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Job-Related Pulmonary Fibrosis (suspected or confirmed)
Hello Forum Members,
Have any of you been told that it is likely your IPF/PF diagnosis was due to the work environment/career that you were part of for many years? I know it is hard, sometimes impossible, for physicians to say with certainty that PF is linked to a specific cause, especially something like an employment environment, but for some this has happened. As an example, I know of someone who is a firefighter and his doctor shared with him that without a doubt his PF was caused by his career. Perhaps there is room to debate this, I’m not sure, but this is what the doctor has said. I am asking this after the following article recently surfaced online: https://www.buzzfeed.com/carolinekee/cluster-dentists-lung-disease-mystery-deaths?utm_term=.aqmOERqkaZ#.yn91xz4BWZ
as I have been thinking about other careers where exposure to harmful toxins could result in a lung disease, such as PF. I sincerely hope that employers enforce the proper precautions for their staff so they are never faced with a diagnosis of PF, that is even suspicious of being linked to their career.
Would appreciate any/all thoughts.
Sincerely,
Charlene -
2 Replies
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Charlene,
“Have any of you been told that it is likely your IPF/PF diagnosis was due to the work environment/career that you”
I was exposed to Agent Orange, it is a herbicide used in Vietnam. The Veteran Administration doctor who evaluated me said that it may be possible that my IPF resulted from exposure to Agent Orange but that it was possible something else caused it. Recently I have come across a few cases where the court has ruled that given agent orange is a possible contributing cause, the judge has ruled in favor of veterans. The doctor asked if I had ever used Round Up, a herbicide, i responded yes and she said that might be responsible for IPF, that is so stupid on her part. The same people who made Agent Orange are the same people who make Round Up yet she denied my claim.
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Hi Gil,
Oh gosh, I am so sorry to hear this… how frustrating! May I ask what claim you were hoping to be approved? Was it a hospital bill or medical expense? Things in Canada are so different when it comes to insurance and hospital billing, not really better nor worse. However, if there is even a suspicious link to the possibility of Agent Orange being responsible for your IPF, I’d like to believe people would be more compassionate than that and not deny your claim. However, sometimes it is hard to believe what is approved and what isn’t sadly. Remember how I mentioned I was in the US at the end of 2017 (I think I was telling you this….)? Unfortunately the taxi cab I was riding in with my friends lost control and hit a curb twice then a pole head on. We were all injured and had to be seen at the hospital, resulting in a huge hospital bill for all of us. My 02 concentrator also broke, and I was devastated about this as it was new and they are not cheap! Thankfully the machine still worked but it was the wheels that became bent and I couldn’t use the trolly which was hard because I find the concentrator too heavy to carry. Now I’m “fighting” with the cab company’s insurance to at the bare minimum cover my outstanding hospital bills. We have asked for reimbursement from lost wages too, and for pain and suffering as our lawyer has advised but sadly we aren’t counting on them covering that. We’ll see. It’s just sad though, similar to your story, I just wish people had more compassion and were willing to take responsibility and not deny claims on us.
Thankfully, when I look around for it, I still see more good in people than bad and I am grateful for this! I just have to often reframe my thoughts and perspective to see it 🙂
I hope you are doing well!
Charlene
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