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Thoracic dust exposure is associated with lung function decline in cement production workers
Karl-Christian Nordby1, Hilde Notø2, Wijnand Eduard2
1Dept of Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology, National Institute of Occupational Health, Oslo, Norway kcn@stami.no.
The European Respiratory Journal
|April 23, 2016
Summary
Workplace aerosol exposure in cement production is linked to reduced lung function. Higher exposure levels correlate with a faster decline in lung volumes, emphasizing the need for exposure reduction.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Environmental Health
- Pulmonary Medicine
Background:
- Workplace aerosols in cement production pose potential respiratory risks.
- Cement dust exposure is a known occupational hazard, but specific impacts on lung function require further investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between workplace aerosol exposure and lung function impairment in cement production workers.
- To quantify the impact of varying exposure levels on dynamic lung volumes over time.
Main Methods:
- A cohort study involving 4966 workers across 24 cement plants.
- Assessment of thoracic aerosol exposure and spirometry testing over a mean follow-up of 3.5 years.
- Statistical analysis using mixed-effects models to evaluate lung function changes (FEV1, FEV6, FVC) in relation to exposure quintiles.
Main Results:
- Significant associations were found between aerosol exposure and reduced forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced expiratory volume in 6 seconds (FEV6), and forced vital capacity (FVC).
- The highest exposure quintile showed a yearly excess decline of 0.84 percentage points in FEV1 % predicted compared to the lowest quintile.
- Administrative employees, used as a comparison group, experienced less lung function decline.
Conclusions:
- Higher levels of workplace aerosol exposure in cement production are associated with a decline in dynamic lung volumes.
- Reducing occupational exposure to aerosols is recommended to prevent lung function impairment in this workforce.
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