Perceptions of, and reactions to, environmental heat: a brief note on issues of concern in relation to occupational health

Average temperatures around the world are already increasing, and climate change projections suggest that global mean temperatures will continue to rise. As the effects, and projected effects, of climate change are becoming clearer, it is more apparent that the health effects of heat exposure will need further investigation. The risks associated with heat exposure are especially relevant to understandings of occupational health for people involved in labouring or agricultural work in low-income countries. This review is a partial look at the ways in which issues surrounding heat exposure and occupational health have been treated in some of the available literature. This literature focuses on military-related medical understandings of heat exposure as well as heat exposure in working environments. The ways that these issues have been treated throughout the literature reflect the ways in which technologies of observation are intertwined with social attitudes. The effects of heat on the health of working people, as well as identification of risk groups, will require further research in order to promote prophylactic measures as well as to add to understandings of the actual and potential consequences of climatic change

"Just Graphite": Corporate Representations of Particular Matter in Santa Cruz, Rio de Janeiro

The unevenly distributed environmental burdens of the Anthropocene become evident in conflicts surrounding the extractive industries. ThyssenKrupp’s steel mill (TKCSA) in Rio de Janeiro is an illustrative example. The factory transformed its surrounding landscape and emitted a fine metallic dust over its human and non-human neighbours. This article focuses on some of the less tangible elements of Anthropocene transformations around the mill. I examine ThyssenKrupp’s communication strategies to reveal the underlying meanings of corporate rhetorical devices, uncover the violence of public relations language and understand the intensity of feeling that surrounded it. I trace the affective registers that emerged around the steel mill as a result of its polluting activities, its approach to corporate communications, and its ‘corporate social responsibility’ (CSR) activities. Everyday life involved minimal corporeal expressions of emotion that encapsulated feeling and allowed for perseverance in the face of toxic suffering. The ‘Stop TKCSA’ campaign involved affective labour; emotions were the agentic contribution campaigners were able to make in the context of unequal power structures. I centre these less visible dynamics of power to examine how emotions can shape experiences of environmental conflict, form coalitional politics, and contribute to the very landscapes of the Anthropocene

'Palliative care equals end-of-life care’:barriers to referral in a paediatric tertiary care centre

Background Referral rates to children's palliative care services are consistently low and occur late in the illness trajectory. Previous studies cite healthcare professionals' (HCP) attitudes and knowledge as barriers to referral. The majority of these studies were conducted in the US, where differences in palliative care services limit the applicability of findings to the UK. This paper presents the first ever survey of UK paediatric HCPs' knowledge and attitudes towards paediatric palliative care. Aim To describe attitudes towards palliative care and knowledge of services among HCPs working in a paediatric tertiary care hospital in the UK, and to consider their role in referrals. Methods A survey of closed and opened-ended questions was sent to 923 HCPs in a large paediatric tertiary care hospital. Descriptive statistical analyses were conducted with SPSS, and thematic analysis of open-ended responses with NVIVO software. Results 132 HCPs responded (14% response rate) including 60 nurses, 42 physicians and 30 other HCPs. HCPs were most likely to choose ‘diagnosis’ as the appropriate time to refer a patient to palliative care (48%); only 4% selected the end of life period. 63% disagreed with the statement ‘Palliative care is primarily about providing care at the end of life.’ Yet the most frequently reported reason for previous palliative care referrals was to ‘discuss with parents the option of the child dying at home or in a hospice’ (49%); 50 % of those completing the open text response box indicated that they associated palliative care with end-of-life care and dying. Conclusions Our data suggest that given the HCPs' awareness of the principles of palliative care and knowledge of services, more attention needs to be given to HCPs' underlying association of palliative care with end-of-life. Other factors may also play a role in referral and require further research and consideration