An engineering intervention resulting in improvement in lung function and change in urinary 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine...

To assess changes in oxidative DNA damage and lung function amongst a group of foundry workers resulting from an engineering intervention to reduce air respirable dust in their working environment.

We studied all 22 workers recruited from a typical small Taiwanese iron foundry plant before and 3 months after improvements to air exhaust control. The effectiveness of the air exhaust intervention in reducing respirable dust and SiO₂ was determined by personal breathing-zone air sampling. Initial baseline biomarker measurements were taken of lung function and urinary 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in all of the workers, with follow-up measurements taken 3 months after the engineering control was put in place. Generalized estimating equations were used to assess the effect of the intervention on lung function and oxidative DNA damage.

Following the intervention, respirable dust density decreased from 2.87 ± 1.38 mg/m³ to 1.60 ± 0.70 mg/m³ (p = 0.07), and SiO₂ concentration decreased from 0.43 ± 0.25 mg/m³ to 0.18 ± 0.11 mg/m³ (p < 0.05). Compared to initial baseline, significant improvements were found in lung function (FVC, FEV1, FVC%pred and FEV1%pred) amongst the workers after the engineering intervention. A significant increase in concentration of urinary 8-OHdG was observed after the engineering intervention in smokers, but not in non-smokers.

These findings indicate that reductions in workplace respirable dust and SiO₂ concentration can result in improved lung function amongst foundry workers.