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Respiratory health among quartz-exposed slate workers--a problem even today
Hilde Suhr1, Berit Bang, Bente E Moen
1Department for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Hospital of Telemark HF, Ulefossveien 52, N-3710 Skien, Norway. hisu@start.no
Background:
Quartz and dust are known to cause respiratory problems. Slate workers in Alta, Norway are exposed to these compounds even today, and the need for improvement of their work environment was evaluated.
Methods:
Respiratory health was examined using chest X-ray, lung function tests and a self-administered questionnaire in a cross-sectional study.
Results:
The prevalence of silicosis among the slate workers varied between 1.9 and 6.5%. The slate workers had significantly more respiratory symptoms than the controls when adjusted for smoking. Peak expiratory flow was significantly lower among slate workers than among controls.
Conclusion:
The work environment of the slate workers may cause adverse effects in their airways. Improvements to their work environment are indicated.