all these symptoms worse.
What can spark TILT? Dr. Claudia Miller, Assistant Dean and Professor at the University of Texas School of Medicine, San Antonio, is an expert in allergy/immunology and environmental health. She has devised and tested the Quick Environmental Exposure and Sensitivity Inventory, aptly nicknamed QEESI, to help researchers, doctors and patients identify their intolerances.
Exposure to diesel or gas engine exhaust, gasoline, tobacco smoke, insecticide, cleaning products like disinfectants or bleach cleansers, fresh tar or asphalt... even perfume-y odors, nail polish remover, or new furnishings can initiate TILT. Pregnant women and asthmatics are most susceptible to TILT.
The Gulf cleanup workers and citizens of Gulf communities probably didn't succumb to TILT from sniffing perfume. And maybe they would not have succumbed to it at all if they were working with appropriate protective gear. But now, the people we need the most on the Gulf, people cleaning the oil off the beaches and trying to save the oil-drenched wildlife are sick. And the only way they will get better is to stay away from their thankless jobs.
sources: Spotlight, PRNewswire, WOAI.com, QEESI
T Goodman
Medicine, Science, & Bio-Inspired Innovations
InventorSpot.com
http://inventorspot.com/articles/to...erance_tilt_hitting_gulf_cleanup_worker_43508
Other links:
QEESI: http://familymed.uthscsa.edu/qeesi.pdf
The Environmental Exposure and Sensitivity Inventory (EESI): a standardized approach for measuring chemical intolerances for research and clinical applications
Miller CS, Prihoda TJ. Toxicol Ind Health 1999 Jun;15(3-4):370-385.
http://drclaudiamiller.com/Articles/1999_EESI_a_standardized_approach.pdf
