Year in, year out, residents of Ewekoro and its environs continue to groan over the effect of dust pollution from cement production on their livelihood. Many have been forced to abandon their homes while those who chose to stay are devising different ways of coping with the phenomenon. MICHAEL BABATUNDE writes on how residents of the area cope and the risk they put themselves in just by still residing in the area. Danger of self-medication While it has become the norm for many a resident in the community to self-medicate by using antibiotics to counter the effects of inhaling cement dust, medical experts who spoke with Sunday Tribune warned that misusing antibiotics portends even greater danger to their wellbeing. According to Iyiola Oladunjoye, a researcher on antimicrobial resistance, there is no scientific backing for the usage of antibiotics to counter side effects of dust. He, however, warned that the indiscriminate use of antibiotics can lead to antimicrobial resistance. Explaining why it is wrong to use antibiotics to treat the side effects of dust, Oladunjoye said: “One thing is clear: using antibiotics indiscriminately and without a doctor’s prescription is wrong. It contributes to antibiotic resistance which is a global health issue that is making bacterial diseases difficult to treat. “What kinds of antibiotics are they using? Who prescribed it? I am not sure a medical professional will prescribe antibiotics for the side effects of dust because one of the side effects that people may have due to dust is molds, and other allergens such as allergic conjunctivitis (pink eye or Apollo) but this is mostly viral and even an antibiotic eye drop is not needed. “To make it clear, antibiotics are only useful for bacterial disease and will do no benefit for viral diseases. Viral diseases are treated with antivirals. Malaria, caused by a parasite, plasmodium, is treated with anti-malaria. All of these medications are broadly classified as antimicrobials. “I do not think using antibiotics to counter side effects of dust is scientific. It is also bad and does not follow best practices because using antibiotics needlessly contributes to antibiotic resistance, a global health issue that leads to 700,000 deaths yearly and is projected to cause 10 million deaths by 2050, as reported by WHO. “People should stop using antibiotics without prescription, and the government should ensure that antibiotics are no longer available over-the-counter to stop needless and incessant usage.” On the use of palm oil and milk, a dietician, Joy Awa, told Sunday Tribune that there is no scientifically proof to back the use of palm oil and milk to fight the effects of dust, adding that people who are exposed to dust are at risk of an incurable disease called pneumoconiosis. Explaining further, she said: “The basis of this belief that intake of milk neutralises the effect of inhaling dust is difficult to understand because physiologically there is nothing to suggest that milk can do this. The route that milk, or any other liquid or food for that matter, takes is through the mouth, down the oesophagus (gullet) to the stomach, where the digestion of its protein begins. “The rest of the milk constituents are digested in the small intestines, where protein, fat and sugar are absorbed into the body. Its water content is further absorbed down in the large intestines. “This is not the route taken by a dust particle inhaled in the body. Therefore, the reversal of inhaled dust by swallowing milk and palm oil is physiologically impossible. “When a person takes a breath, the air is drawn in through the nares into the nasopharynx and trachea, then to the conducting system of the lungs. From there it reaches the alveoli (air sacs) by way of various bronchioles and arterial ducts. “The practice of giving milk and palm oil to workers in dusty occupations has no merit in the prevention of pneumoconiosis since a dust particle inhaled into the body takes a different route from that taken by swallowed milk and palm oil.” Awa said the use of milk might have opposite effect as against what is being used for. “It has the opposite effect of promoting pneumoconiosis, as workers remove dust masks because of the false sense of safety from the milk they take. “Palm oil is high in saturated fat, which may raise LDL cholesterol and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Some studies suggest palm oil could be linked to inflammation, certain cancer risks, and type 2 diabetes, but research is inconclusive and often contradictory. “Milk and other dairy products are the top source of saturated fat in the American diet, contributing to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer’s disease. Studies have also linked dairy to an increased risk of breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers. “Over-consumption of dairy products can cause those lactase enzymes to deplete faster as they are being overworked. Signs of lactose intolerance include stomach bloating, gas, stomach pain, nausea, and diarrhoea after consuming dairy products. “The occurrence of severe iron deficiency anaemia (IDA) in children is associated with hypoalbuminemia, and can be caused by excessive consumption of cow’s milk,” she added. ALSO READ: No journalist hit by stray bullet at govt house — Kano govt Source: