Asthma and other respiratory symptoms in New Zealand pine processing sawmill workers

To study respiratory symptoms in pine sawmill workers.

A respiratory health questionnaire was administered to 772 pine sawmill workers and the association between symptoms and job-title-based exposure was studied.

Asthma in exposed workers (18%, n = 704) was more common than in the general population (12.1%, n = 592; adjusted OR (95% CI): 1.6 (1.1-2.3)). Asthma was also more common in the low exposure group (15.6%, n = 294) and high exposure groups (high exposure to 'green dust'; 20.4%, n = 212 and high exposure to 'dry dust'; 18.8%, n = 198) than in the non-exposed workers (9.2%, n = 65). Adjusted odds ratios were 1.9 (0.7-4.9), 2.7 (0.9-7.6), and 2.1 (0.8-5.7), respectively. Adjusted odds ratios for symptoms of cough were 2.7 (1.2-6.5) for the low, 5.2 (2.1-13.0) for the high 'green dust' and 3.3 (1.4-7.9) for the high 'dry dust' exposure groups. Moreover, eye and nose irritations were significantly more prevalent in the high and low exposure groups.

Working in pine sawmilling is associated with an increased prevalence of asthma and cough symptoms and eye and nose irritation.