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Introduction to work related diseases

This week consists of four topics, followed by one discussion and a quiz. Don’t forget that you can sign up before November 16, 2020, for our free and optional online exam and get formal credits (3 ECTS) at the University of Bergen after course completion. After registering, you will receive practical information about the exam in emails directly from the University of Bergen. Now, let’s continue with this week’s topics:

In this session, you will learn about work-related lung diseases, a large group of diseases that affects millions worldwide. It is well documented that smoke, dust, gas, and fumes can affect respiratory health. Tobacco smoking is a major cause of lung diseases, but still 10-15 % of diagnosed lung diseases can be related to different exposures at the work place.
After this session, you will be able to tell what a work-related lung disease is, know a bit about some typical work-related lung diseases, their causes and which occupations are at risk, as well as knowing more about how these diseases can be recognized or diagnosed. You will also learn a bit about exposure measurements and how work-related lung diseases can be prevented.

In this session, you will learn about cancer, an insidious group of diseases that pose a major threat to human health. Cancer can have many different causes, including different exposures at work. After this session, you will be able to tell what a work-related cancer is, and know a bit about some typical work-related cancers, their causes and which occupations are at risk. You will also understand how hugely tragic many incidents of work-related cancers are because most of them are entirely preventable.

In this session, you will learn about work-related skin diseases. These can be defined as a preventable skin disease induced or aggravated by a particular workplace exposure. After the session, you will know that most work-related dermatoses are contact eczemas. We will teach you about the two types of contact eczema, their causes and the kinds of occupations that are at risk as well as how they can be recognized or diagnosed. We will also give you some information about preventive measures and how to manage workers with contact eczema.

Musculoskeletal diseases

In this part you will learn how musculoskeletal diseases can develop due to unfavorable work conditions. Musculoskeletal diseases are very common in occupational health. You will see some examples of work situations that can cause musculoskeletal diseases, and learn how such situations could be avoided.