September 12, 2023 : Crystalline Silica Is Classified as a Carcinogenic Substance Under the Industrial Safety and Health Act
© 安岡喜晴 (JoyShine)
What impressed me in the morning was a woman who could not understand why her family doctor was prescribing an antiepileptic drug and an EPA drug for
her scintillating scotoma symptoms and why she was being prescribed these drugs even though she did not have epilepsy.
In my heart, I want her to ask these questions to her family doctor, because I haven't really seen the medical situation between her and her family doctor, so my answer is ultimately just an assumption.
However, I am the one to whom she is asking the questions, so I have to give her some answers.
So after confirming with her that this is just my opinion and telling her to ask her family doctor if she has anything she is worried about, I gave her these answers.
A scintillating scotoma is thought to be caused by a temporary change in cerebral blood flow due to constriction of blood vessels near the nerves that control vision.
A migraine, on the other hand, is thought to be caused by the contraction and rapid dilation of blood vessels in the brain for some reason,
which in turn stimulates the sensory nerves surrounding the blood vessels, resulting in a headache.
The antiepileptic drug valproic acid increases levels of GABA, which inhibits and stabilizes the rapid contraction of blood vessels in the brain.
As a result, it prevents the onset of migraine.
EPA drugs are used for hyperlipidemia, but they are also used to reduce and stabilize plaque in the blood vessels.
In other words, the antiepileptic drugs used in this patient are used to prevent the rapid vasoconstriction that triggers the onset of scintillating scotomas.
The EPA drugs, on the other hand, are probably used to treat a suspected occult cerebral infarction or microcirculatory cerebrovascular disorder, since there is no migraine following the scintillating scotoma,
if the scintillating scotoma is the result of a functional constriction of blood vessels, it is more likely to be followed by a migraine, but since she says she has never had a migraine,
so this doesn't look like the result of a constriction of blood vessels, I thought her family doctor suspected a cerebrovascular stenosis somewhere in her brain,
and I thought that's why her family doctor prescribed her EPA drugs.
In any case, the prescription is logically okay.
So I explained this to her and advised her to continue treatment as directed by her primary care physician.
In the afternoon, I attended a committee meeting.
At the meeting, I was informed that crystalline silica, which is used in refractory materials, has been classified as a "carcinogenic substance" under the Industrial Safety and Health Act.
I think crystalline silica was classified as a Group 1 carcinogen in 1996, which means it is a definite human carcinogen. That was more than 20 years ago, why now? Super late.
On my way home from work, I took a break at Holly's Cafe.