British physician Thomas McKeown documented a steep increase in life expectancy from 1900 to 1940, but experts disagree about why we live longer. “There is little empirical evidence,” David Cutler said, “and much unresolved debate about what caused these improvements.” To resolve this dispute, we need to distinguish strategies focused on treating individual patients from those reducing hazards in large populations, often before they become sick. I will focus on the decline in fatalities from smallpox, diarrhoea, measles, and tuberculosis during the 20th century, including the unappreciated role of vitamin A, rickets, and airborne pollutants.
Bruce Lanphear, MD, MPH, a Professor at Simon Fraser University, has conducted research on the sources of lead exposure and impacts of lead poisoning for over 25 years. He led studies used by federal agencies to set standards for lead in air, water, and house dust. His studies also forced federal agencies to conclude that no amount of lead is safe. Dr. Lanphear, who is a member of the US EPA’s science advisory panel for the national air lead standard, produces videos to show how human health is inextricably linked with the environment and to elevate efforts to prevent disease. He is currently principal investigator for a study examining fetal and early childhood exposures to prevalent environmental neurotoxins including lead, pesticides, mercury, alcohol, PCBs and environmental tobacco smoke. A component of the study is the investigation of the contribution of residential hazards and residential injuries to children's health. This project recently received funding to follow the original birth cohort, until the children are five years of age. This will allow follow-up for determining the efficacy of lead hazard controls on children's blood lead levels and their risk for learning and behavioral problems. Professor Lanphear has extensive experience conducting community-based trials, including lead poisoning prevention, epidemiology of asthma, prevention of exposure to tobacco smoke and measurement of lead and allergens in housing.
If joining online: https://bristol-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/98780914083?pwd=b0RnWXFmaEpaQTZ5eW13NE5kNHp2QT09&from=addon, Meeting ID: 987 8091 4083, Passcode: 936722